JOYN bags
"REVIVING TRADITION, RESTORING FASHION AND RECLAIMING TRANSPARENCY"
In 2011, JOYN began supporting the craftsmanship skills of local artisans. It has flourished into eight different business units owned and managed fully by local entrepreneurs and provides over 300 artisans with a life-giving income.
The beautiful bags and accessories are handcrafted every step of the way. They partner with locally owned and managed cooperatives to keep manufacturing at a community level and encourage local leadership and personal development with marginalised and trafficked people. Meet the team of skilled makers.
JOYN is supported by the charity, JoyCorps. It seeks a long term and sustainable solution to community transformation by subsidising development programs that promote wholeness: occupational, physical, intellectual, emotional, spiritual, and social. Once the local cooperatives are profitable enough to shoulder the costs on their own these programs are solely supported through their work.
JOYN crafts the cotton fabric from the raw cotton all by hand. Using block printing techniques that are an ancient craft of the region they fashion contemporary prints. It is a fascinating process that means the bags are made sustainably with so much less impact on the environment. Even their leather products are crafted from high quality leather remnants, saving the excess leather being dumped in landfill. We celebrate their eco friendly steps and their commitment to their staff and community.
See their story for yourself...
JOYN is a member of the Fair Trade Federation and provides steady employment, vocational training and daily meals, along with medical care and education for its employees. Now, some of the marginalised people of that region have left behind their lives of abuse, addiction, begging, illness and trafficking through the opportunities that JOYN has provided.
All images and content is used with permission from JOYN