Soul Economy

Soul Economy was very pleased to speak to soulful entrepreneur, Jasmine and Daniel from The Aware Network, recently to find out a more about their fabulous range of ethically made and traded boots and shoes. Made from mola textiles on traditional blouses in the Kuna Indian culture, the old molas are unstitched from the blouse and remade into shoes. And, 10% of  profits are given to charities and good causes supported by The Aware Network – which is wonderful. Read on to learn more about Jasmine and Daniel’s journey and The Aware Network.

1. It would be great if you could tell us about The Aware Network. How long ago did you start the company?
We registered the business in August 08, but it was incubating for a while before it hatched!

2. What was the inspiration behind The Aware Network? What is your vision?
To get beautiful products out there, that are also ethical. To walk the talk and inspire change for more ethical consumption.

3. What are the different styles of shoes you have? Which are the most popular?
Each shoe is completely unique, with different colours and patterns with each mola.  The high ladies boot is stunning, a big hit this winter! But the mary janes and ballet flats have been our most popular styles. Guys and girls both like the lightweight boxer boots, classic hi-tops (Converse-style), and the sneakers (similar to Pumas and Lacostes). We also have a cute range of kids shoes that are adorable.

4.    Where can our soulful consumers buy your shoes?
We sell online on our website, as well as many unique and conscious stores around Australia: Bliss EcoWear (Brisbane), Children of the Revolution (Brisbane), Talisman (Lennox Head), Grok (Sydney). We also have a lovely sales distributor in Adelaide and another in Sydney who re-sell them. We enjoy doing occasional national festivals and regional markets. We’ll also be at Greenfest in Brisbane’s botanical gardens this June.

5.    Tell us a little about the communities you support. How do you ensure that your shoes are fairly traded?
Well, the Mola textile is a custom passed on by the grandmothers in the Kuna Indian culture. The women wear the mola on their traditional blouses. The more intricate the design the more mature the woman, since each mola is made to reflect each new phase in her life. The old molas are unstitched from the blouse, and re-used into shoes by our shoe producer, a lovely family-run business in Colombia’s capital city. They make all the shoes themselves and receive a fair wage, the price they ask.

6.    What have been your greatest challenges in setting up The Aware Network?
“Learning the ins and outs of the tax system and accounting” – Daniel
“Explaining the ethics of a conscious/fairtrade/sustainable/handmade product to a customer who just wants the cheapest price” – Jasmine

7. What have been your greatest successes?
Inspiring people to believe there is a new way.

8. It is wonderful that you are choosing to live by the ideals that you are promoting. What are you doing to achieve this?
We give 10 per cent of our profits to charities and good causes we support (see our website).
And, by promoting ethical alternatives to big corporate business, we see that we are walking our talk and creating a new ‘conscious’ way of earning a living! We also aim to live by upholding the earth-honouring ways of the  indigenous Kuna culture (who make the molas) and reducing our waste, recycling and keeping our footprint as light as possible.

9. What advice would you give to others keen on starting their own responsible businesses?
To accept that it is more about what you believe in rather than what you can get from it. Sometimes you may need to spend more and earn less, but it will leave you sleeping better at night.

Now we here at Soul Economy like to get to know our soulful entrepreneurs a little better, so on a more personal note we have a few more questions:

1. What is your favourite food?
Palak Paneer (Daniel) Fresh Fruit on Muesli (Jasmine)

2. Who would be your dream next door neighbour?
Narayani Amma – a spiritual teacher embodying universal love from India.

3. What is your favourite travel destination?
India (Daniel) Different places at different times (Jasmine)

4. What do you do to relax?
Sing Bhajans and play music (Jasmine) Puja (Daniel)

5. What are you passionate about?
Sharing joy (Daniel) Living compassionately (Jasmine) and WALKING THE TALK!

6. What one change would you like to see in the world in your lifetime?
When the shift from wanting things for ourselves to wanting things for the world occurs, a while new paradigm of peace begins. It’s our blessing we know this and can participate in giving.

The Aware Network
PO Box 1511
Byron Bay 2481
M: (+61) 0449 291 219
E: info@theawarenetwork.com.au
W: www.theawarenetwork.com.au

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