THE ANDEAN COLLECTION, ECO-FRIENDLY JEWELRY, UNVEILS FALL 2009 LINE
Features fashionable fair trade jewelry handcrafted from sustainable rainforest seeds
 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEW YORK, NY – The Andean Collection (AC) today announced its Fall 2009 line. Bold, colorful and fashion forward, the new fall line transforms The AC’s staple materials of açai, jabon, tagua (vegetable ivory), and huayruro, all natural seeds sustainably harvested from the South American rainforest, into a wide array of eco-friendly, high-quality jewelry that is handcrafted for today’s sophisticated consumer. The new line will be featured at the Ethical Fashion Preview of Nolcha Fashion Week: New York at the Carlton Hotel on September 14, 2009. Wholesalers and retailers can visit www.theandeancollection.com to view and purchase the new line.
This new fall collection introduces the extra long Açai Rope Necklace (retail value: $39). At 75 inches in length, it resembles a long strand of pearls. The generous length makes a versatile necklace that can be wrapped around two, three or four times to create different looks. It can also be layered or wrapped multiple times around the wrist as a bracelet or worn as a stylish belt. The Açai Rope Necklace comes in six bright colors—fire, olive green, polished natural, wine, turquoise, and electric purple.
Sustainability is chic these days and The AC is at the forefront of combining fair trade and eco-fashion to create true ethical style. The company incorporates all three pillars of sustainability (environmental, social, and economic) into its practices. Its jewelry is handcrafted from natural, biodegradable materials, and the company contributes socially and economically to the communities it operates in through social programs and job creation. The underlying goal behind The AC is to provide a path out of poverty for its artisans and their families. One way it accomplishes this is by allocating a portion of its profits to pay for fees associated with secondary school education in Ecuador for the artisans and their children.
Amanda Judge, owner of The Andean Collection, founded the company while earning her M.A. in Law and Diplomacy from The Fletcher School at Tufts University where she studied survival strategies for women in extreme poverty. Her research on this topic led her to the indigenous artisans of northern Ecuador who create jewelry from eco-friendly, rainforest seeds. In order to introduce these natural materials to the U.S. market and to increase the standard of living for these artisans, Judge created The Andean Collection in September 2008. She currently resides in Manhattan’s East Village.
The AC is currently available in over 50 high-end boutiques nationwide, including eco-fashion boutiques Kaight and Sustainable NYC in Manhattan. Customers can also purchase the new fall line online at www.theandeancollection.com where prices range from $14 to $78.
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The Andean Collection is a New York-based jewelry company that specializes in fair trade and eco-friendly designs. Its socially conscious approach to fashion brings U.S. consumers fashion forward jewelry made from eco-friendly materials from South America, while enriching the standard of living for its artisans and their communities. The line is fair trade and sourced directly from artisans. To learn more, please visit: www.theandeancollection.com or
www.theandeancollection.blogspot.com.
Website: www.theandeancollection.com ∙ Blog: www.theandeancollection.blogspot.com
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