Celebrate the women in your life this International Women's Day with jewellery designed with sustainability and social impact in mind

As part of our Meet the Maker series, we speak to the people behind the creations in the Big Issue Shop – a platform for buying ethical products which put people and the planet first. This time, we speak to Doron Shaltiel, founder of Quazi Design.

What can we find on your part of the Big Issue shop?

Jewellery designed for sustainable change and social impact, which also provides employment to the people who need it most.

Many products are made out of discarded waste.

How do your products make a positive difference in the world?

We work with a team of women artisans in Eswatini, Southern Africa, a country where unemployment is high and there is no free health care or free education.

We provide full time work to these women, training them in our own techniques, providing tools and materials, and a safe place to work, and most importantly a living wage.

This has empowered these women, making them the decision makers in their lives, helping them 
become independent, look after their kids, buy cars and build houses. 

It’s given them pride in their work and a feeling of self worth.

What inspired you to start your company and how did it start?

I met the magazine distributor who was keen to recycle his waste paper  and I was keen to design products and work with artisans.

We founded the  company together and very quickly we realised that people liked our  products and we could be viable. We are a small business but with a big impact and thats how we have always wanted to be.

What is the biggest issue everyone should know about at the moment?

One of the biggest current issues is ethical production – do you know who makes the clothes you buy? The jewellery you wear? The food you eat? 

We need to have transparency in our production chains, make sure people are paid fair wages, treated with respect and adhere to strong environmental principles.

What is one thing anyone can do to make a positive difference?

I think creativity is important, it can heal, it can empower, it’s accessible and can bring communities together.

Making things, mending things, creating art, this is a small act that will make a huge positive 
difference in your life and the lives around you.