Elaine's 'Swish' new eco wardrobe!

Tweet this Post I am a swishing convert! I went to my first ever swishing party this Friday and thought it was fabulous! Always having been a fan of charity shops since my mum worked in the Good As New Boutique in Singapore, I have considered myself a bit of an expert when it comes to sniffing out second hand bargains, and I am amazed I have only just discovered the fulfilling and surprising world of swishing!

For those of you who haven't heard of swishing or who aren't quite sure what it's all about...it's an informal but organized get together/event where everyone brings at least one item of quality to 'swish' which basically means to swop. And yes it does have to be a quality item. There wasn't anyone checking through the bag of goodies I brought to swish and vetting them - but it's just not part of the spirit of swishing to bring rubbish along. One of the ladies whose cute Rasco designer clip on earrings I swished up summarized it perfectly in that swishing makes you feel really good. As well as finding amazing goodies for free that you can take home, you do also get a real buzz from seeing someone else’s eyes light up when they spot the shoes you brought along. E-baying just isn't as much fun.

Need I mention the fact that over 1 million tonnes of clothing ends up in UK landfills every year - and swishing can help you cut your contribution to that in half! So if you are looking to revamp your wardrobe and cut your carbon footprint this is a great way to start.

For my first swishing experience, I took along a two pairs of shoes that I had only worn a handful of times. One pair that just didn't suit me at all, and the other pair were too big. If you are a woman reading this post, I am certain you don't need to ask why I bought them in the first place as you have no doubt done exactly the same at some stage - they looked great in the shop! And both were snapped up by eager swishers, so somewhere someone is wearing them with pride. And I now have space on my shoe rack for my swished treasures: a pair of silver Kenneth Coles and gorgeous and environmentally friendly Terra Plana pumps. I also found a great pair of Gingham clip-on earrings that turned out to be by New York designer 'Rasco'. Result!

I did almost mistakenly swish my Cacharel perfume away, that I had forgotten was in the bottom of my carrier bag, and had to disappoint the organizers slightly who had thought it was a very cute swishing gesture - woops! I did however take along lots of pretty belts and necklaces as well as the shoes that didn't fit me - so hopefully I contributed as much to the evening as I gained.



The swishing party I went to was the first ever accessories swishing party, organized by Futerra's Helen Spoor, and although the organizers said they were nervous about handbags being brought into the competitive environment, the evening turned out to be a real success.

I also met some great people, like-minded and all embracing a new and fun way to be stylish and sustainable. All in all it was a great evening and not only do I intend to keep in touch with some of the new friends I made, I plan to host some swishing parties of my own - so ladies of Richmond and Kingston, get rooting through those wardrobes and get ready for a summer of Swish!

For more details about swishing visit www.swishing.orgTweet the Post

New Website Launch & 20% OFF!

Tweet this Post

Attention eco savvy shoppers! I am very proud to announce that our sparkling new Pure Design website is just waiting for you to stop by and browse. To celebrate the launch of our new site we are offering 20% OFF all products for the month of May. It's pure May Madness!

A brand new look
Pure Design was launched only last year, however, it's never too early for a face lift! We know style and design are important to our customers and so we have created a clean and stylish new website. Our customers told us that they wanted more images of products so that’s just what we have given them.


We have made some new friends!
Along with our sparkling new site we're proud to introduce you to some exciting new design friends and their fabulous collections. Visit the site and check out Katie Chaplin's Kimono brooches, each one is hand-made from vintage Japanese kimono silk - a genuine one of a kind. Or how about the stylish EaKo accessories, bags and belts made from reclaimed fire hose. And if you want a 'jaw-dropping' statement piece for any room then check out Studiomold's Spaghetti Princess Chandelier.

Extra, extra read all about it!
To be the first to receive our exclusive on line offers, find out about new products and get an exclusive birthday present from us register for our monthly newsletter. Not only that you'll receive a 10% voucher as a welcome gift to Pure Design. And if you have a friend who loves design as much as you, why not spread the eco love and Recommend Pure Design to a friend.

I hope you love the website as much as we do - if you have any comments please share them with us at sales@puredesigncompany.co.uk

Happy Browsing!
Elaine xTweet the Post

Pure Design’s Ethical Jewellery Designers ‘Oria’ Travel to Sierra Leone To Establish Jewellery Workshop for Local Women Miners

Tweet this Post
Fair trade fortnight is upon us again - wow the last year has zipped past! And here at Pure Design we have some really exciting news about two of our designers and their fair trade inspired project that will be taking place over the coming weeks...

Synnove Saelthun and Tania Kowalski, the talented duo behind Oria Ethical Jewellery, have always been driven to do more than just craft beautiful jewellery - they want to make the industry greener, more ethical and more transparent. An exciting new project will see Synnove and Tania travelling to the Yele region in southern Sierra Leone to a gold mine where some of the gold they use comes from. There they will help establish a workshop and teach local gold-mining women jewellery making skills. Currently the workshop is under construction, and as part of the project Tania and Synnove will be fitting it out with specialist equipment sourced in the UK.

The women benefiting from the project are employed hand panning for gold in the mines and will be taught basic jewellery making skills so they are able to produce a range of gold jewellery to sell on. The workshop will continue to run and offer employment one it has been set up. The project is focused on women as for cultural reasons gold-mining is an assumed female role in Sierra Leone, whereas diamond mining is assigned to men.

