If we’re relaxing at home, you can bet that we’re wearing our favorite pair of PUNJAMMIES®. When we are running errands, shopping at the local market or drinking coffee with girlfriends, though, we also have one of these bags with us. We love supporting ethical brands that are making a positive difference in this world! And with beautiful designs and craftsmanship, what’s not to love?!
MULXIPLY
We carry our Mulxiply tote everywhere. It holds our tablet, our work folders, our kids snacks, our snacks…everything. Their mission is to create sustainable change by providing fair-trade employment to women in Nepal. Mulxiply pieces are inspired by minimal, modern design and natural materials often sourced in Nepal (like felt, cotton and leather), ensuring that every element of their designs are created ethically and beautifully. What’s the multiply effect? Fashion + Fairness = Opportunity. You can also read our interview with their founder and about our fun collaboration.
RAVEN + LILY
We carry this leather clutch with us on date nights and when out to dinner with friends. It’s the perfect size for holding our must-have items (phone, small wallet, five different shades of lipgloss and four chapsticks…) without feeling bulky. Raven + Lily is a socially conscious, fashion and lifestyle brand dedicated to empowering women through design. In addition to their beautiful bags, they produce clothing, jewelry, accessories and home goods through a partnership with at-risk artisan women in 10 countries at fair trade wages.
STONE & CLOTH
This is the tote we take with us on weekend getaways. And, it’s not just because the adjustable straps and roll top allows those of us who chronically overpack bring back gifts, a little extra room. Stone & Cloth makes totes as well as backpacks and bags in the USA, but their mission is to advocate and invest in education around the globe. We believe in the power of education and have seen it positively impact the children of the women at our partner sewing centers. Which is why we love knowing that every purchase at Stone & Cloth provides 25 hours of classroom learning for students.
BETTER LIFE BAGS
This is another bag that we can take with us everywhere. We’ve also gifted their diaper bags (that don’t look overly diaper-bag like!) to family and friends. We love this particular messenger bag design when walking around the city or during travel. What’s so fun and unique about Better Life Bags, though, is that you get to design your own bag — think of it as a choose your own fabric and colors adventure. As if that wasn’t great enough, Better Life Bags is located in Detroit, Michigan and hires women who have various barriers to employment to make their custom leather and fabric products. Every bag comes with the name of the woman who made it. And every bag they sell means that they can empower even more women to create a better life through sustainable employment. Love, love, love.
APOLIS
This is the bag we take with us to picnics, movies in the park and dinner parties — it carries two bottles of wine (perfect for carrying hostess gifts!) or a bottle of wine and a small, rolled-up blanket; it even has space in the middle for all of our various picnic supplies. We also love Apolis for their market bags and carrying all of our farmers’ market goods! What we love most about Apolis, though, is that they, too, believe in harnessing the power of business to create social change. They empower communities worldwide through artisan made apparel, footwear and accessories.
THE TOTE PROJECT
This pouch is the perfect size for our makeup when we travel, but we also love their conversation-starting tote bags! What we appreciate the most about this like-minded brand is their heart for empowering women who were previously trafficked for sexual exploitation. Their fair-trade products are sewn by women who have chosen to journey out of the sex trade and into freedom. And a portion of the proceeds from every purchase helps support safe-housing for the women as well as neo-abolitionist organizations in the USA.
HIPTIPICO
We love the beautiful patterns found on all of Hiptipico’s bags. We also love that each of their backpacks are part of the “Backpacks that Give Back” program. 10% of proceeds from all backpack purchases go directly to a scholarship funds for Mayan students to receive a high-quality internationally focused education.
Do you have a favorite world-changing brand for handbags and totes? We’d love to hear about them; leave us a comment!