Simply ethical. Simply fair trade and eco chic » Africa

Stand Out From The Crowd…

Sabine — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 08:52:26 +0000

I founded Cebra ethical chic 4 years ago as a purely internet based business. At the time I read up and did a lot of

The new Fetch Tote

research about consumer habits and spending but I was also trying to find out whether people were ready for sustainable accessories. In my opinion they were, so the next step was finding great quality accessories such as handbags and jewellery that were made with sustainable materials but most importantly without the use of child labour and they had to fall in line with my fair trade philosophy.

It wasn’t easy to be honest. I had high standards and I didn’t want to compromise. Many long nights were spent talking to people from the other side of the world, asking relatives living in Africa for advice, browsing on the internet, getting in touch with organisations and charities and visiting a few place myself to get an impression of what was available and what I could do to support not only the cause but also people living in desperate poverty from which there seemed no escape.

Madagascan artisans creating raffia handbags

Today I am proud to say that I have built up a great network of artisans and suppliers and that the little I can do makes a big difference to these peoples’ lives. People such as this artisan group in Madagascar that makes all our raffia handbags – by hand, with sustainable materials (raffia) and using eco friendly techniques (vegetable dyes).

News from the Waterfront …..

Sabine — Sun, 24 May 2009 14:45:39 +0000

It has been a little while since my last post. Mea culpa – I have been very busy
sourcing new products, raw materials and developing new ideas as well
as new skin care products made with fairtrade, vegan and organic oils,
butters and herbs. Many of you have left comments for me and told me
what you are looking for, what you think is missing from my skincare
range and how certain products have helped you improve your skin’s
condition. Thank you so much for this input. It is very much
appreciated.

My lovely aromatherapist Helen Hammond has assisted me in developing a luxurious body oil made with only the finest African oils – fairtrade and produced under organic principles. It then took us 6 months to create an exquisite essential oil blend made from wild African and English grown herbs. The result is very exciting. The unscented version is called “Afrika Safi“. The aromatherapy oil infused oil is called “Afrika Umoja“.
Both come in a stylish glass bottle with dropper and recyclable
aluminium cap. Both oil versions are 100% vegan and don’t contain any chemicals or preservatives. I am selling this oil on my portal World of Good for now, so pop over and have a look.

There is a range for rosacea sufferers in the making. I am currently trialling the toner but can report excellent results with the serum. I suffer from thread veins on my cheeks and the use of the serum over the last 6 weeks is already showing results.

I am also launching a toner for blemish skin soon, as well as a vegan liquid mineral foundation in three pre-made shades and custom colours (i.e. you can ask me to mix a colour for your skin tone). My foundation is comes for two types of skin: one is for oily, combination and acne skin. The other is for combination to dry and mature skin.

I have decided to opt for the liquid mineral makeup because I have fine lines on my face around the eyes and mouth and powders enhance those. This liquid foundation glides on and is sheer and matte but can be applied in several layers to deepen the tone slightly or offer more coverage if needed. I recommend the use of a foundation brush to apply it in tiny blobs and then smooth it over your face with your fingers. You can’t do anything wrong and you won’t get an accumulation of colour on one part of your face, as the foundation is really very smooth and can be “worked in” before leaving it to settle. You can use a finishing powder dusted lightly over the foundation – I personally don’t use one but a powder offers a great fixation of the liquid makeup if you suffer from oily skin (in the t-zone for example).

The best thing is that you don’t have to use a base cream or a primer. For oily skin this is heavenly. Just cleanse and tone. Wait a couple of minutes and then apply the foundation. It will stay put all day (under normal conditions).

I know what I am talking about as I have a combination of skin that really is the curse for all women – very oily t-zone, very dry cheeks, rosacea on my cheeks and blackheads in the t-zone, fine lines around the eyes ….. with this foundation I don’t worry any longer. I glides on like a second skin, hardly noticeable, stays put, no need for powders and the best bit – it covers my blackheads and the rosacea but doesn’t creep into my fine lines.

You will have to wait a little while longer as I am just testing it with various other people and the safety assessment certificate needs to be completed. Sorry!

What you see at the top (the picture at the top of this newsletter) is a fundraising activity for the Orang Utan Foundation Borneo that I started 4 weeks ago. I really hope to be able to donate at least £1,000 by the end of this year as the foundation is in dire need of more funds to save more orang
utans and reintroduce them to the wild. It is very sad what is happening to these magnificent apes and also – I want the world’s rainforests saved, not chopped down for palm oil plantations. With that in mind I created a palm oil free soap
in 7 different aromatherapy blends, one of which is unscented and eminently suitable as a face soap. Again – 100% vegan and free from preservatives. Please spare a few pounds and get a lovely, long lasting soap in return. I promise that I am not making any profits on this product and that each soap is handmade and worth every penny you pay for it. Thank you.

