M&S model Laura Bailey is a super-pretty woman. Seen at all the right events and looking glossy most of the time, it was a real pleasure to stumble across her blog on Vogue.com and discover that she has in fact designed a range of ethical, free-trade jewellery for the Made label. Not only that, but she did it in Kenya.
Made reclaims and recycles materials and then uses Kenyan labour to fashion them into jewellery which is sold on the British high street for profit. It's ethos of "trade not aid" empowers a 100-strong workforce, breaking the cycle of poverty for many.
You can read all about Laura's experiences on her blog here.
I remember sitting in Tom's Deli on Westbourne Grove in Notting Hill about five years ago and pretending not to listen to Laura as she chatted to her girlfriends about some star couple who had just got back together... Sjoe, my ears were on fire as I pretended to read my book. She was lovely about it though. And all I could think was "wasn't this the girl who dated Richard Gere??" He was some looker in his day, let me tell you kids. Sigh.