“Raffia is more sturdy than the yarn we knit into beanies and scarves, so we’re able to create bags with structure without needing extra lining or added materials,” explains the brand’s founder, Ella Lim. “We developed a ‘crochet-like’ knit pattern that’s entirely machine knit and not delicate. The material feels summery, perfect for spring and summer bags.”

“The first batch of raffia we worked with was entirely deadstock. We found a factory that made raffia used for hula skirts and they were looking for someone to buy raffia yarn that was incorrectly dyed for a custom order. Our first few collections used all of it, which is always the goal, so we now source new raffia.”

Growing up around her family’s factory, Ella always saw how much extra yarn was left over after production—from sampling, supply chain errors, and other steps in production. When she left her career in marketing and product design in NYC to return to Asia and join the family business full-time, she started a project to use that deadstock material.