Toys

Our main toy range is from Lanka Kade and are traditional wooden toys handmade and painted in Sri Lanka. There are letters, animals, vehicles, puzzles and games, suitable for a variety of ages and all comply with European safety standards – the fabric dolls are suitable from birth so it is never too young to get them into buying Fairtrade! We also have a new range of hand made soft toy elephants and giraffes made in Nepal from handloomed cotton fabric in a variety of beautiful colours.

Supplier Profile: Lanka Kade

Lanka Kade are famous for their colourful and sustainable wooden toys, which are bright, educational and plastic-free, but did you know they also make and supply multi ethnic dolls, which we stock in our shop?

The story of the fabric they use in these dolls stems from 2007, when Lanka Kade stumbled upon two highly skilled and enthusiastic weavers in a dilapidated building. Lanka Kade worked with them to repair the building, rebuild a toilet and clear out the overgrown well for clean water. Quickly the weavers’ take home pay tripled due to the increased work and the fair pay for the fabrics. There are now many weavers in the group and Lanka Kade have committed to protecting and promoting this traditional industry which dates back nearly 3000 years in Sri Lanka. All of the fabric bolts are then collected from the weavers and taken to the artisan group who handcraft our dolls. This family-run fair trade artisan group sew the dolls together, stuffing them and hand sewing the hair onto each doll.