The Man Bag in classic messenger style makes a great Christmas gift for the stylish man in your life. In natural buffalo this Eco Friendly is perfect for the urban man with lots of stuff. The incredible story of how these bags are produced in a remote area, high up in the Himalayas is worth reading:
These bags are made in a small village in a very remote area named Sindhukot which is located high up in the Himalayan Kingdom of Nepal. There is no electricity or computers. Neither are there any telephones, mobiles, or radio, in fact no form of communication. So when an order is emailed to the not-for-profit producer’s organisation in Kathmandu and money is sent for the raw materials, it waits there until the villagers can visit.
There is no work in the village, most people barely exist by subsistence farming, however, it is not enough to survive, so in order to get work, the villagers set off for the capital city of Kathmandu. As there is no transport apart from the odd donkey or buffalo, they walk for 3 days to the nearest road; they then get on a bus for another day’s journey to Kathmandu. In Kathmandu they visit the producers’ organisation to find out if there is any work for them. They receive the order then do the same journey in reverse.
At the end of the road, they prepare for their long three day walk back up to their village, on the way they visit all the small villages buying buffalo hide, thus providing other villages with a small income. There is no buffalo hide cash and carry where they can pull up in their pickup truck and load up with the leather they need. All the leather is a bi product and has to be collected bit by bit along the way home.
Having collected all the leather required and arrived home, the villagers then make the bags by hand; there is no electricity or sewing machines. When finished, they do the whole journey again. They put the bags on donkeys and walk for three days down through the mountains, having arrived at the road once again, they put them all on buses (the bags that is, not the donkeys!) for the day’s bus journey to Kathmandu where they can deliver the finished bags and receive final payment.
These bags are made in a small village in a very remote area named Sindhukot which is located high up in the Himalayan Kingdom of Nepal. There is no electricity or computers. Neither are there any telephones, mobiles, or radio, in fact no form of communication. So when an order is emailed to the not-for-profit producer’s organisation in Kathmandu and money is sent for the raw materials, it waits there until the villagers can visit.
There is no work in the village, most people barely exist by subsistence farming, however, it is not enough to survive, so in order to get work, the villagers set off for the capital city of Kathmandu. As there is no transport apart from the odd donkey or buffalo, they walk for 3 days to the nearest road; they then get on a bus for another day’s journey to Kathmandu. In Kathmandu they visit the producers’ organisation to find out if there is any work for them. They receive the order then do the same journey in reverse.
At the end of the road, they prepare for their long three day walk back up to their village, on the way they visit all the small villages buying buffalo hide, thus providing other villages with a small income. There is no buffalo hide cash and carry where they can pull up in their pickup truck and load up with the leather they need. All the leather is a bi product and has to be collected bit by bit along the way home.
Having collected all the leather required and arrived home, the villagers then make the bags by hand; there is no electricity or sewing machines. When finished, they do the whole journey again. They put the bags on donkeys and walk for three days down through the mountains, having arrived at the road once again, they put them all on buses (the bags that is, not the donkeys!) for the day’s bus journey to Kathmandu where they can deliver the finished bags and receive final payment.
We buy the bags directly from Hatti Productions who are currently responsible for the income and welfare of the whole community, high up in the Himalayas which make these bags; the income they receive provides invaluable support for the local school. The bags are IFAT Accredited as Fair Trade.
Not only are these bags classically stylish, the leather is extremely tough and durable, the more they are used the better they will get.
This is more than just a bag; it’s a lifeline for a forgotten community.
Thank you to Hatti Productions for providing us with the story.
Not only are these bags classically stylish, the leather is extremely tough and durable, the more they are used the better they will get.
This is more than just a bag; it’s a lifeline for a forgotten community.
Thank you to Hatti Productions for providing us with the story.
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