Smateria Oversized Round Crochet Tote

No-one will guess what this gorgeous crochet creation is made of! Comfy, strong and oh-so-eco chic. This beautiful handmade fair trade tote bag is made from top to toe recycled and repurposed materials and finished with high quality lining & stitching.

New life is breathed back into recycled plastic bags, hand crocheted into a flower design. Reinforced with PVC savaged from old Cambodian motorbike seats and given form with robust recycled mosquito net. Sophisticated, ethical, sustainable fashion.

These bags are resistant and strong with space to fit all your needs and musts, yet still feels snug under the arm. Inside you'll find a phone pocket and second pocket with zipper inside. 50 x 50 cm

About the Smateria Plastic Collection

In Cambodia plastic bags are strewn everywhere, all over the streets and in the rivers. With such a ready supply, it made sense for Smateria to transform this material into something desirable - black like oil, soft like leather, resistant like only plastic can be - ideal for bags and pochettes. For this project, Smateria employs a team of 22 women in the village of Andong, an area near Phnom Penh that houses displaced persons.


Helping the Victims of Forced Evictions

Andong Village was founded in 2007 when the Cambodian government decided to clear part of Phnom Penh and use this land to build new expensive houses, hotels, restaurant and shops. 8,000 families were forced to move from their homes to a new area without electricity and running water. Andong is too far away from Phnom Penh for the people to commute and back so most lost their jobs.

Smateria employs a team in Andong of mainly women, for whom opportunities to earn a fair wage are scarce. These ladies collect the plastic, wash it, cut it and work under the crochet hook and needles to create these wonderful bags in fair trade conditions.