The Women of Ban Dong Yang

In my search for reliable wholesalers of high quality silk, I found the most awesome community business and project going on in a small village in Thailand.

Thai Silk Magic, a company that is not just a capitalist body making all the profit it can from silk produced with cheap labour; but rather a company run more like a community project by a woman with the needs of her people close to her heart.

The founder of this company, fondly known as Dao approached the silk weavers in the village of Ban Dong Yang and suggested marketing and selling their exquisite silk weaving skills and products globally through her company - Thai Silk Magic.

Dao now wholesales Mulberry silk (which is one of the most expensive types of silk) as produced by the amazing hardworking women of the Thai village of Ban Dong Yang.

What I find most amazing about this community business is that all profits... everything goes into providing sustenance for the women in this village and education for their children.

Schools are been built, school uniforms are been made, durable comfortable houses are been built – its fair trade at its best and Esteri is right in the midst of it.

I am so proud to be associated with the women of the village of Ban Dong Yang, to contribute to their empowerment, the education of their children... to produce our captivating, unique collection from their eco-friendly, dyed with natural dyes mulberry silk.

I heart the women of Ban Dong Yang and the amazing work they are doing! 

The women of Ban Dong Yang...

The silk weaving...

 

Initially...

 

And then after...

The Children who benefit from this wonderful project...

For more details visit on the life of the women of Ban Dong Yang visit the links below

http://www.thaisilkmagic.com/About-Us

http://www.thaisilkmagic.com/blog

The Colours of the Collection

There are quite a number of colours that have caught my fancy for the upcoming capsule collection and in my mind these colours are in two groups - the Atomic colours that are in shades of grey and pink and blue; and four colours I have dubbed "Voices of the earth" because they speak to me of growth, renewal and healing on earth.

The Atomic Colours

Honeysuckle pink - Pantone colour of the year 2011/2012 and still going strong!

 Lush dark ominous grey! dear Black, its time to take a backseat.... for me grey is the new black

This is the amazing blue colour smalt! I wont say more - watch out for this colour and the unique way I am going to be introducing this colour to the collection.
You are going to join me to say Smalt rocks!

And the gloriously warm Voices of Earth colours  - I love the chillis so much! they are so insistent and strong and alive

 And the dark yellows with their hint of summers and warm weathers... good enough to light you up anyday

Lemon leaves - the perfect smell.... the waxy smoothness of these leaves, their vibrant green.... I love I love I love

Terracotta - these reminds me home... of wet clay after heavy rain... of West Africa... of my colour.... of me...
 and I am in love with this mix of terracotta and Chocolate

So get ready to step out in these colours in 2012!

All images copyright of google Images.

Retro looks, circle skirts and I

I am presently working on a new collection of 10 outfits - dresses skirts and so on... and so far it has been an endless process of sketching, discarding, pattern making and sewing.

There has been one underlying obsession though and its with the retro, 50s look, the full circle skirts, prim blouses, dresses with flair skirts... honestly I cant seem to get this look out of my head and last week I made a skirt that will totally find its way into the upcoming collection...

I have taken pictures of myself in this skirt and you can look forward to seeing this skirt in the collection as a skirt, part of a dress... dont you just love the shade of yellow? There's a bit of colour blocking going on here too... but I dont think that will make it into the collection - finger's crossed!

I'm going to try and not wear this skirt everyday.....

The doctor's bag and Colour block Shoes

Darlings,
Imagine my delight to find that I dont have to be a doctor to carry a doctor's bag!!! thanks fashion trend... now I can go around town looking distinguished! I'll simply pretend my make up kit, wetwipes and novel are more the more useful surgial tools carried by doctors - and sashay around town feeling rather smart!

Check out the doctor's bag I'm drolling over from no one else but River Island and they are terribly affordable! what excuse do I have for not getting them...

Although if you would rather spend a bit more... payday treat and all that then this Giorgio Fedon Bag is the way I would go. It even looks like a croc died somewhere for it to exist. I am not a fan of crocs!

I have also fallen in love with colour blocking especially in shoes...and Larin speaks to my heart with this  Colour Block Platforms

The beauty of colour blocking - I love bright colours with a passion so this is one trend that is totally up my lane... totally!

I am in the process of making myself a fabulous circle skirt in bright yellow or orange... will be back to post that here

Join the Swap Revolution and Starve the Landfills

FabXchange is bringing another swap party to North London in August and I hear it’s going to be fabulous again... bigger, better and more fun! So I'm posting their invite here for y'all to see so you can be a part of this event!

