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baby blues - Angela Roi

bags, cause conscious, Charity, ethical, fashion, handbag, handmadeeden tirlComment
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Angela Roi combines beauty and compassion with their range of bags. Their Grace Mini Cross-Body bag was made to be the perfect everyday bag. Available in five colors, the bag is handcrafted, cruelty – free, and sweatshop – free. Both the leather and chain straps are detachable, allowing you to change up its look to your liking. 

Angela Roi was founded in 2013 by Angela and Roi Lee. Together, they created a brand with a vision to bring ethical, luxury pieces to life. Each bag is handcrafted, consisting of high quality and durable materials. With each purchase they support local humane shelters and charities to help injured and mistreated animals. They built their brand to inspire kindness and compassion towards animals.

thank god for weekends - Beis

backpacks, community, education, girls, global, handbageden tirlComment
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Being dramatically picky about your travel bags is nothing to be sorry for. You have to make sure to find a bag that will fit everything you need while staying organized. That’s where Beis steps in with their Weekender Bag. It features a water – resistant lining, padded laptop sleeves, a trolley passthrough, and a bottom compartment to put shoes in so everything stays clean and organized. 

 Beis was founded by Shay Mitchell in 2018. After years of endless traveling, she understood the need to offer travel accessories that were functional but still looked good. Fit for both men and women, Beis makes is incredibly easy to pack everything you need. Each purchase supports Girl Up to empower young girls around the world. 

How Smitten!

Olori

artisanal, cause conscious, bags, ethical, fashion, girls, handbag, handmadeeden tirlComment
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Olori is a company that finally agrees with my royal status (I’m extra, I know). They offer crossbody bags made from durable leather, featuring adjustable straps and a flap made from a special Nigerian textile. Olori is the Yoruba word for Queen, which is why they state that each piece is made for a queen- how fitting! The bags are available in nine different colors and textures.

Founded by Tomide Awe, she believes every girl is a queen. Education is expensive in Africa. Unfortunately, many girls cannot afford school which is why each bag that’s sold provides tuition fees for a girl living in Africa.

Smitten!

beauty and the beach bag - Indego Africa

artisanal, bags, baskets, cause conscious, community, cooperatives, education, fashion, global, handbag, handmade, job creation, upcyclededen tirlComment
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Indego Africa is a non-profit that pairs a NYC-based design team with female artisans in Rwanda and Ghana to create stylish and expertly crafted goods.  All of their goods are created by hand using traditional techniques of weaving, block printing, beading, embroidery, wood carving, and metal shaping. A classic example of the highly-skilled sweetgrass weaving technique can be found in the gorgeous and versatile Palm Tote! Perfect for beach days or a trip to the market, the Palm Tote is a beautiful way to make a statement with your accessory while renewing your commitment to help break the cycle of poverty.

Founded in 2007, Indego Africa believes that education is the key to long-term empowerment.  To that end, they are committed to providing fair wages as well as leadership training, business classes, technology workshops, and public health programs to the artisans they partner with to create Indego Africa’s designs.  100% of their profits, combined with grants and private donations, go back to the artisan’s communities. As of 2017, they have positively impacted 1,100 women in Rwanda and Ghana.

Indeed Smitten!