As a positive sign of the changing times, most of us have now heard of conflict free diamonds, but not so many have heard of ethical and eco gold or silver - and this, Oria and Pure Design would like to change. The mine already has ethical and eco standards in place including a fair wage for its workers, and as the gold is hand-panned, the mines do not use heavy metals and toxins to extract the metals from the ground. This project and the training workshop are an additional way the mining company contributes towards the local community - helping local workers to develop both their skills and ability to generate an income.

Pure Design is delighted to be engaged in the promotion of Oria’s Fair Trade project and will be posting regular updates and news from the project right here on our blog. If you have any questions for Tania and Synnove or want to comment on the project do get in touch.

Both designers and Pure Design are excited by the uniqueness of this opportunity. Synnove and Tania will see the mining of gold in Sierra Leone first-hand and help empower those women whose efforts are so fundamental to supplying gold for the jewellery trade – but to whom many of us as consumers rarely give a second thought. The trip will also allow Synnove & Tania to further review and develop the integrity and transparency of their precious metal supply chain.

The jewellery designers are looking forward to, if a little daunted by the task ahead of them. However, Tania will be drawing on her past experience teaching in Kathmandu, where she trained and managed a workshop, ensuring the quality of the jewellery produced and sold. And both of them are relying on bags of nervous but excited energy!

The full range of Oria Ethical Jewellery is available to buy from Pure Design.

Why not show you support for fair trade fortnight and go bananas! Click on the image below for more details on Fair Trade Fortnight and some of the events happening over the fortnight.



Tweet the Post

How to become a fashionista without spending a penny!

Tweet this Post
Untitled by Keren B.

This fantastical 'set' of clothing and accessories has been created by Keren B online at Polyvore. This is a great American site where you can choose from the range of amazing pieces of fashion and accessories already on the site, or link into some of your favourites (as long as they are out there in cyberspace). And the best bit is there is no limit on your creativity, fiscal or otherwise!

We were flattered to see that a range of Pure Design products have been selected and featured in people's dream outfits - including Esther B's vintage lace handbag in Keren B's creation - no relation as far as we know!

What better way to parade your sense of style - and it is certainly kinder on the wallet and your carbon footprint. Go on, have a dabble... and don't forget if you ever want to make your dreams a reality visit Pure Design boutique we have some great goodies for you.
Tweet the Post

Tweet this Post
Special Offer: £15 to spend on Oria Jewellery at Pure Design. Use code 'Lovebirds' on checkout for the month of February 2009.

Show your lovebird how much you love them this Valentines with a gift of ethical and eco jewellery from Pure Design. We are certain Oria’s ethically and eco mined silver jewellery will set your loved one’s heart aflutter.

At Pure Design we specialise in bringing you beautiful designer eco products and this range of jewellery is no exception. Oria’s contemporary range is crafted from solid silver and is now available to order online . Pure Design and Oria ensure that their suppliers adhere to their strict eco and ethical values. Oria buy Silver and Gold from verified mines that ensure fair trade conditions for workers and do not use toxic chemicals such as cyanide to extract the precious metals. The mines use hand panning and restore or reforest the land once the mines close.

Based in the north London’s jewellery quarter, Oria Jewellers Tania Kowalski and Synnove Saelthun, design and finish all jewellery in-house before sending out orders gift wrapped in a gorgeous hand sewn jewellery pouch and presentation box.Tweet the Post

Did someone mention the S word?!

Tweet this Post
If you can even begin to comprehend beyond Christmas, do! We promise to have some amazing offers for you across our ranges. Visit Pure Design Christmas Eve to find out what's 'in-store'...

Elaine xTweet the Post

Eco Design Fair December 2008. Eco goodies galore....

Tweet this Post I hope you managed to make it down to Brick Lane this weekend to see the myriad of wonderful (and some weird!) eco design products, people and concepts at the Eco Design fair. Despite the rain, wind and chilly boiler house conditions, the fair was buzzing. The air was filled with the scent of warm mulled wine and mince pies and eco savvy Christmas shoppers had their purses poised.

We were delighted to have a range of work from several designers on show, all of which attracted the admiration of the public. People thought Karin Helena Turner's gift wrap was beautiful, one lady was so delighted with it she bought a piece to frame in her hallway. EaKo's fire hose belts were a hit and Stella's coasters were snapped up. All of the designers work on show (without exception) were showered with compliments - Audrey Hayes striking scorched wooden stools and sculpture, even became a bit of a touch stone at the show.

There was a great range of wonderful eco products on show and from so many different companies, small and large, new and old. One of the Pure Design team was lucky enough to be asked to 'model' for a shoulder massage demonstration from our holistic therapy neighbours - I was obviously in the wrong place when that offer went out!

My thanks to all the designers who provided their work for us to include in the fair, to Louise Kamara for organising such a great event, and also to our intrepid volunteers who helped in front of and behind the scenes. We can all rest easy now knowing there are a few more eco friendly pressies out there being placed under the tree, and wrapped in Karin's eco paper - it might be a green Christmas after all...

Image: Elaine and Pure Design @ Eco Design Fair, Truman Brewery London, December 2008Tweet the Post