Beads on fashion ramps

Top British fashion designer Emma Hope has commissioned South African beadworkers to make bags for her fashion collection. The beaded bags will be made by Cape Town NGO MonkeyBiz and will be on the fashion ramps in Milan. The bags will be sold in Milan and Paris after the shows. Emma saw the group's work on the Internet. MonkeyBiz provides 450 women with beads, thread and cotton, and then markets their work which includes beaded bags, dolls, animals and key rings. The project also supports the MonkeyBiz Wellness Clinic which provides services to workers living with HIV/AIDS. The women recently did some work for American designer Donna Karan.