Cambodia Calling: The little bag that travelled the world

Thursday, March 06, 2008

The little bag that travelled the world

These photos were sent to me by a Bloom customer. Lee works for the Clinton Foundation in Phnom Penh (the organisation helps fight the spread of AIDS) and visited the Bloom shop at the Russian Market. Later, he asked us to custom make a messenger bag for him, using a rice sack brought all the way from Tibet. The bag then travelled with Lee to San Francisco (and elsewhere I'm sure!) The rice sacks in Tibet are unique, with pictures of Yaks on them. Here in Cambodia, we only get fish and other farm animals, or pictures of the countryside. Here is an except of Lee's email:

"The Yak bags turned out great! Here's a photo! I carry mine with me everywhere now. Thank you so much for the excellent design and the quick turnaround. I was in a San Francisco club last weekend, and saw someone with a similar bag, but with a Jellyfish on it. I thought we had an instant bond! I think this design is really taking off in places like NY and SF..."

It's so cool people all over the world are using recycled products now. I really hope the idea will take off in a big way globally, which would be great news for Bloom bags!

6 comments:

boromey said...: all true!!!
my bag makes me stand out in any crowd, no matter where i go
people stare, people ask
and i'm happy to tell the story behind it )))
many-many thanks!!!!
olga; 7:23 pm
Diana Saw said...: Hi Olga! Is that really you? I'm so happy you got in touch. I have been wondering how you are getting on, but I didn't have your email. Are you in the US now? Wherever you are, I hope you are enjoying yourself! I miss your cheerful company!

As for Alan and I, we moved to Siem Reap in November last year. It's a quieter town, so Alan prefers it. Still have not gone to Battambang or Preah Vihear though!

I'm really glad to hear you like your Bloom bag! And it's so cool people are interested in a bag made from recycled rice sacks. Please send me your email Olga!

Joom reap lier, soksabay!
Diana; 10:22 am
boromey said...: suesday!!!
it's me, really-really )))
i've been reading your blog, actually
it doesn't let me forget my wonderful summer )))
i'm doing fine, just got back to russia from canada
still trying to graduate ))
here's my email
levina.olga@gmail.com
drop me a line sometime!
cheers!
olga; 3:22 am
Katherine said...: HI,
got to your blog from the EA site. was reading your thing about no public transport- this is my least fave thing about living here (in Phnom Penh). My husband is Khmer (i'm aussie) and he said they tried out a bus system , i think around 1997, but only on the main streets. but he heard they didn't go with it cos all the motodup guy protested they would lose money, and also ppl couldn't be bothered to go to the bus stop. I guess when you're used to door to door on motodups buses on bus routes aren't as good. if only pp had buses my life would be so much easier!
i've got heaps of traffic posts on my blog...; 4:10 pm
Katherine said...: oops, i didn't mean 1997, i meant around 2000; 4:16 pm
Diana Saw said...: Hi Kimsoeun and Katherine,

Thanks for the comments! Somehow I don't think the motodop protests would have meant much to the government...

The point about the bus stops is a good one, I didn't think about that. If the bus was serving only the city, they would have a problem--people here are rich enough to afford the moto.

The bus company would have been serving the "suburbs", which is where they are needed, like Chhbar Ampou, across the Monivorng Bridge. There are many poor people living there who work in the city and who cycle to work because they cannot afford to take the moto.

Personally, I believe the bus company folded because it simply could not make money. No doubt official taxes added to the lack of demand contributed to the failure.; 9:06 am

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At Bloom, our mission is to alleviate poverty and save the environment at the same time, through our recycled bags.

As a social enterprise in Cambodia, we are competing with many NGOs on the one hand (which get donations) and for want of a better word, capitalistic businesses (which drive down costs in an effort to maximise profits). We recognise and accept the challenges that face all business, but are committed to principles of Fair Play, and will NEVER sacrifice those principles in order to be competitive. This means, for instance, we will never sacrifice workers' pay just so our bags will be cheaper. The average pay at Bloom today is 2.13 times the market rate.

So please, before you ask us to discount our bags, remember that we are not a minimum wage factory; we are a social enterprise. If you want a cheap factory-made bag, Bloom is not what you are looking for. If you agree that workers (where-ever they are--Singapore, Germany, France, the US) should always be paid fairly and are not here to produce goods and services at low wages for the profit of big business, then please consider Bloom. Bloom bags are all hand-made by our small team who spend our working hours dreaming up and making bags.

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Bloom is a social enterprise established in Sept 2006 with the intention of providing fair-paying jobs to abandoned, widowed and divorced Cambodian women. Bloom is not a factory. We are a small workshop of nine people who work closely as a team to produce original, quality handmade bags made from recycled rice and fish feed bags.

Every Bloom Bag is meticulously designed, cut, glued and sewn by the Bloom team in our workshop in Phnom Penh. Each bag is handmade with love and attention to detail (the Bloom team really enjoys making bags!), resulting in beautiful, unique bags we are sure you will love and your friends will want!

All Bloom Bags are handmade by our team. We do not outsource to other sewers because we want to be in control of the supply chain, to ensure that everyone involved in making a Bloom Bag is paid fairly. There is no middleman taking a cut and passing on the work to another.

Please Visit Bloom's new workshop off Norodom Boulevard in Phnom Penh and our retail outlets. Bloom is next to Warehouse Pub in the Old Market Area in Siem Reap and at No.808 Russian Market, Phnom Penh.

Thursday, March 06, 2008

The little bag that travelled the world

6 comments:

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