Meet the Makers: Alison and Simon Henderson from Earth Squared

Please introduce yourselves and your business

We are Alison and Simon Henderson, Directors of Earth Squared, a fair trade fashion accessories brand based in North Berwick, East Lothian.

We are lucky to work in a lovely office building with sea views with our fabulous team: Nicole, Caroline and Rosy.

What products do you make/design/create?

We create fashion accessories, including handbags, purses, scarves and more, and we work with fair trade producers in Vietnam to bring them to life.

When and how did your business start?

Our business started in 2001 when Alison returned from volunteering in Guatemala. Passionate about social justice and keen to start a business, Alison’s vision from the outset was to create a fair trade business that was commercial and with an emphasis on design and quality. Initially selling online, we opened a shop in Edinburgh, then Glasgow and sold a variety of products, including homewares and gifts, before deciding to focus on fashion accessories, which is what we are known for today. In 2007, we changed direction and began supplying shops and heritage sites, and now supply hundreds of fabulous stockists around the UK and overseas.

Can you tell us about fair trade?

For us, fair trade is at the heart of what we do. Fair trade means that the artisans who work with us are paid fairly and work in good working conditions. Further, we pay them before production and work hard to ensure they have predictable, reliable advance orders and continuous and sustainable employment opportunities. We are delighted to have worked with the same artisans pretty much since we started — and visit them twice a year to work on new products. We are proudly Scottish and design everything at our base in North Berwick, but want our products to make a real difference to those overseas that make them. In 2023, we were also delighted to become a certified B Corporation, an international standard that means we balance purpose with profit which certifies our environmental and social impact as a business.

Can you tell us about your sustainability initiatives?

We prioritise sustainability because we must reduce our impact on the planet’s resources whenever possible. We’re proud to say that we now use fully biodegradable and compostable packaging that mimics the look and feel of plastic but completely dissolves in water — it’s truly remarkable. We’ve encouraged many other accessory brands to adopt it as well. Additionally, all our products feature linings made from recycled fabrics, and we’re thrilled to announce the introduction of new tweed fabrics crafted from recycled yarns later this year. We’re also excited to unveil a brand-new collection made entirely from ocean waste plastic, representing a fresh and innovative direction that we believe will resonate with eco-conscious consumers.

Are there any interesting materials that you use?

As our collections are designed to appeal to many different customers, we get the opportunity to work with many interesting fabrics, all of which have a distinctive look and feel. A bit more information about our tweeds is below, but generally, we are increasing the use of recycled yarns in our fabrics, including our Voyage range of lightweight backpacks and the lining in all of our products. Our latest collection, the Weave range, is made entirely from recycled marine waste plastic and is strong, lightweight, and machine washable. We are very excited to see what customers think.

Can you tell us about your Tweed fabrics?

Our tweed fabrics are unique to Earth Squared — we introduce new tweeds every year to keep things fresh and interesting, and they are a real labour of love. We create the palette and overall look, and the designs are then developed by Anja, a Scottish College of Textiles graduate who designs the intricate weave necessary to bring these fabulous fabrics to life. Later this year, we will introduce tweeds made from recycled yarns, another important and exciting step in our commitment to increased sustainability.