VIPS -very important purses.

THE FANTASTIC FIVE:From the left: Hanne Tvedt (26), Elisabeth Saxvik Hatlem (25), Line Staxrud Eriksen (26), Marie Helene Engelsen Flatval (23), Helene Westbye (26)

Everything started in 2005 when the girls were sitting in the park, drinking fine wine and chit chatting. The idyllic mood is abruptly disturbed by the sound of a polyphonic ring tone. While her hands move desperately around the bag in search of the phone, it stops ringing -like so many times before. The idea of creating a more practical purse became the topic of conversation.

A messy purse can be so frustrating! That's why these girls decided to do something about the problem...

Two years later they had managed to get a designer and establish production of the purses in China. In April 2007 the first purses from Vips could be found at stores in cities like Oslo, Asker, Sandvika and Trondheim. Their first collection "Organized Chaos" had everything from small wallets to big laptop purses. Their second collection "Feminine Business" (designed by Helene Westbye) has shoes and belts as well.

Most of their purses are made of leather, but you can also find some models that are made of canvas. For the price of 1000NOK (or more) one of these feminine and practical Vips purses could be yours. Maybe you should visit their online store and have a look?

But Vips isn't just about good looks and practical solutions. They want all their workers to have good working conditions and a fair pay. Vips want to work with producers and suppliers who can fulfill these expectations. On their website it says, "With our producers in China we feel like we're building something together. It's a start -a good start." 30% of their profit goes to projects in India, where they are trying to establish and run their own school.