This lovely handbag is made from felt and comes in two colours: natural and brown. The felt is made by Mongolian herders. The bag is lined and closes with a button. The strap is made from braided wool and the handbag is of medium size – not too small and not too big. I sell this bag as part of the Snow Leopard Conservation Shop and 35% of the proceeds from my sales help to protect the Snow Leopard.

Our popluar sisal handbags, made in Kenya, are back in stock. They are fully lined with an inner zip pocket and a sturdy zip closure on a leather top to which the leather shoulder strap is attached. It comes in four colours, but stock is limited.

If you are still unsure about what fairtrade means and how it helps producers not only in developing countries but also locally, where you live, then go to my website – I have uploaded an excellent video and given a short but concise explanation. Visit “Why Fairtrade” on the Cebra website.

A new incentive for my existing customers is my “5 % discount” for subsequent orders that you place on the Cebra website. When you purchase something you will receive a confirmation email advising you when your order has been dispatched and contained in this email is your 5% discount voucher code that you can use on any product purchase and as many times as you like. If you are an existing customers then send me an email and I let you know the voucher code by return email.

And finally please remember that you can follow me on Twitter – www.twitter.com/cebraonline.
I may not twitter every day, but if you like what I have to say then this is the place to catch up with my latest news, projects, ideas, tips and offers….

The Secret of African Black Soap

Sabine — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 18:51:00 +0000

Firstly – there is no secret. Authentic African black soap is made in different African countries according to local recipes. Whatever the ingredients are, they should be pure, if possible organic and the soap itself should be hand made in small batches preferably by small local women’s co-operatives. Some black soaps contain essential oils or lemon juice (popular in Ghana) others are unscented.

Personally I prefer the black soap from Togo as it contains high levels of unrefined shea butter and unrefined palm kernel oil. Both are fair trade and sustainably harvested meaning no rainforests were chopped down (unlike palm oil that comes from Malaysia for example).

You can melt down the individual bar together with unrefined shea butter and add your preferred essential oil. Or just add distilled water plus your favourite essential oil to your soap flakes to make liquid black soap that can be stored in a pump dispenser. If you don’t want to do this then just buy a bottle of ready-made liquid black soap and add your essential oils to this.

African black soap is extremely versatile. It can be used to wash your hands of course. It’s great as a shampoo or add some liquid soap to your hot bath. For me the benefits are multi fold: it helps my skin stay spot free, doesn’t dry my skin out, the bar is ideal when travelling (none of this plastic bag business at the airport that is now in place for liquids) and it is really multi functional as it is an all round beauty product.

I like the fact that our African black soap is made with organic principles in mind: no chemicals, parabens, steroids, animal by products are added and of course it is not tested on animals either. It is suitable for vegans and I have countless emails from people telling me about how the soap helped better their skin’s condition.

More fantastic shea butter soaps, creams and lotions as well as shampoo and conditioner made with shea butter can be found here.

Eco friendly and fair trade – sisal handbags from Kenya

Sabine — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 21:10:00 +0000

You may be aware that Kenya is suffering quite badly from the effects of

global warming. In various parts of the country crops are failing because

it either hasn’t rained for years or because there were devastating floods

that occurred unexpectedly and destroyed entire villages making people

homeless and leaving them without much hope for their future.

We have just taken delivery of a small number of sisal purses and handbags and

I would like to introduce them to you herewith:

Rosemary – a hand woven small handbag / purse

featuring leather details such as adjustable shoulder

straps. The bag is lined and has a sturdy zip closure.

Price: £20 incl. free UK delivery

Comes in many natural colours.

Buy it now – click on the image or here for more details

Beaded handle purse. This is our best seller at fairs and exhibitions. A great little handbag featuring handles beaded

from tiny glass pearls and in the Masai style. The bags come

in a variety of colours and have a sturdy zip closure.

Price: £16 incl. free UK delivery.

Buy it now – more details: click on the picture or here

Hand woven small handbag / purse with real leather straps.

The straps are adjustable and the purse features a sturdy zip closure. Comes in a variety of colours. Simple yet effective

little handbag.

Price: £11 incl. free UK delivery.

Buy it now – click on the picture or here for more details

And finally – Lulu. Our best selling larger shoulder handbag,

made from natural hand woven sisal and featuring real leather,

a comfortable shoulder strap, inner silk lining and an inner

zip pocket for all your precious belongings. The shoulder bag

itself has a very secure and sturdy zip closure. Comes in a

beige/ grey colour only.

Price: £40 incl. free UK delivery.

Buy it now – click on the picture or here for more details

All our sisal handbags come in limited edition and no two handbags are exactly the same

(colour variations are to be expected).

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