When Laura Queening won the prestigious Drapers’ Record Student Accessory Designer of the Year Award in 2007, she gained the confidence to set-up her own label which now sells a range of ethically-produced accessories online.
AURA QUE – a play on Laura’s name – has already established itself as a leading UK accessory brand which produces all its wares in Nepal working with the Nepal Fair Trade Group. Most of the materials are locally sourced and she attempts to promote local craft processes and support local skills.
Offerings include a lush leather and knit mix shopper (below left, £199) a large leather handbag with tab and button details (above, £175), leather notebooks (£15 and £22) and hand-dyed cotton purses (below right, £6.50 and £5). Materials include nettle cloth and all swing tags and paper is made from handmade Lokta paper which is made from the traditional method of gathering Lokta bark, boiling it, spreading the pulp in a wooden frame and then drying it in the sun to produce this durable paper. AURA QUE also uses banana fibre yarn, produced from what would be wastage from the banana crop.
Before graduating from Cordwainers (which is part of the London College of Fashion), Laura took part in the Shared Talent Fair Trade Project in South Africa. Having lived in Nepal some years ago working as an English teacher in a remote village, Laura decided to make this the focal point of her business. The company is committed to helping the Nepal Leprosy Trust and it is hoped that in the future some production will be undertaken by marginalised people in the area.
AURA QUE is part of a new breed of fashion success stories, producing conscientious cool accessories with mass appeal.
http://www.auraque.com
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