Credit: Karen Walker
The impact of the fashion system on developing countries is unfortunately very often negative: although in recent years attention has increased and there are much stricter regulations for production, it is not uncommon for disadvantaged populations to be exploited as very cheap labor and their ecosystems despoiled and polluted. There are many examples, however, of companies that manage to enrich the areas where they produce, either through virtuous practices in the case of relocations or through specific projects carried out in collaboration with local foundations and organizations.
Such is the case with Karen Walker and Rise Beyond The Reef's project, which is now in its second year with a new collection of four bags handwoven by Fijian island artisans using traditional techniques passed down from generation to generation.
Founded in 2014, Rise Beyond The Reef is an association that supports indigenous families in creating sustainable employment pathways for the environment and the people who inhabit the archipelago, helping them to preserve their traditions and culture.
The four bags are the result of work done across the board with local women artisans, from the material, Pandanus, which is harvested and treated in a long and meticulous process and then woven, to the actual process of making the bag, which includes a final part in the Sabeto Valley, where the Rise Beyond The Reef team teaches rural communities how to complete each item with leather details.
