At Babi Pur we've just taken delivery of these beautiful fairy dresses from funky Fairtrade children's brand Piccalilly.  Amazing iridescent colours, fairy wings, bells, flowers, ribbons, sequins, net skirts and tutus.  What more could a little girl dream of?  Perfect for firing up their big imaginations!

These lovely dressing up clothes are fairly traded from Bali and really stand out from the mass produced dresses found in big stores.  Piccalilly work with a small family run producer in Bali which employs 10 ladies and uses locally sourced fabrics.  There's lots of attention to detail and the quality is excellent.  Our own little girls each have a dress at home, they've been worn countless times and still look fantastic.  Piccalilly has worked with their producer in Bali for 6 years now and supports a local organisation which sponsors the education of children.

Our girls love to dress up and they adore their Piccalilly fairy dresses.  Hearing them laughing while they dance and run about with the little bells jangling really is a little bit magical.  It won't be long until they ditch their fairies, butterflies and ballerina outfits and they'll be more interested in Justin Bieber, make the most of these precious years!

The Piccalilly dresses and tutu are all available in our girl's clothes section here and there's choices available from sizes 1-6 years although we think they fit a much broader range of sizes than advertised.

Little Hathi, a family business based in North Wales distribute the gorgeous range of crochet toys and knitted baby gifts by Pebble to gift shops and boutiques all over the UK and Europe.   These cute pixie rattles are part of the new range arriving early in the spring...

Little Hathi have been importing fair trade crochet toys and gifts from Hathay Bunano based in Bangladesh since 2007.  The Pebble brand was launched in 2010 and the unique and quirky toys are proving to be a huge success!  One of their most popular items is a gorgeous crochet octopus rattle and it's easy to see why.. he has a huge smile, big eyes and 8 dangley legs to chew on!

Little Hathi are looking for new shops and boutiques to stock these beautiful toys.  If you have a shop get in touch with Little Hathi now!  email - wholesale@littlehathi.co.uk

Organic and Fairtrade clothes for babies and young children from Piccalilly.  Lots of us buy clothes for the special little people in our life at Christmas so we thought we'd give you a few ideas from one of our favourite companies, Piccalilly.  Piccalilly make some of the best quality clothes we have ever used!  Wash, wear, wash, wear they just stay looking like new!  Must be something to do with all those organic and Fairtrade certified cotton fibres.

From the top, we just love the Piccalilly dressing gowns for children.  A really lovely and luxurious, they are beyond the softest most snuggly things ever, if only they made adult sizes! !  Cowboy playsuit looks very cool, the bright red feet are especially cute.  Bib and burb sets are a great idea and made a great gift, a bib to keep baby's clothes clean and a matching burp cloth to throw over your shoulder when you're erm  . . burping.  The little spotty sets come in blue or pink spots and have been a best selling newborn gift in our high street shop, it's easy to see why when you see a baby dressed in one.  Pick and mix leggings are lovely and soft so kids can play freely and happily but we love the bright stripes too, there's loads of different outfits to make in the pick and mix range, green, pink, vests, leggings, trousers and more.  Last but not least the spotty blue playsuit, there's a girls version as well!

So click on the Piccalilly page at Babi Pur to find some scrummy Piccalilly gifts for children aged 0 to 5

The little tin shed on the island of Ratankandi in Bangladesh is brimming with the sounds of productivity. Animated laughter drifts out through open windows before being swept away with the breeze that blows along the Ganges River bank. The dull shed walls fade away among the vibrant colours of the wool and cotton that are scattered along the workbenches, and before the end of the day will be lovingly transformed from lifeless fabrics to quirky, cute children’s toys.

The people of Ratankandi in Bangladesh are among the poorest in the world. This little island in the middle of the Ganges River has to contend with flooding, poverty, terrible living conditions, high rates of unemployment and little government support. Many women are uneducated and illiterate, and many men are employed to do arduous, physical and menial tasks that are often poorly paid. Providing shelter, food and clothes for a family is often almost impossible.

But one woman’s vision and dedication has set out to change the fortunes of this remote community, and in doing so, has radically transformed the lives of thousands of rural Bangladeshi families.

Samantha Morshed and her husband created the Hathay Bunano (which translates to Hand-Made) brand, in 2005. Samantha set about teaching forty women in Ratankandi the skills of sewing, crochet and knitting, so they could then be employed producing handmade toys, blankets and clothes for children that are exported to the UK, Australia, America and Europe. At Little Hathi we’re proud and excited to be closely involved with this fantastic Fair Trade business.

Samantha firmly believes in the power of social enterprise projects that provide fair working conditions and employment for women in rural areas. Bangladesh has an established textile industry, and there are many huge factories in large and hostile industrial cities that draw workers from rural areas to work long hours for small wages and slum-like accommodation. Samantha believes that providing opportunities for women to learn new skills and gain fair and safe employment in their own rural communities is the best way to tackle poverty. Not only can women and their families stay and work safely among the support of family and friends, but they can also contribute to local economies; eventually building stronger communities that can pull themselves out of the poverty trap.

Hathay Bunano have gone from strength to strength in the last five years, and now employ over 3,500 women across Bangladesh. Not only is the company a fair-trade, community based project, but it is a profitable company, with all profits being put back into the business. Not relying on donations or government hand outs means that Hathay Bunano can provide long term and sustainable help and support.

Little Hathi are proud to have worked closely with Hathay Bunano since our launch in 2007. As well as stocking the full range of Pebble Toys (Hathay Bunano’s new brand range), we are now the UK and European distributors for the Pebble brand.

