Bottletop

http://www.howtospendit.com/#!/articles/6881-for-goodness-sake-bottletop-handbags

Do fashion labels get much cooler than Bottletop? Timeless bags and accessories; high style, high quality, high impact.

Made in Brazil, production team of 46 Salvadorians led by production manager Luciano dos Santos.

Bottletop products generate livelihoods in developing countries and enable the Bottletop Foundation to empower 35,000 young people with

education each year.

Founders Cameron Saul, is from a creative powerhouse of a family. His father, started Mulberry. Oly, Bottletops origins date back to 2001 when Cameron Saul worked as a teacher for nine months in Uganda with Restless Development. While tackling sensitive issues such as HIV/AIDS, teenage pregnancy and gender equality in the classroom, he realised that young people are hungry to learn the facts and understand how to make informed choices when provided with the right opportunity to access and engage with the right information.

He realised that young people can be empowered to protect themselves and others. Cameron discovered a wire frame hand bag made from local bottle tops in Uganda and developed the bag with his father, Roger and the design team from UK fashion house Mulberry. Together they devised ‘The Mulberry Bottletop Campaign’. The campaign was a huge success and the Bottletop bag quickly became the best selling bag of the season, generating both local employment and vital funds for grass roots education projects in Africa. Together, Cameron and Roger then founded Bottletop as a UK charity. Bottletop was born.

A Bottletop album series was then established with ‘Sound Affects: Africa’, comprising rare afrobeat remixed by leading DJs and producers. At this point, the Bottletop team began exploring the soundscape of Brazil and potential education programs to support there. The second volume, ‘Sound Affects: Brazil’ followed shortly after.

The Ring Pull Project began in 2007 with a collaboration between Bottletop’s Oliver Wayman and Luciano Dos Santos from Brazil. Having seen the hopelessness and lack of opportunities for residents in Luciano’s own favela community in the outskirts of Salvador, they devised a training program teaching residents how to make the products which the charity would in turn buy from them. This soon became a very simple but effective formula to help people in the community to work their way out of poverty.

So far the project has made and sold over 5000 products internationally and supports a growing team of 46 people in the community. If ever you needed a good excuse to buy an ‘IT’ bag loved by sophisticated celebrities, Bottletop empowers over 35, 000 youngsters each year. When you buy a Bottletop product you’re helping to fund their amazing work. teaching new skills, providing employment through sustainable business,

They also have a band, not just any band, a band with legendary members

supporters include: Kofi Annan, Banksy, David Bailey, Mario Caldato, Jake & Dinos Chapman, Miriam Clegg, Bill Clinton, Colin Firth, Mariella Frostrup, Bob Geldof, Anthony Gormley, Paris Hilton, Hadeel Ibrahim, Beverley Knight, Annie Lennox, Youssou N’Dour, Fatboy Slim, Morgan Tsvangirai

More reasons to love Bottletop:

They also provide INVESTING opportunities film: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaCE4mLtxYo each year with life skills and education to help protect them from contracting HIV/AIDS or falling victim to unplanned teenage pregnancy or drug and substance abuse.

Protecting the environment – we have saved over 3,000,000 aluminium ring-pulls from ending up in landfill.

Providing livelihoods, skills and income for over 40 people (mostly young single mothers) who are supporting children and family members numbering over 200 in an area of extreme poverty and violence in Brazil.

1. Five young people are infected with HIV every minute (UNAIDS. World AIDS Campaign with children and young people. Facts and figures)
2. Over 80% of young people worldwide are unable to correctly identify methods of contraception (United Nations Population Fund. Fast Facts: Young people and demographic trends. New York. UNFPA)
3. Teenage pregnancy is the leading cause of death amongst young women (UNFPA, State of the World Population)

• Through the Bottletop Foundation, we are :

1. Empowering around 35,000 young people each year with life skills and education to help protect them from contracting HIV/AIDS or falling victim to unplanned teenage pregnancy or drug and substance abuse.

Source: http://bottletop.org/charity/