FABXCHANGE - INVITE TO THE LADIES

Theme: Starve the Landfill (that’s right – put your neighbourhood landfill on a diet! Swap your clothes instead of throwing them away)

What they do: An afternoon of cloth swapping and fashion/wardrobe advice

Date: Saturday, 27^th August, 2011
Time: 2pm – 6pm
Venue: Emerald Suite, the Rock Tower, 49 Tufnell Park Road, N7 0PS London
18+ only, No children/buggies.

To get in: Come with clean outfits you no longer love and SWAP them for fabulous outfits from other ladies that you can love and rock! Items with dirt, rips, stains and broken zips would not be accepted.

Books, shoes and handbags will also be swapped –so come with those ones too!

Other attractions include:

• A raffle draw to win gifts including:
• FREE copies of the book: The Blessings of Sarah
• Free beauty makeover
• Beauty and cosmetic products by MaryKay for sale
• Gorgeous beads & costume jewellery for sale
• Organic skin care products for sale
• A style desk – where you can get suggestions and ideas on your new swaps

Nearest Tube Station: Tufnell Park Station.
Street parking is limited but free on Saturdays.
Entrance fee:

• Advance fee:
• £7.50 if you pre-register by midnight August 25. Entitled to 1 raffle ticket on the day
• £20 for VIP tickets includes 2 raffle tickets on the day and 3 minutes head start swapping time. (Must pre-register by midnight August 25).
• £10 (cash only) at the door

To pay in advance, visit the website/blog at www.fabxchange.co.uk

If your questions are not answered in the FAQ, send the Fabxchange crew an email at info@fabxchange.co.uk and they will get back to you!

See you at the next Swap Revolution... Esteri will be there!

This Blogging Your Wardrobe Syndrome

I dont seem to understand it but everybody now considers their wardrobe blogworthy and themselves automatically fashion bloggers just by putting up pictures of themselves standing in their bathrooms and in dreary looking fields.

It seems to be a fashion blogger now all you have to do is take a picture of yourself in the crap you wear everyday and put them up on a blog and we will all rush over to look at these pictures and leave you fantastistic comments about how daring and stylish you look!... I blame google and wordpress and all the other "have your own blog in 5 minutes" platforms.

Seriously? is the world now full of people who want to do nothing else but stare at and comment on what you wear?

While blogrolling today, and I mean checking out real fashion blogs, I keep stumbling on these "Check-out-what-I-am-wearing-today, yay-I'm-standing-in-a-field-of-grass blogs" They are endless in number and some of them do dress so horribly! so so horribly! and sometimes they are downright plain!

And yet these blogs are full of "what I wore today, 30 for 30 days, the crap I bought last week, a few pictures of me in a door way in Copenhagen... *rolling my eyes now*

Dont you need to have a fabulous wardrobe "worth drolling over" anymore before you decide to crowd cyberspace with pictures of your funny outfits?

I give up.... later loves....

P.S: I have a lot of respect for anyone who is able to look amazing doing the anything between 5-10 for 5-10 days.... that takes creativity and some style... 30 for 30 days? oh pulease.... thats a lot of clothes! whats creative about that?

Ten stores/outlets for budget fashionistas

1. Forever 21
An American store but worth mentioning as they now have online shopping for the UK. This store is my idea of absolute fabulosity! its a one stop shop for young and chic without breaking the bank.

2. H&M
There is no other store to keep you forever young like H&M. Their prices are as fantastic as they are!

3. Topshop
The fashionista's hunt! they will keep you in style and in trend!

4. Ebay
For those things you are wondering where to get them from. I wouldnt advice getting your shoes here though! but other accessories? and everything else? absolutely!

5. Amazon
All the brands meet here! clothes, shoes, bags everything... and their price range is as wide as it comes so no matter your budget, this site has got something for you and I have found such gorgeous bags on Amazon!

6. Asos
For your pretty party dresses, sexy tops, jeans, shoes... name it! if you havent been shopping in Asos, where have you been shopping?

7. Primark
Good old primark.... I always like to trawl Primark cos you never know what you might find in there.....and its cheap and cheerful! be careful though cos you might end up buying a lot of things you dont need!

The next two sites are American and for shoes

8. DSW - shoes, gloves.... This store rocks...

9. Bakers - class on heels... I love baker shoes.... I always will!

10. Charity stores - yes I said charity stores.... and if you want to stumble on the nicest things, go to the charity stores in really nice neighbourhoods... they are full of treasures!

And finally, I'm not numbering this cos its not a store - get swapping! Seriously... you can totally revamp your wardrobe by going for cloth swapping events like those organised by FabXchange dont forget to declutter your wardrobe too by taking along those clothes that you dont want anymore