Bags

Beaded Coin Purse

$8.99 $12.00

This coin purse is the perfect accessory for your evening out. The dark glass beads shimmer beautifully, proving an elegant way to carry simple essentials.

Artisans at Tara Projects made this purse. Tara Projects is one of the largest fair trade organizations in India, which empowers women, works to eliminate child labor and strives for equal opportunity for all.

Details:

• 5 inches long x 3.5 inches high
• Handcrafted by artisans in India
• Made with cotton and beads

About Ten Thousand Villages
For more than 60 years, Ten Thousand Villages has served as a fair trade retailer, working with more than 130 artisan groups from nearly 40 countries. It has pioneered the fair trade industry to help break the cycle of poverty.

The non-profit social enterprise:

• Pays a fair price;
• Creates long-term partnerships with artisan groups;
• Makes sure artisans have good working conditions;
• Collaborates with designers to produce trend pieces that incorporate traditional craftmanship;
• Emphasizes using recycled or renewable materials;
• Empowers to help create change for the artisans, their communities, and their families.

Photo: © Courtesy of Ten Thousand Villages

Chenda Crochet Shoulder Bag

$44.99 $80.00

This bucket style crochet bag is a very special piece. It is handcrafted by a Cambodian woman who was blinded in an acid attack many years ago. She crochets bags using only her hands to determine the stitch and shape. The beauty and quality of what she is able to create will astound you.

Details:

• Crocheted bucket-style shoulder bag
• Lined in black cotton
• Zippered exterior
• Back pocket
• Tasseled rosette on the front
• Measures 11 inches high in the center, 14 inches high on the sides and 14 inches wide; the handle is 21 inches long, which is long enough for cross-body wear on a smaller stature person (stitch and measurements can vary slightly due to being handmade)
• Available in Black and Caribbean Blue
• Handcrafted by a Cambodian woman who was blinded in an acid attack

About Buy The Change
Buy The Change, a registered B-Corp, focuses on social change over profit and works to create opportunities for artisans around the world. The site features beautiful, handmade and eco-friendly accessories and home goods. Every purchase made through Buy The Change helps a woman free herself and her family from extreme poverty. Many of the products found on Buy The Change are made from upcycled and recycled materials. Each item is ethically made and always fairly traded. 

Diaper Wet Bag

$16.49 $29.00

Whether you need a bag to hold diapers or a bag for holding a wet swimsuit, you'll love this one! It's made by women in Malawi, Africa and includes a waterproof lining.

Details:

About Dsenyo
Dsenyo (dee-SEN-yo, meaning "design") is a social enterprise and fair trade company that partners with artisan communities to empower women in Brazil, Malawi, and Zambia. Marissa Perry Saints founded the company in 2009 to celebrate local design and create job opportunities. Today, Dsenyo provides employment and trainings to more than 100 artisans, helping to build a global tribe of entrepreneurs, artisans, and individuals who care about sustainability and style. Dsenyo believes business can be a powerful source of economic and social change and strives to prove that every day.  

Flowered Silk Clutch

$10.49 $18.00

This silk clutch with embroidered flowers is perfect for a night out with friends, or that special someone. Artisans with Mai Vietnamese Handicrafts, which employs more than 1,600 artisans, created the beautiful design.

Details:

• 5.5 inches long x 3.5 inches high
• Handcrafted by artisans in Vietnam
• Made of silk

About Ten Thousand Villages
For more than 60 years, Ten Thousand Villages has served as a fair trade retailer, working with more than 130 artisan groups from nearly 40 countries. It has pioneered the fair trade industry to help break the cycle of poverty.

The non-profit social enterprise:

• Pays a fair price;
• Creates long-term partnerships with artisan groups;
• Makes sure artisans have good working conditions;
• Collaborates with designers to produce trend pieces that incorporate traditional craftmanship;
• Emphasizes using recycled or renewable materials;
• Empowers to help create change for the artisans, their communities, and their families.

Photo: © Courtesy of Ten Thousand Villages

Handmade Clutch

$25.49 $45.00

This clutch is stylish and sustainable! To create this clutch, artisans harvest eco-friendly Buriti palm fiber, hand-dye it, and then hand-weave it all together. The whole process takes about 7-10 days. Learn more about the process at Tree to Clutch.

Details:

About Dsenyo
Dsenyo (dee-SEN-yo, meaning "design") is a social enterprise and fair trade company that partners with artisan communities to empower women in Brazil, Malawi, and Zambia. Marissa Perry Saints founded the company in 2009 to celebrate local design and create job opportunities. Today, Dsenyo provides employment and trainings to more than 100 artisans, helping to build a global tribe of entrepreneurs, artisans, and individuals who care about sustainability and style. Dsenyo believes business can be a powerful source of economic and social change and strives to prove that every day.  

Handmade Cosmetic Bag

$13.49 $24.00

This handmade cosmetic bag perfectly holds your makeup and other necessities. It also works great as a toiletry bag when traveling.

 Details:

• Made by artisans at Zambian Textile Partners
• Made with canvas (Zimbabwe cotton spun and woven)
• Hand printed (handmade screen prints)
• Zipper closure
• Fully lined 
• Size: 6.75" x 9.8"

About Dsenyo
Dsenyo (dee-SEN-yo, meaning "design") is a social enterprise and fair trade company that partners with artisan communities to empower women in Brazil, Malawi, and Zambia. Marissa Perry Saints founded the company in 2009 to celebrate local design and create job opportunities. Today, Dsenyo provides employment and trainings to more than 100 artisans, helping to build a global tribe of entrepreneurs, artisans, and individuals who care about sustainability and style. Dsenyo believes business can be a powerful source of economic and social change and strives to prove that every day.  

