Meet our newest material: Pandan

The bags you've been asking for...

We are constantly inspired by the beauty and versatility of wicker so when you asked for a larger tote bag, we were so excited to get our design caps on to find the best material and artisans to create this for you.

RATTAN VS. PANDAN

When designing a larger bag, our usual rattan used for our current bags, comes with it’s limitations due to the material and the stiffness of the strands - they’re perfect for our core styles and the ideal type of weave to make a statement with our rattan style bags, but practically not the best for a tote bag.

After months of research, we discovered this new amazing material: pandan. It follows the same process as rattan, completely sustainable and of course, naturally grown. And when we touched the material and understood the process and the women behind it, we fell deeper in love it.

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Woven by females in the mountains of Indonesia

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HEY, PANDAN PLANTS

Pandan comes from the pandanus plant, you will have seen them in South East Asia and in most tropical destinations. Artisans collect the leaves from plants in the wild, cutting only mature leaves so that the plant will naturally regenerate.

Once the strands are cut, they are harvested, cleaned and the thorns are removed. The pandan leaves are then boiled to get rid of the sap, dried out and after being left out for 6 hours, the leaves are then soaking up the sun for another 4 hours (not a bad life), which dries out the pandan ready to be dyed in colours that we know you will love.

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Just like it did our grandma, pandan weaving is important to sustain a secondary income to support our weaver's family.

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Our pandan bags are woven by females in the mountains of Indonesia, also in their pursuit of their own Mama’s Mission. Novi, our head weaver, explains how important the pandan weave is for the weavers as many of them use it as a secondary income for their farm work. Just like it did our grandma, weaving is important to sustain a secondary income to support our weaver’s family.

YOU MAY HAVE MET PANDAN BEFORE...

Although we don’t recommend eating our new pandan bags, pandan is often used in many Asian cuisines. It’s crazy to think this Asian household material is used to create your perfect tote bag, like the Maxi Novi Totes.

DISCOVER OUR NEW PANDAN STYLES. LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!