The world of backpacks is full of options and features that allow travelers to find different bags to suit specific needs. However, many don’t consider the material and humanitarian costs of making and buying a backpack, which affects both workers and the environment. Veronica Race, CEO and lead designer of Borboleta, a Thailand-based bag company, built her company as a way to make bags ethical.
Borboleta opts for ethical materials and wages
One of the most apparent characteristics of a Borboleta bag is its appearance which looks exactly like a high quality leather. However, one of the company’s missions is to provide well crafted bags using cruelty free, vegan leather which simulates the texture of animal based materials.
This synthetic leather, also known as ‘scientific leather’ is most commonly made from polyurethane, a plastic polymer that molds easily. This gives the material the flexibility to form the curves of a bag, as well as receive an imprint that resembles natural textures. Similarly, many natural materials such as cactus, cork, and fruit peels are also used to make leather-type fabrics.
Using vegan leather helps to lower the industry’s reliance on animal skins for products ranging from bags to shoes and coats. When derived from natural plants and foods, it also presents a sustainable option for clothing which many fashion designers have already adopted.
Additionally, each bag is produced ethically in proprietary workshops which provide safe and healthy conditions for workers. The company pays fair wages and offers benefits such as health insurance and paid sick leave. This is a far cry from industry standards which often overlook worker safety and well being in countries like China and Bangladesh.
This is also helped by the fact that the company operates with a direct-to-consumer strategy which eliminates intermediaries and extra fees. This ensures that workers get paid a living wage and no money is lost in the supply chain while maintaining high quality for each bag.
Designing a bag for the modern woman traveler
Veronica Race grew up between the U.S. and Thailand, often living in her father’s native Boston. She studied at the University of Maryland and spent several years working in nonprofits as well as the education sectors in Washington D.C. and Bankgok.
This nomadic lifestyle meant that Race had to constantly carry a bag with her to organize everything she needed. Notably, these were bags that she designed herself.
She soon noticed that her friends and family wanted her bags, which prompted Race to think about a career change. She chose to study fashion design at the Chanapatana International Design Institute, while also studying in the Accademia Italiana in Florence, Italy.
Soon after she started Borboleta, meaning ‘butterfly’ in Portuguese, to offer her bags to women travelers who wanted function and professionalism. Each bag contains several pockets and functions that offer the wearer many options to customize their experience on each trip.
Giving back with a Borboleta bag
While the designs on the Borboleta bag brand’s website are fashionable and trendy, there is a strong social mission behind the brand. Race founded the Ocean of Wisdom Foundation in 2007 after narrowly avoiding disaster during the Boxing Day Tsunami in 2004. The storm devastated Phuket, where Race was vacationing, and left many missing and dead.
This experience instilled in Race a sense of needing to give back to her community and founded her organization to help underprivileged students in Thailand. Ocean of Wisdom receives proceeds, including from Borboleta, to tackle nutrition and education in rural towns. This includes sponsoring breakfast for children, as well as donating books and supplies for more than 2,000 students across 16 schools.
Most recently the organization donated to the Emergency Home for abused women and also contributed to help medical staff address Covid-19.
Veronica Race is helping to bring a new awareness to consumers about how our products are made, including labor and materials. By utilizing cruelty-free vegan leather products, offering workers fair pay and giving back to the community, Borboleta is making a new type of sustainable bag.
Story by Fernando Acevedo
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