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"  Paola Chaparro is a self-proclaimed nomad.  Born in Colombia, she travelled round Europe and America for years before graduating from Parsons and working in marketing for Spruce, the fashion directory for Wallpaper and as brand director at Mondottica, which produces eyewear for both Ted Baker and Jigsaw. In 2007, she returned to Bogota to launch Kuyban, a brand of environmentally and socially responsible loafers \u2013 a first for the region.   Her shoes are ergonomic and orthopedic-certified (although it doesn&amp;#039;t show), and are made out of local leathers with buckles dyed from seeds and labels and bags sewn out of recycled scraps. The company also makes a point to reuse materials and reduce aniline toxicity (typically used for synthetic dyes).    &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s sustainable luxury for travelers&amp;quot;, Ms Chaparro told us, &amp;quot;which is still very rare in the country.&amp;quot;  But there&amp;#039;s more \u2013 on top of working with local artisans, Paolo also brings back the tradition of `cottage industry&amp;#039; allowing women to work from home &amp;quot;The shoes are hand stitched by single women \u2013 but I&amp;#039;m aware that they need to look after their children, so they can bring the material home and work in their own time,&amp;quot; she explained.  If you need even another reason to buy a pair of Kuyban, the brand&amp;#039;s currently working with Colombian association Innocence In Danger which is dedicated to helping sexually abused children. &amp;quot;Our aim is to inform and educate customers about the magnitude of this problem.&amp;quot; says the designer, &amp;quot;There&amp;#039;s just no way I can turn a blind eye on this.&amp;quot;  \u2014ALICE PFIEFFER "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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