Happy Earth Day to all!

Who said we couldn’t save the earth in style? Sustainable, eco-friendly, and fashionable are no longer mutually exclusive. Shop ethical fashion from our artisan partners in repossessing power to heal their land. Let’s start making strides to enact change, appreciation, and respect for the environment!

We all depend on the nourishment we receive from the environment; therefore, we must all play our part and raise awareness on issues impacting the environment, as well as take action to improve and sustain it.

This year’s Earth Day campaign is Environmental and Climate literacy. Our goal is to raise awareness about the most heavily-bombed country in history per capita, Laos, to raise awareness, spread peace, and keep our environment healthy and sustainable for the future.

Artisan Highlight: Article 22

The legacy of the “secret war” has negatively affected the country’s environment. Two million tons of ordnance was dropped on Laos, contaminating the soil and vegetation, schools and roads, forests and rice fields, as farming dominates the country’s economy. However, as environmentalists - not just today, but every day - each customer can buy back the bomb when artisans up cycle Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) into jewelry. PEACEBOMB is an impactful line of jewelry handcrafted in Laos from war scrap and unexploded bombs.

The ways through which people narrate the past can transform people and places. Article 22 designs and helps make Xieng Khouang, Laos (infamously known as one of the most heavily bombed provinces) land safe by reminiscing on history and place, and what these necessary narrations mean for the future of the country and their livelihoods. Each handmade piece (one bracelet = three square meters cleared) helps clear unexploded ordnance, making land safe and providing new metal to artisans.

Biggest Bombing in History:

During the 1960s and early 1970s, to contain the spread of communism, American B-52’s dropped an average of one bomb-load every eight minutes, 24 hours a day, for nine years. The bombing of Laos is referred to as America’s “secret war.” Even after 50 years since the first US combat troops went to Vietnam in March 1965, the country is still dealing with the aftermath of this tragedy. One-third of the bombs failed to explode on impact harming people’s health and environments.  Furthermore, communities of women, children, and farmers are forced to work in their contaminated fields to provide for their families. It will take almost two millennia to clear the country.