p r o c e s s

"the new economy is already here. fair trade enterprises are joining forces with the broader social enterprise movement and others to demonstrate that business can truly put people and planet first. we all need to embrace this revolution in business." 

~ roopa mehta, president of world fair trade organization

 

71bay works on the ethos of 'fair' trade, rather than aid.  

 

j u t e 

we are partnered with non-profit organizations in bangladesh, who are registered members of the world fair trade organization. they have been in operation since 1971, the year that bangladesh became an independent country after a gruelling nine-months in war. an aftermath of the war was poverty and famine, particularly in remote, rural areas of the country where aid was difficult to reach. our partner organisations have been working within such communities in various capacities for over 50-years now. 

we work with women artisans in these villages, who hand craft our designs and the men in their families & communities who farm & distribute the raw materials we use. 

while we design, market and sell from australia, our partner organizations work on ground, supporting our artisans through careful training to hone the skills in traditional craftsmanship - those that have been passed on through years & generations. all new designs are presented by us and workshopped with our artisan leaders, who then go on to train other artisan groups in villages around bangladesh. our designs then come to life, through the incredible skills of our artisans, who will often work from home or in community spaces, around their responsibilities of family & children. 

in this way, behind the quiet simplicity of daily rural lives, slow, deliberate magic is created within each weave & stitch that makes a 71bay jute ware. 

 

k a n t h a 

for our beautiful one-of-a-kind kantha throws, we are partnered with another incredible organization in bangladesh, who work with women in some of the most vulnerable stages - those at risk of trafficking, while rehabilitating those forcibly in the sex industry.  

these women are given sewing lessons and training, within the safe, secure working conditions of the training centres that have been purposely made for this work. there is childcare available, where older children are taught how to read and write. this extends to our artisans as well - most often they have never had any form of education. while they hone the skills of sewing and move from stitching smaller items like head-wraps, onto our bigger throws, the women will also start to stitch their names onto the blankets - a signature to remind her of her strength & resilience.

all kantha's are made of recycled saree fabrics, bought from local second-hand markets, in both cotton & silk. these are then layered on top of one another and hand stitched to create blankets & throws. our chunky knit throws are made of strips cut from entire lengths of a saree and are then hand loomed.

being re-purposed & re-cycled, these processes involve the use of no new cloth or dyes and produce no by-product. all kantha throws are one-off pieces, holding the stories of our artisans within each layer and stitch. 

 

m e t a l w o r k s 

our metal christmas tree ornaments are made by the same group of artisans as all of our kantha-wares. 

brass and copper are locally sourced from small merchants. sheets of the metal are then cut, sanded, buffed, drilled and joined together by hand, while recycled saree threads are used for the braided hanging parts and designs. the camaraderie of working & learning together, while creating such beautiful objects for the home, allow our women artisans to become agents of their own change.