If you watched the BBC's Primark Panorama, you may be wondering where your fashion items are being made. And, most worringly, whether impoverished workers or (worst of all) children are being exploited for your fashion.

Green Tweed Fair Trade Handbag

When it comes to giving fashion as a gift, surely nobody wants to think this funds misery and exploitation? We certainly don't. Which is why we've introduced this new range of Fair Trade handbags. Well, that and because they are lush!

Our new handbags are supplied by a registered BAFTS (British Association of Fair Trade Shops) Importer. There's more about the BAFTS, here. So you can love the new designs and love giving them to your girlfriends, guilt-free. You can rest assured that the hand-stitched detailing wasn't produced at the expense of an innocent child's childhood. And, that the environemnt isn't threatened by your generosity!

But, best of all, taking the moral high ground doesn't come at the expense of style and good taste. That comes as a bonus to the fabulous look and quality these new handbag designs offer. Result!

• Our Fair Trade gift range
• Our fashion handbags

The popular Felicity Gail handmade jewellery range is now live in the store.

Back in May, Debbie Brenner and Jackie Durrans (collectively Felicity Gail) were announced winners of the Hand-making Heroes New Gift Competition. Their winning entry - this jade, serpentine, and black onyx necklace - swept the board during the public vote. And, since then we've had numerous enquiries about purchasing this wonderful necklace.

Since May we've been working with Jackie and Debbie to add a range of their art-and-design-inspired jewellery to our catalogue. Their exciting jewellery is now in stock.  Besides the winning design, you can also purchase ten other inspiring items from their unique handmade range.

Range highlights include...

The winning sinuous serpentine necklace design which has been transformed into a serpentine bracelet too

Eco-friendly tagua nut (vegetable ivory) necklaces and earrings

A stunning kyanite necklace with ever changing iridescent facets, like south sea waters

Felicity Gail's ability to fuse modern art and design and capture it in their jewellery designs has been noted by that bastion of modernism, the Tate Gallery. And, as a result, their jewellery can be seen at the Tate Gallery, following commissions for the Oiticica, Millais and Klimt exhibitions. 

Browse the whole Felicity Gail handmade jewellery range.

Felicity Gail - winners of the Hand-making Heroes New Gift Competition - have received their £500 prize money and a £1500 samples order.

The cheque was handed over by me at a buying meeting held at the end of June. There Becca, our chief gift buyer, selected eight pieces of jewellery from Felicity Gail's range for the our store. We hope to have this exciting new UK handmade jewellery range in by the end of July.

Felicity Gail are Debbie Brenner and Jackie Durrans. They make contemporary jewellery inspired by modern design. Working mainly with semi-precious stones and sterling silver, their jewellery contains rich contrasts in colour and texture. Currently, they are busy working on commissions for the Klimt exhibition at Tate Liverpool.

Hand-making Heroes was open to all UK hand-makers for entries from October 2007 to February 2008. Eight Finalists were shortlisted by our judges in March and an online public vote ran from mid March to the end of April to decide the winner.

Handcrafted Necklace by Felicity Gail that won this year's Hand-making Heroes

Felicity Gail jewellery has won this year's Hand-making Heroes New Handmade Gift Competition.  Short-listed by the judges in February, along with 7 other entries of handmade gifts,  Felicity Gail 's Silver, Onyx and Jade Handcrafted Necklace won the online vote here at pressies4princesses.

Voting took place through March and April, and well over 2000 valid votes were cast. In the end, Felicity Gail's handmade necklace pipped Steph Littlechild's handcrafted collage portraits to the post in what became a two contestant race.

Steph Littlechild's Personalised Portraits in a Fabric Collage

Felicity Gail is the brand name under which Jackie Durrans and Debbie Brenner produce and sell their design-led handmade jewellery. Their jewellery is inspired by modern design, taking style clues from modern art sculpture and furniture. The striking handcrafted jewellery that results is sold at all the Tate galleries. In fact, the Tate has commissioned this talented duo to craft jewellery for several exhibitions, including Oiticica, Millais and Klimt.

As winners, Jackie and Debbie will receive £500 to invest in their hand-making business, as well as the opportunity to supply pressies4princesses with their exciting handcrafted jewellery - to the tune of at least £1000. We are looking forward to bringing some fantastic products from their range to you soon.

Handmaking Heroes was conceived to encourage and support UK hand-making enterprise in the UK. All UK designer/hand-makers were elligible to enter a handmade gift. Currently, over 25% of the gift range here at pressies4princesses is made by hand in the UK. UK hand-making is something everybody here at pressies' is passionate about - so much so that we're going to run Hand-making Heroes again next year, only bigger and better! Anyone, thinking of entering should keep an eye on my free business advice for hand-makers blog at pretty-somethings.co.uk for details.