Fair, stable income
Reliable pay a household can plan a year around, instead of the seasonal, uncertain earnings that rural work usually offers.
The Social Tote Bag Company
A village workshop,
not a supply chain.
Isaanbags is a rural development initiative in Northeastern Thailand. Five local women earn a fair, stable wage at l’Atelier d’Isaan, paid for by the custom canvas totes they make for companies who want to know where their merchandise comes from.
Isaan Development Co. Ltd · registered in Kalasin, April 2024 · Isaanbags is a registered Thai trademark
They back sustainability
People’s sustainability
The difference is where the money goes.
Most promotional merchandise is made somewhere its buyer will never see. Ours is made in one village, by five women, in a workshop you are welcome to visit. That is the whole point of the initiative. The bag is how it pays for itself.
Work that stays in the village
Jobs in Baan Suan Khok mean our seamstresses earn a living without migrating to Bangkok. Families stay together.
Craft, not assembly
Isaan has a long sewing and weaving tradition. Every bag carries the hand of someone who learned the work properly.
Verifiable, not vague
Isaan Development Co. Ltd is a registered Thai company in Kalasin, holding the Isaanbags trademark. The paperwork exists and we will show it to you.
l’Atelier d’Isaan
A workshop in Baan Suan Khok.
Every Isaanbags order is cut and sewn in one place: a workshop in a village in Kamalasai district, about an hour from Kalasin town. Not a subcontracted floor, not a broker’s network of unnamed suppliers. One room, five machines, and people we can introduce you to.
It means we can tell you exactly who made your order, and it means you can come and watch it being made.
Baan Suan Khok
Kamalasai District
Kalasin Province
Thailand
The five who make them
Naming the people who sew the product is the whole point. These are the five, photographed at the workshop and published with their consent.
Pimngerm
Workshop Head, Sample Maker
Boonme
Seamstress
Kanjana
Seamstress
Jarunee
Seamstress
Maneerat
QC, Packing
Documented impact
What we can actually prove.
Social impact is easy to claim and hard to evidence, so we only publish figures we can document. Where we don’t have the number yet, we say so rather than reaching for a round one.
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One village, no subcontracting
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Bags delivered to date
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Households supported by workshop income
What funds the workshop
Sustainable canvas totes, branded to you.
High-durability cotton canvas, customised with high-definition DTF printing, for promotional events, corporate gifting and eco-conscious retail.
Minitotebag
L’Oréal Groupe in Thailand
Shopping Bag
Tops Food Hall
Shopping Bag
Arise Pickleball
In use
The detail you only notice when you carry one.
Webbing handles stitched to take the weight, a magnetic closure, an interior zip pocket and a hang tag that says where it came from. This one was made for Manushya Foundation, who liked it enough to film it themselves.
Video courtesy of Manushya Foundation.
Every order is made by the five women above, in their own village. That is what your merchandise budget pays for.
Corporate social responsibility
Merchandise your CSR team can stand behind.
Most promotional merchandise cannot be traced past the supplier who invoiced you. Ours can be traced to the room it was sewn in and the person who sewed it, which is the difference between a sustainability claim and a sustainability fact.
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A workshop you can name
l’Atelier d’Isaan, Baan Suan Khok, Kamalasai District, Kalasin. One room, no subcontracting, no broker network. Every order in your invoice was cut and sewn there.
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Makers you can name
Five women, photographed and published with their consent. You can say who made your order, not just where it came from.
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A legal entity you can check
Isaan Development Co. Ltd, registered in Kalasin in April 2024, Thai tax ID 0465567000452. Isaanbags is a registered Thai trademark.
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A supply chain you can visit
The workshop is open to buyers by arrangement. If your due diligence requires seeing the floor, you are welcome on it.
Who we’ve made for
Orders delivered, and what came back.
A global beauty company, a circular-economy business and a sports brand have all run orders through l’Atelier d’Isaan.
The product quality is great and offers wonderful value for money. They were flexible and easy to work with regarding our design adjustment needs. A great women’s empowerment initiative and a reliable partner.
Onanong Pratakphiriya
Corporate Affairs and Engagement Director
L’Oréal Thailand & MYLACA
Our decision to purchase their products was driven first and foremost by their inspiring mission, which perfectly aligns with our own values.
Beyond their inspiring concept, the quality of their products is outstanding. They are durable, beautifully crafted, and designed to last.
Laurent Landié
Chief Executive Officer
Asia Data Destruction
We are very happy with the quality of service and products from Isaanbags for our Arise Pickleball totes. We really like the durable high-quality fabric and stitching. Great product for a great cause to support the local Isaan community.
Siree Sivapetchranat
Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder
Arise Pickleball
Get in touch
Your merchandise budget can keep a village in work.
Write to us whether you want to place an order, visit the workshop, or simply understand how the initiative works. Every enquiry reaches a person, not a funnel.
- Ask us anything about the workshop: wages, conditions, who made what. We would rather answer than be taken on trust.
- Baan Suan Khok is open to visitors. Come and watch your order being cut and sewn.
- Isaan Development Co. Ltd is a registered Thai company in Kalasin. The paperwork exists and we will show it to you.