Ethnotek

About Ethnotek

Ethnotek is a social enterprise that turns handmade artisan textiles from around the world into travel backpacks, laptop bags and accessories. The idea took shape in 2007 in a small Hmong village in the mountains of northern Vietnam, where American backpacker Jake Orak was struck by the colourful, richly worked fabrics. He set out to pair those cloth traditions with modern backpack design. Over time the textiles have come from Vietnam, India, Indonesia, Ghana and Guatemala. Because the fabrics are handmade, each bag is a one-off. The model aims to keep local crafts going and to create jobs in remote places, with artisans acting as independent ambassadors for their work.