We are also thrilled and very excited to be able have our own exclusive designs and ideas, lovingly created here at Little Hathi hq, and hand-made for us by the Hathay Bunano team. We know you’ll love them as much as we do.

And finally, let us introduce you to  Hathi. He’s our kind and caring little elephant who helps us spread the word about Hathay Bunano’s good work, as well as Little Hathi’s commitment to sourcing ethical and Fair Trade toys and clothes that are irresistibly cute and cuddly. He’s already part of the Babi Pur family!

In the 2009 New Years Honours List, Mrs Samantha Morshed, Founder of Hathay Bunano p.s. (HBPS), has been awarded an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire), for her services to the rural poor and disadvantaged women of Bangladesh.

HBPS was started in 2005 with the aim of creating employment for the rural poor women of Bangladesh  that is fairly paid, good quality, flexible and local.   To create employment  that fits in with the women’s lives and prevents the need for economic migration and family separation.

HBPS works on the principle that mothers and babies should be together and that all mothers should be afforded the dignity to be able to adequately provide for their children.  That every adult should have the right to a good job and a decent home and that it is our responsibility as a society to enable this.

Samantha Morshed started HBPS by teaching a small group of women how to knit by hand and then finding an export market for those products.  HBPS now creates work for almost 3,500 artisans in 32 rural production centres all over Bangladesh and is continuing to expand rapidly through market demand.   The products are exported over much of the world to USA, UK, Australia, Scandinavia, Middle East and Europe.

Samantha Morshed is a British woman married to Golam Morshed, Chairman of HBPS, and Bangladesh is now her adopted home.  ‘Bangladesh is a beautiful country full of great potential.  It is a country rich in manpower who are waiting for the opportunity for good quality work.   Coming here five years ago, I felt that I had skills and abilities that could be put to good use to make the lives of some Bangladeshis a little better.   Five years on, we still have a huge amount of work to do but we have proved that it is possible and that is the greatest hurdle.’  Samantha Morshed said.

HBPS produces a whole range of hand knitted childrenswear and childrens products and these are also sold in Dhaka at Insignia on the Lobby Level of the Westin Hotel.

Little Green Radicals baby and children's clothing is all about fun, colour and slogans.  'I recycle my tantrums' and 'give peas a change' are just two of many popular catchphrases printed on T-shirts, playsuits, bibs and hoodies (coming soon).  Everything is exclusively made with Fairtrade certified cotton ensuring the farmers right at the bottom of the chain receive a fair deal for their crop and an extra premium to use on projects to help their local communities.  Not only this but everything is also made from organic cotton. . .

Growing organic cotton is very different from growing conventional cotton. All the cotton we use is hand-picked and organic. This ensures the farmers don’t have to handle dangerous chemicals and our clothing is kinder on your skin. The  cotton is certified organic to either Skal or Demeter standards. Since May 2006 all our prints have been produced using the most ecological water based inks available.

The company 'Hug' has recently been acquired by a giant of the ethical industry 'ethical superstore'. So with all these fantastic ethics, clothes and new financial backing we expect great things from 'Little Green Radicals' .  Look out for the latest baby and toddler range at Babi Pur

Imajo is a importer of hand made rag dolls from Sri Lanka and has now teamed up with Babi Pur selling these beautiful dolls online.  Rosanne pictured here has starred in a recent commercial for Harveys furniture at the start of Coronation Street.  Each doll is Hand made using locally sourced materials supporting the local community in as many ways as possible.  The factory they are made in operates Fair Trade standards and principles.

A few facts provided by Imajo LTD

• No employees under age 18
• Employees take home at least minimum wage depending on skills and experience
• Transport to and from work is fully paid for by employer
• Both employer and employees contribute to an "Employee Crisis Fund" which can be used to help employees through difficult periods
• Both employer and employees contribute to an "Employee Trust Fund" which can be accessed at any time.
• Refreshments are provided in employee canteen area
• Factory layout result of consultation with European Factory Manager
• Standard 44.5 hour week (8 hours Mon-Fri, 4.5 hours Saturday)
• Employees are granted paid annual leave and all public holidays are respected, including any religious holidays
• All female workers receive maternity pay and have the right to return

I think you'll agree, a great range of beautiful dolls has been added to the Babi Pur toy collection.  Shop Rag Dolls

Your house price is falling, your shares are loosing their value, your not sure your savings are safe, fuel and food bills are going up.  So can you keep your ethics during the credit crunch?  There's been reports in the papers of organic food sales falling and the possibility of people putting the price of goods before ethical concerns. 

We think there are plenty ways you can be green and ethical even when you think you can't afford to be.  The current trend of fast fashion and cheap throw away goods is not sustainable in so many ways.  Buying just a few high quality clothes instead of loads of cheap ones means they'll last longer and probably save you money in the long run.  Ebay is a great way to find second hand bargains, how many times have you bought something and never worn it, there are lots of new or nearly new things you can buy.  Why not find something in the loft you can sell as well to help pay for your new purchases.  Most people can get hand me downs for their children and maybe just buy one or two new things when they need them.  Ethical shopping isn't just about buying organic and fair trade goods it's about not buying unsustainable products.

The old 'free range chicken' debate is a good example, "I can't afford free range at the moment" , do people really mean this?  We can feed our family of four for a good two days with a chicken, thats pretty good value I'd say.  Organic food doesn't have to be expensive, there are always offers on and I bet there's a farm nearby offering a box scheme, you'll get fresher better quality food as well.  If your good at gardening and you've got the space why not grow some vegetables, they'll be the nicest most rewarding veg you've ever had.

So before you think you can't afford ethical products, just think about what you could buy instead. Our grandparents wouldn't have wasted so many resources, so why do we?