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It’s 4am in Minnesota, and I would be sleeping if not for the buzzing of this tireless mosquito. Since the light on my phone isn’t doing much to lure the little buzzer in, I text Rachel.

Rachel’s in China where it’s 5pm. She’s finishing up her third straight workday with Eli’s team of sewers and technical designers. They’re making remarkable progress. I want to see the samples via Skype or Facetime, but communication is still limited, so we text. I get a reply from Rachel immediately.

"I heard you should use a match to draw the mosquito into the flame. We are cranking out prototypes. A few are still a bit rough but it will all come together. I really think the line is coming up a good notch. I’m excited to see what you think. We found all the new materials, some had to be ordered. And I ordered more labels. I’m bringing home prototypes to test. The fabric qualities are accurate but we still need to choose colors. I’ll send pics when I can. I wish I had booked another day here. I think I want to do a travel eye mask that we screen print ‘whiskey neat and pretzels please’."

I personally prefer 'whiskey on the rocks and hold the pretzels,' but we can print that on the flip side. I digress. As it turns out, you don't need a match to kill a mosquito. All you need is patience, focus and a steady source of light. The qualities required to stabilize communities, create jobs and make ethically produced goods. The same qualities our intrepid Founder, Rachel Kinley, infuses into every collaboration with our network of women entrepreneurs.

The proof is in our products, like the new Meridian Lee Totepack. It's thoughtful design allows you to carry it four different ways and it looks good from every angle. The hidden side pocket provides secure and easy access to your phone or keys. The exterior fabric is durable with a soft canvas feel. And the luscious brocade lining is carefully finished with interior pockets. There's no other way to describe it than to say it's awesome! It's my current favorite bag and I'm sure you will love it too.

But you need to see it for yourself. 

To a bright future,

We’re standing at the workroom table going over a Meridian Lee bag design. My focus is on clean lines and function. You know, important things like how many 3 oz TSA approved bottles does it take to hold a bottle of wine. Hmmm.  

Hanna, one of our bag makers, is leafing through a book of swatches. Her hands come to rest on a kinda loud, metallic blue pattern. I’m not reeeeally feeling it. But she probably knows something I don’t know. So I force myself to pause and consider it. Isn’t collaboration about respect?  Isn’t it about the ability to make choices and have a voice?

She teases me for choosing a ‘boring’ slate colored canvas that we’ll have waxed for the outer.  We settle on a charcoal metallic for the lining and add a secret interior pocket she designed. Our partnership is the secret to our success.

It’s estimated that women make up 70% of the world’s poorest people yet own only 1% of the world’s titled property, according to the U.N.  This inequality is slowly but surely correcting itself (I have some theories on this that I’ll explore in another post).

We see first hand that as women are able to use their skills and voices to create economic stability, they lift up their families and neighbors. This is one of the benefits of direct trade. By working in homes and small workshops, our partners make a living wage. Half the Sky Movement estimates that women re-invest 80¢ of every dollar they earn back into their families. Families and communities thrive when women have economic opportunity.   

Hanna and I designed the perfect overnight duffle.  I’m rewarded with her beautiful off to the side smile and the ripple effect she is having in her family and village.

Best To You,

Rachel

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