Ethical, eco-responsible & supportive hemp bags
This plant that we love so much can now be worn on the back. Two French launches their brand of handmade hemp bags & accessories in Nepal under the name Himalayan Made. The video above explains the project & the values carried by the 2 young people.
Like many people, the desire to create a company that looks like us has been in our heads for a long time. It's hard to find a product that is both original and ecological, but the day we discovered hemp, it became obvious to us, we had to get started. Our trip to Nepal allowed us to meet the right people & to learn more about this plant still widely used in the country. When we got to know Saheen, we immediately embraced his philosophy. She and her sister Nasreen have created a fair trade labeled organization called Local Women's Handicraft. The aim of the organization is to help underprivileged Nepalese women by teaching them the various techniques of the textile world. They thus have real skills enabling them to have real added value on the job market. The working conditions are excellent, the workshops are splendid and their salary is 3 times higher than the average Nepalese salary. This organization is a very rare example to follow in Nepal, which inspires us every day!
These women use cotton, nettle but also hemp as main materials. Thanks to them, we were able to spend more than a month in their workshop & create a unique collection with the first idea: to keep as much hemp as possible
In fact, hemp is a miraculous plant, graciously offered by the earth but of which Man is not interested in its true value. It does not need any pesticides for its cultivation, no irrigation (only rainwater is enough) and it is ultra resistant. Opposite, cotton represents 25% of pesticides in the world & is ultra greedy in water. In India, the first cotton-producing country, cancer cases have dramatically increased, reaching 1 in 220. Staggering figures linked to the use of pesticides ...
The textile industry is the 2th most polluting industry in the world, especially because we consume in an unwise way but also because we do not use the right raw materials. One of the solutions is before our eyes, there is only one plant in the world that can satisfy all our needs and this plant is hemp. Dyes are also a major cause of pollution and disease. Azoids, heavy metals and many other substances are also responsible for many diseases ... these substances are found on our clothes and therefore on our skin, impossible to fight. Yet the solution is simple, more expensive of course but 100% natural: vegetable dyes.
The task was not easy !! Finding a partner on site using ancestral methods & who says no to all forms of chemical dyes, not easy. But by dint of meeting we finally found the perfect partner. Kakani Himalayan Natural Dye takes its name from the Kakani region & its forest. An essential forest that provides all the natural elements necessary for coloring with vegetable dyes. We use wild rhubarb, curcumin, pomegranate… and many others. This company also acts in favor of disadvantaged women in the Kakani region and even received the social enterprise of the year award in 2012. A second video was made of their journey showing you the whole process of natural coloring:
We wanted to add an extra dimension to our business by sponsoring an association that is dear to us, Himali. It is an association working for poor children in Nepal, accompanying them throughout their childhood. During our stay in Nepal, we took the opportunity to spend 1 week with them. We decided to actively participate in the life of the orphanage by repainting the doors and windows of the establishment. For each bag sold, we donate 1 euro to Himali.
