Meet: Raintree (DK)
Beach bag, grocery shopper, work tote, weekender…so many uses for Raintree’s fairtrade handwoven tote bags. I stumbled upon these bags one day in a who knows what kind of Instagram rabbit trail - well, one of the good ones anyway, and the Raintree story drew me in - and I knew I had to share Denmarks best kept secret with you.
After some back and forth with the founder of Raintree, Gitte, from Denmark, I love Raintree even more because of their amazing story.
I lived for a while in India, where I came to know a group of women from one of Chennai's slums, who make unique, handmade bags. I was immediately excited for them, so when I returned to Denmark I had no doubt. The bags must be sold in Denmark so that even more people can benefit from them. That's why I quit my job to concentrate on marketing and selling the bags. So now I have an everyday life with lots of meaningful work, great quality handmade bags and the awareness that even more young, Indian mothers and people with disabilities experience the pride of being able to support themselves.
The project aims to provide jobs in the slums for the most vulnerable and is of course Fair Trade approved. This means that there are well-organized working conditions and absolutely no child labor. Children's education is given high priority, and for each bag sold, an amount goes to a fund that ensures children's education as well as medical assistance if needed.
-Gitte, Founder
RainTree has visited Chennai several times and are pleased to co-operate with the Indian women, proudly introducing their handmade bags to the Danish market - and now Switzerland!
Follow Raintree on Instagram