Flowfold, an outdoor retail brand focused on minimalist gear for everyday adventures, has partnered with Women United Around The World (WUAW) to sell a limited number of one-of-a-kind handbags to raise awareness and money for skills training and leadership development for Maine-based immigrant women. The bags showcase the work of WUAW students and will be available for purchase while supplies last. All proceeds will be donated by Flowfold to the non-profit for future programs which will empower more female immigrants to pursue better educational and professional opportunities.
WUAW was founded in 2009 with the mission to celebrate, advocate for and assist women locally and globally to achieve independence through vocational training and community connection. To support this training, Flowfold provided basic design templates and donated materials for the WUAW students to use during their classes. Adele Ngoy, founder and president of WUAW, then walked her students through the hands-on experience of designing and producing the bags.
“Our goal here is to promote independence for female immigrants to allow them to recognize and develop their potential,” Ngoy said. “We want them to have fun, believe in themselves and see their imaginations come to life.”
The bags, like many of Flowfold’s products, will be made from mostly scrap and recycled materials. “We always try to repurpose and recycle whenever possible and are passionate about limiting our environmental impact as a manufacturer. This really is a win-win,” said James Morin, COO of Flowfold. “At its core, we’ve made a promise to our customers, community and the outdoor industry. We celebrate everyday adventure here at Flowfold, and that applies to everyone, regardless of where they are from or what language they speak.”
Photo courtesy Flowfold
