VIDEOS

 

stories from vietnam

A beautiful story of impact behind a brand with a lot of heart.

A beautiful story about how the founders of Tamay & Me met and the power of embroidery.

In many cultures across the world people take great pride in continuing the traditional crafts passed down through the generations. Tamay, a Red Dzao woman and entrepreneur, shares the incredible process she goes through to create beautiful clothing for her family. Slow fashion at its very best.

Every year Ker, a Black Hmong woman, creates new clothes for her family from scratch. These clothes are intricate, unique and beautiful and take the entire year to make. Ker shares the process she goes through in this video. Do you think you'd be able to make your clothes from seed to stitching?

Imagine making your own clothes from scratch, right from growing the hemp and cotton through to embroidering the finished design. In a world where fashion is faster than ever, imagining this kind of boggles the mind. Phil and Hoa from ETHOS - Spirit of the Community talk about a place where this actually happens.

These guys. We spent the day with the very wonderful team at Efaisto in Ho Chi Minh City. First up we spoke to Bernard and Lou, the co-founders, about the story behind Efaisto.

This is part 2 of 3 of our Efaisto videos. Van works closely with Efaisto's artisan network and is a superstar in front of the camera. Seriously. We're jealous of her skills.

The Efaisto team took us on an adventure to meet one of the artisans they work with. We rode motorbikes. Sorry Mum and Dad.

We met with the forward-thinking, generous Linda Mai Phung in Ho Chi Minh to talk the future of fashion.

We spoke with the delightful Hanh Phan from Fashion 4 Freedom about the wonderful work they do with traditional Vietnamese artisans. Started by the inspiring LanVy Nguyen Fashion 4 Freedom is about supporting the local community to prosper in a contemporary fashion world.

We speak with Ophélie Snoy the founder of Leizuu, a brand supporting workers rights, and making use of natural textiles, made by ethnic minorities in Vietnam.

We were able to visit the Gingko team at their concept shop in Ho Chi Minh City. Benjamin told us all about why he started the business and what Vietnam has taught him.

We had the honour and privilege of interviewing Danica Ratte, founder of Wild Tussah. Wild Tussah works with Vietnamese weave artisans to create gorgeous handbags and accessories.

stories from laos

Ock Pop Tok is a must see if you ever visit Laos. It's an incredible organisation that aims to celebrate and preserve the rich diversity in Laos textiles, while providing opportunities for fair work. It's a magical place.

Emi speaks about the work Ma Té Sai are doing to build capacity and create impact in rural Laos.

Fabrice, the Founder of Naga Creations is concerned about the rapid loss of traditional costumes and jewellery among ethnic minorities in Laos. He creates jewellery inspired by traditional costumes to try and preserve the beautiful and unique shapes of Laos.

STORIES FROM THAILAND

Elias from Thai Tribal Crafts talks about the connection he feels with different ethnic groups across the world.

"And I wanted to ask a question to the consumer, would you support the machine or would you support a human being?" Elias from Thai Tribal Crafts has a question for you.

"This has a story, this has a real person behind it, this has a community that's benefitting from it." Jon and Joyce talk about the importance of handmade at Thai Tribal Crafts.

Pim quit her job as a nurse to start Hilltribe House, a fashion label that works with traditional textiles to create beautiful modern designs.

Azurapak Denim integrates Thai silk with Japanese denim. Mod, the founder, is passionate about encouraging the next generation of Thai teenagers to embrace their traditional heritage.

NEW VIDEO! Ba (Aunty) Wan warmly welcomed us to her workshop. She is a natural dye expert and is passionate about supporting her community. It was so incredible to spend the day with Ba Wan and her crew and learn more about their story.

Wipa Salabsang and the Y.Development Cooperation works with artisan communities to help create jobs, keep families together and preserve traditional handicrafts.

We visited one of the Kayan villages in Northern Thailand on the Thai-Burma border to meet the people behind the beautiful products they co-create with Ways of Change. Cara speaks about working with refugee communities in a new way that disrupts the current ideas around humanitarian aid and refugee settlements.

Lamorna from Studio Naenna in Chiang Mai talks about how connecting with the story behind our clothes feels good and can change the way you treat the things that you wear.

Lamorna grew up in Chiang Mai surrounded by weavers. She is now the the manager at Studio Naenna, a business founded by Lamorna's mother to help support weavers in the area. She talks about the power of listening and how that can impact the quality of their products.

A story about a lady and her love. Boon started Torboon Chiang Mai to create beautiful handbags that help to preserve traditional weaving.

Tom and Susie from Wild Side make an incredible husband/wife team. They have been creating leather bags for over 10 years.

Sapahn originally started out to help fund a scholarship has now become a force that generates sustainable employment and income for over 500 people in Thailand. Pretty frickin' cool.

"When I think about fair trade I think about who is it fair true and how is that determined? All of our artisans, they determine what that is for them." - Brooke Mullen, Founder of Sapahn

STORIES FROM CAMBODIA

Pactics is a factory in Cambodia that is bucking the trend and prioritising people and planet alongside profit. Wouldn't it be great if more factories in Cambodia operated like this?

