Tag Archives: Kuna

Molas Shoe Obsession! Bright, Fun & Fair-Trade!

Molas Shoe Obsession! Bright, Fun & Fair-Trade!

Molas Shoes

At the recent Festival Fete art festival in my town I came across the Molas booth and went crazy for their shoes! And that was even before finding out that they are fair trade artisan fabrics created by the indigenous Kuna people of Panama and Columbia. LOVE!

The Kuna are known for producing  molas, a colorful textile art form made with the techniques of appliqué and reverse appliqué. Molas are collected as folk-art and can take two weeks to six months to create.  The Molas fabric used to create the shoes for Molas4u.com are all one of a kind, fair-trade, handmade fabrics, and the shoes are assembled by the family members who run the business out of Norfolk,VA.

You can check out their website to see if they will have a booth selling shoes anywhere in your area, to see how the shoes are made, or to purchase online. I had to try on a few pairs to find the right sizing so recommend finding your size in person if you can first.

Let’s just say I own a few pairs of bright new shoes…..
FAIR TRADE STANDARDS ARE PART OF THE MOLAS4U.COM MISSION

•We Provide fair wages in the local contextIMG_9087

•Support safe, healthy, and participatory workplaces

•Ensure environmental sustainability, (using 100% recycle supplies)

•Respect and embrace cultural identity, of the Kuna families and community

•Build direct and long-term relationships

•Educate and collaborate with partners on sustainability
-From the Molas4u.com website

IMG_9088

Roberto is one of the business owners & shoe designers

Roberto is one of the business owners & shoe designers