Hemp Tablet Sleeve

$18.99 $39.00

Don't leave your electronics out, they deserve style too! Hmong women from Vietnam created this tablet sleeve by spinning hemp fibers into threads, which they then wove together to create amazing designs.

The artisans behind this hemp tablet sleeve are part of Craft Link, a nonprofit, that provides work for Vietnamese artisans, particularly artisans with disabilities and those who are part of ethnic minorities.

Details:

• 10 inches long x 8 inches wide
• Handcrafted by artisans in Vietnam
• Made with hemp, felt-lined

About Ten Thousand Villages
For more than 60 years, Ten Thousand Villages has served as a fair trade retailer, working with more than 130 artisan groups from nearly 40 countries. It has pioneered the fair trade industry to help break the cycle of poverty.

The non-profit social enterprise:

• Pays a fair price;
• Creates long-term partnerships with artisan groups;
• Makes sure artisans have good working conditions;
• Collaborates with designers to produce trend pieces that incorporate traditional craftmanship;
• Emphasizes using recycled or renewable materials;
• Empowers to help create change for the artisans, their communities, and their families.

Photo: © Courtesy of Ten Thousand Villages

Metallic Beaded Coin Purse

$8.99 $15.00

Looking for a little purse to hold your credit cards or cash? You will love this one! Featuring metallic beads, with red, white and blue seed beads. It's a unique and beautiful piece!

Details:

• Size: 5.25 inches long x 3.5 inches wide
• Bronze metallic, red, white and blue beads
• Handcrafted by artisans at Asha Handicrafts
• Zipper close
• Lined

Since 1949, Serrv has worked to lift disadvantaged artisans, farmers, and their families out of poverty. The nonprofit, fair trade organization partners with 55 small-scale artisan/farmer organizations and cooperatives, in 25 countries, to help impoverished communities and support sustainable development. 

Serrv works to:

• Empower women;
• Provide training and education;
• Provide tools and resources;
• Offer support in time of need (e.g. when artisans are affected by natural disasters, such as the Nepal earthquake, Serrv steps up to help).

Mini Clutch

$14.49 $25.00

For those times when you just want to carry a few things, this is perfect! This mini clutch fits necessities like lip gloss, money, and your phone perfectly. It also makes a great case for sunglasses!

Details:

About Dsenyo
Dsenyo (dee-SEN-yo, meaning "design") is a social enterprise and fair trade company that partners with artisan communities to empower women in Brazil, Malawi, and Zambia. Marissa Perry Saints founded the company in 2009 to celebrate local design and create job opportunities. Today, Dsenyo provides employment and trainings to more than 100 artisans, helping to build a global tribe of entrepreneurs, artisans, and individuals who care about sustainability and style. Dsenyo believes business can be a powerful source of economic and social change and strives to prove that every day.  

Organic Cotton Tote Bag

$44.99 $80.00

This organic cotton tote bag is a work of art! The threads are dyed with all natural, plant-based dyes, which are only available one month of each year. Then the fabric is woven by hand on a back-strap loom and the bag is sewn using a foot-powered sewing machine. This versatile tote is perfect for carrying a variety of items; from diapers to groceries to beach towels! 

The artisans are women of the Karen and Karenni tribes who are refugees from Myanmar/Burma living in the MaeLa Refugee Camp in northern Thailand.  

Details:

• Size: 16 inches wide x 14 inches long, with a 6-inch base
• Lined with black cotton
• One small inside zipper pocket
• Muted colors are natural, taupe, and terra cotta
• Made with 100% organic cotton, natural dye from leaves and bark
• Handcrafted by refugees from Burma living in the MaeLa Refugee Camp in Northern Thailand

About Buy The Change
Buy The Change, a registered B-Corp, focuses on social change over profit and works to create opportunities for artisans around the world. The site features beautiful, handmade and eco-friendly accessories and home goods. Every purchase made through Buy The Change helps a woman free herself and her family from extreme poverty. Many of the products found on Buy The Change are made from upcycled and recycled materials. Each item is ethically made and always fairly traded. 

Striped Shoulder Bag

$40.49 $72.00

You will LOVE the earthy, organic feel of this shoulder bag. These are only produced for one month each year when the leaves and bark used to create the natural dyes are available in northern Thailand. The unbleached, organic cotton thread is dyed then woven into fabric on a back strap loom.

The women who create these bags are refugees from Burma living in the MaeLa Refugee Camp in Northern Thailand. Your purchase of this bag gives them the needed funds to survive and begin the process of relocation from the camp.

Each organic cotton purse is sewn on a foot powered sewing machine creating a bag that is 100% organic, handmade and eco-friendly.

Details:

• Size: 13 inches wide x 17 inches long, with a 4-inch base
• Zipper closure
• Muted colors are natural, taupe, and terra cotta
• Made with 100% organic cotton, natural dye from leaves and bark
• Handcrafted by refugees from Burma living in the MaeLa Refugee Camp in Northern Thailand

About Buy The Change
Buy The Change, a registered B-Corp, focuses on social change over profit and works to create opportunities for artisans around the world. The site features beautiful, handmade and eco-friendly accessories and home goods. Every purchase made through Buy The Change helps a woman free herself and her family from extreme poverty. Many of the products found on Buy The Change are made from upcycled and recycled materials. Each item is ethically made and always fairly traded.