ReCreate is a clothing label based in Cambodia on the outskirts of Phnom Penh. The community were relocated there after their slum was demolished and many were left without jobs. ReCreate provides much needed training and support for the community.

Sinon is a childcare worker for ReCreate, a New Zealand clothing label made in Cambodia. She also works in the Dem Tmey community to help at-risk kids. ReCreate has a workshop that educates young women and men, giving them sewing skills and vocational skills they can use to empower themselves.

The team at HOLI showed us a tremendous time when we visited their workshop in Siem Reap Cambodia. They taught us how to sew. We were pretty rubbish. They were very polite and encouraging anyway. One of the highlights of the trip!

Where were your clothes made? If they were made at ethical manufacturer, Fairsew, you know they were made by Cambodian people that have been treated fairly.

We visited Dorsu in Kampot, Cambodia. This is the beautiful story of friendship between Kunthear and Hanna, the founders of the brand.

We visited Champa, in Takeo Province, Cambodia to visit Samouen and his weaving workshop. He works with Vannary San, from Lotus Silk Boutique to keep silk weaving alive in Cambodia.

10-30% of fabric is wasted in producing a garment. Tonlé is a clothing brand with a difference. Not only are they tackling the waste problem but creating kick ass clothing.

Mary Sarath shares the inspiration behind her beautiful designs and why she wants to inspire more Cambodians to create.

Lauren Solomon and Kiara Bulley are helping Cambodian garment workers help themselves by giving them the skills to work through the problems that they face.

Meet Sakun, a man creating change in manufacturing in Cambodia. This man's passion is off the charts. He's determined to be different from the other garment factories in Cambodia and look after the people he employs. Legend.

Brendan explains the work behind Friends International and the retail branch that helps support the development work they do.

Brendan from Friends N Stuff, (Friends International), talks about using waste as a supply chain to recreate new and wonderful products.

"I just see beautiful things and I want to make more beautiful things."

Alan, the man that can compete with the Gilmore Girls on words per minute, explains the magic that is A.N.D.

We spoke with Oudom from The Goel Community about working with an ethically minded organisation.

Why is natural dye important in our clothes? We spoke with Mr. Han from the Goel Community in Phnom Penh Cambodia about the reason why they chose to go natural.

Ethical fashion means different things to different people. Tavie Meier, founder of Made Fair, explains what it means to her and it's pretty darn good. Watch to the end for a bonus giggle.

A brief explanation from the wonderful Alan about what the heck ikat is. It'll blow your mind.

The Weavers Project trains and employs women to create beautiful scarves and textiles using traditional Cambodian weaving techniques.

Good Krama is an ethical fashion brand based in Cambodia. We spoke to Katia, the Founder and Creative Director about why she chose to make fashion with a positive impact.

We speak with the Cambodian entrepreneur, Vannary San, to discuss why she created her ethical fashion brand Lotus Silk.

We speak with Tavie, Founder of MadeFAIR, an online ethical clothing store, about the difficulty of reaching consumers through empathy. MadeFAIR has a range of ethical clothing; including vegan friendly clothing/accessories and clothing made free of slave labour.

We got to speak with the amazing Hanna Guy about the work she is doing with Dorsu. Dorsu uses leftover remnant fabrics from garment manufacturing to create beautiful and timeless clothing. The brand provides training and employment to women in Kampot and does everything they can to do less harm and do more good.

Koky Saly founded Beekeeper Parade and is one inspirational human being. Support this exceptional concept and head to

 

stories from the road

In November 2016, two dorks began an incredible 3500km walking journey in search of positive fashion stories. Be curious and look for the stories behind your clothes. Seek out the connection.

Walking across Thailand. Turns out it’s a pretty big country.

Walking from the Vietnam border to Kampong Thom in Cambodia.

The first leg of our walking adventure, from Ho Chi Minh to the Tinh Bien border with Cambodia.

I could just be paranoid and anxious, but paranoia and anxiety are some of the symptoms of rabies so....you know. I'm defs going to die.

The best thing about Megan is that she's afraid...and she does it anyway.
Two girls hike through remote Laos facing waist deep mud, landslides and food rations. Here's Gab's pessimistic take on the whole situation.
We did a visa run to Myanmar, and boy did things go wrong.

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT in which Gab talks about her illness.

It's time to get creative with a makeup tutorial without using any makeup. Megan and Gab have been walking across Asia for five months with bare minimum and now Gab will show you: How to contour! How to prime! How to do luscious lips!
In which Gab's sole is tearing off like her soul.

Reactions of people when we tell them we are walking across Southeast Asia.

When you have to say goodbye to a beloved shirt and it leads to the destruction of the universe. Obviously.
When everyone and everything is trying to kill you, you have to watch your back.....dun dun dahhhh.
CHECK OUT THESE HORRIFIC PICTURES.