Beaded Bracelets at OU: New Fashion Trend Helps Women in Nepal

A new fashion trend has been spreading throughout the female students at the University of Oklahoma, and it's for a good cause! Many girls on OU's campus have been sporting beaded bracelets hand crafted by women from the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal. Purchasing these bracelets helps to improve the quality of life for the women in Nepal.

Beaded Bracelets hand made from women of Nepal.

Eco Fashion Design's bracelets are part of the worldwide free trade program. Its focus "is to pay fair trade wages to [their] artisans thereby improving the quality of their lives," the company says. "All beading is done in the comfort of their homes or on rooftop decks during nice weather." Making these bracelets offers these women an opportunity to make a better life for themselves.

Women of Nepal hand-making beaded bracelets.
Photograph from ecodesignfashions.com

"Poor women in Nepal are suffering, exploited and demotivated. Their lives are full of pain and sorrow despite trying their best. Fair Trade has helped women raise their voices," Padmasana Shakya of Manushi said.

Each bracelet comes with a card signed by the Indian woman
who hand-crafted the bracelet.

This cause has received an overwhelming amount of support from OU students. "They are the biggest craze," Lucca store manager, Meghan Bedner said. "The [bracelets] we have now are sewn in sorority colors." According to Bedner, students are purchasing these bracelets because they are so popular on campus. Many people are not even aware that they are supporting the free trade program in Nepal.

A female student at the University of Oklahoma wearing
Eco Fashion Design's beaded bracelets.

The beaded bracelets can be purchased at Lucca or Antique Garden at Campus Corner for $15, or at Cayman's off of Main St. for $12.50. For more information on ordering these bracelets visit the Eco Design Fashions website. To learn more about the free trade program visit the Women In Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing website.


Audio Interview with Lucca Manager, Meghan Bedner:

Game Day Fashions: The Red River Rivalry Edition

On Saturday, Oct. 2 the stadium of the Cotton Bowl was an impressive sight: a sea of fans dressed in crimson and burnt orange. This past weekend thousands of Sooner football fans made the trek from Norman to Dallas to support their football team in the one of the most exciting football games and the biggest college rivalry of the year.  The fashion choices made by many of the Sooner football fans and the Texas Longhorns at the Texas State Fair for the 2010 Cotton Bowl made for some of the most spirited pre-game moments.

A sea of crimson on the Sooners' side of the
Cotton Bowl Stadium

There was plenty of friendly rivalry amongst the OU fans and Longhorns at the fair prior to the game, especially in terms of fashion.  Sooners opted to wear crimson shirts mostly saying “Boomer Sooner! Beat Texas”. The most comical Sooner shirts bore an upside down longhorn logo with the words “UCLA” in reference to last week’s disappointing loss for the Longhorn football team.  Many Longhorn fans wore shirts that said “O Who?” and “OU Sucks!”  Face tattoos with the team logos and face painting also appeared to be a popular trend this year.

For many fans, fashion served a much bigger purpose.  It encouraged school camaraderie. “What you wear today is actually really important. It’s cool to see another person wearing an OU shirt,” said University of Oklahoma sophomore, Cody Due. “You don’t even know who they are, but the second you see another fan the automatic greeting is: ‘Boomer!’”

Longhorn fans agreed. Deciding what to wear on this exciting day proved to be a fun part of the whole experience.  “I’ve been planning what to wear today for a long time.  A lot of us [female UT students] have Longhorn game day dresses made,” said University of Texas junior, Alex Bailey. “This is the biggest game! For us it’s all about the burnt orange.”

Many female students at the University of Oklahoma also opted to wear game day dresses. Visit Kim’s Alterations in Norman (121 Hal Muldrow Dr) for more information on Sooner game day dresses or visit Savvy on Campus Corner for more Sooner Fashion.

Sooners sporting crimson at the Texas State Fair