Misericordia

"No más Utopia"

is the motto of the Peru-based clothing company Misericordia. It was founded in 2002 by Aurelyen and Mathieu and is now available in 17 countries. Misericordia was an orphanage and is now a sewing school based in Lima, Peru. All the clothes are manufactured in Peru by young people who now earn the social and economic status of a qualified worker.

The main goals of Misericordia are:
- creating better social security for workers and for small companies in Peru,
- creating jobs,
- drawing attention to human rights and environmental friendly production,
- to employ fair trade as a political modulator in the world market,
- creating awareness of development projects in other companies and industries.



The clothes have a vintage-sportswear look and are based on school uniforms. The collection is very recognizable because of its beautiful bright blue and white colors. The designers often use slogans like: "La Mano de Dios", "Los Niños de Jesus" and their motto "No más Utopia". The clothes represent the hope and the willpower of the Peruvian people.

A Dutch insurance company even used Misericordia in their tv-ad:

For more information on the the collection, the brand and their initiatives, take a look at their website or the Misericordia myspace.

If you live in Belgium and are half as excited about this brand as I am, make sure to visit De Groene Wolk (Kortegasthuisstraat 20) in Antwerp and Prive Joke (Rue Marche au Charbon 76/78) in Brussels. Other points of sales can be found on the Misericordia website.

Adili

Adili is a translation of the Swahili word for 'ethical and just'. It is the latest online ethical fashionstore and is definitely worth checking out. Adili really proves that fashion can by stylish and ethical at the same time. There are no less than 43 different brands available on adili.com.

Adili has developed a framework of the ethical issues that arise in the fashion industry and the various ways these can be addressed. Growing, spinning, weaving, dyeing, stitching, embroidering, printing,... a garment passes through many places and many hands before it ends up in our wardrobes. Each brand is evaluated against this framework before it can be considered as a supplier of ethical fashion.

Adili.com allows you to chose from a wide range of products. They offer collections for men, women, children and babies. You can also find linen, beautyproducts, lingerie and accessories. I especially like the Ascension t-shirts. Some of the other brands that you can find on Adili: Epona, La Vie Devant Soie, Howies, People Tree, Traid, Tonic, Oneless, Natural Colour Cotton, Made, Flipside Vision, Babaloo,... The site also gives you some extra information about the brands. For the entire collection, check out their website: Adili.

Veja Shoes

The Veja cooperative was thought out by two French guys that operate from Brazil. The brand focuses on using ecological inputs, using fair trade cotton and latex and respecting workers’ dignity.

The first Veja model is inspired by Brazilian volley shoes from the 1970s. They also have high-top sneakers, a baby collection and a collection in eco-leather.

The materials used are:
- organic cotton (cultivated by 2 cooperatives of small producers in Brazil)
- natural latex (out of the Amazonian Forest)
- ecological leather (actually not perceived as a fair trade project).

Veja is available in Europe, Japan and in the US.

In Belgium you can find Veja shoes here:
- Alice Gallery, 182 rue Antoine Dansaert, Bruxelles
- Prive Joke, 76 rue du marché au charbon, Bruxelles
- Juliette Verlaine, 2 rue du Mouton Blanc, Liège
- Own, 17 rue de la Casquette, Liège.

For more info: Veja Shoes.

first post

Yar!

If you're mad about clothes, bags, shoes and what not but you would like to shop in a more conscious and ethical way, then this might be the place for you.
Over time, the blog will bring together all the cool brands and companies that pay attention to the environment, working conditions, animal rights, etc.
Another aspect of this blog will be DIY-ing. I want to encourage people to take the old stuff that you know you'll never wear again and turn it into something new and pretty. Design your own clothes, be creative and show me what you made!!
For my fellow Belgian shoppers I will post store-addresses and local initiatives, events,...
The link section contains all the links to shops, brands, magazines, diy-projects,...
Obviously, I post what I think is interesting but I would really love to hear about other peoples ideas, suggestions, events and initiatives. The more the merrier!

Enjoy!