Sustainable skill in fashion

Heart in the right place: Fashionably slim teddy bears designed for charity (top), recycled pillows made from 75% dry buckwheat. Photo provided to Shanghai Star

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The 46-year-old moved to Shanghai in 2006 to work as the co-coordinator for the Year of Spain in China for the Spanish government. He also met and became friends with Lu during that time.

But being socially conscious doesn't come cheap. Candles and teddy bears are priced at a few hundred yuan or more.

"We try to reduce the cost, but there is a limit we can't go below, because of what motivates us to start the project," says Jover.

For the candles, the partners ensure that the products don't release any toxins. Jover says that 70 percent of the candles in the global marketplace are toxic as they are made from petroleum products.

His concern is backed up by research.

A study conducted by South Carolina University in 2009 found that paraffin-based candles, the most common in the market, release chemicals like toluene and benzene, while vegetable-based ones do not.

"We choose to make candles as one of our iconic products for a reason," says Lu, the 32-year-old Shanghai native. "Insignificant as they might be in modern times, they are still capable of bringing light to the darkness when there is a blackout."

"It sends wishes to those in need," he says, explaining the name of the project.