Shopping with a conscience

There are many ways to make accessories and a variety of materials to work with, but onion skin? Are they kidding us? Apparently not. The new online retailer Latestsale.com offers not only non-smelly onion skin handbags, but also bags made from pineapples and roses by Nakabi Moda and accessories made from coconut and silver by OM Dise_orfebre, to name just a few.

Latestsale.com offers products from around the world for you and your home and prides itself on finding tomorrow's trends. "My trips abroad always saw me returning with distinctive fashions and gifts that were never available in the UK," says the company's founder Michelle Ogbonna. "My friends were envious of the things I'd bought when I was travelling and wanted to find the same items over here. Even when these products were available in the UK, it would take far too long to track them down."

With a little research, Michelle found that her friends were not the only ones who craved exciting and different gifts and items. In a world where everyone is strapped for time, her website appeared to be an answer to their prayers. And the site is one with a difference, in that it has a social conscience. It also works closely with designers and manufacturers the world over and employees are all multilingual with several years' experience working with leading online and offline companies.

"Many of the best products are produced by people who value their independence as part of the creative process. We work with family-based manufacturers and undiscovered designers around the world by offering exclusive distribution and marketing support through latestsale.com, enabling them to access an international audience without losing control of their business."

Not only that, but the site also has a loyalty programme, whereby customers are rewarded and donations to the UK charity, Sight Savers International, is encouraged.

Latestsale.com offers fashion, homeware solutions, exclusive health and fitness products, business accessories, state of the art electronics and new gadgets.