Lady Lori is pleased to see that even fashion icons as globally significant as Vivienne Westwood now choose to shoot their advertising campaigns in Kenya…

Vivienne Westwood has launched a new series of bags for her Ethical Fashion Africa Project, supported by the International Trade Centre, a United Nations Agency, to provide much-needed ethical employment for the people of Nairobi, in a scheme which she says is: “Not charity, just work.

Handmade by men and women in Nairobi from recycled materials — electrical wiring, old tent fabrics, aluminum, plastic bags, flip flops — the accessories are not only environmentally friendly, they’re also community-sustaining.

The project’s aim is to create jobs in impoverished communities by teaching workers real skills and supports over 7,000 women who live in conditions of extreme poverty but who have a strong desire to improve their lives.  Through the programme’s extensive network, some of the poorest people in the world now have access to a job and income that subsequently benefits the entire community.

Photographer Juergen Teller accompanied Westwood on her trip to Africa to promote the campaign and capture this season’s autumn/winter 2011 Ethical Fashion Africa collection.

Westwood says “What I do, making bags, can make a difference. This project gives people control over their lives – charity doesn’t give control, it does the opposite, it makes them dependant,” . “These people have more control over their lives and can therefore choose not to exploit the environment because they have an alternative way of making money.”

The online collection can be found here: viviennewestwood