"Lalesso was launched in Cape Town in 2005 by co-creators Olivia Kennaway and Alice Heusser after a holiday to the remote island of Lamu, where the pair became captivated by the traditional attire of the local women of these coastal regions.

The brand's designs are inspired by the 'khanga' or 'lesso' with intrinsic patterns and vibrant colours worn by Kenyan women, though its interpretation is distinctly modern and wearable.

Lalesso's mark of quality actually starts with production, where the community takes centre stage. Keeping the number of collections down ensures workers are not put under any undue pressures. In addition seamstresses receive well above the average wage, and the company offers loans, maternity leave, creche facilities and sick pay. Lalesso tries to involve the wider local community in as many ways as possible. There are nuns making the crochet featured in designs, unemployed beachboys crafting buttons from coconuts, and Masaai fashioning up the beaded bracelets used on swing tags. In an industry that is far from transparent, Lalesso has everything to shout about: great design and strong ethics that place social responsibility at the heart of production.

With its own workshop in Diani Beach, Kenya, and a strong Fairtrade ethic which benefits the workers immensely, this is the kind of Fairtrade fashion you will be desperate to wear in the summer months." -La Lesso