Vogue.com recently published an essay about ethical consumerism in which the author argues, in a world where we strive for ethical fashion, that we can’t “merely shop our way to progress.” It’s a compelling read.
In it, however, the author highlighted a brand that holds the hope that it can instill change at a fundamental social level while making a truly beautiful product in the process. This brand is Lidia May.
Lidia May is a premium handbag made in the unlikeliest of places—Bangladesh. The collection of bags has been conceived in the vein of European handbag traditions—think classic silhouettes and styles—merged with centuries-old Bengali embroidery.
What stands out most about this line is the fine balance struck between European sensibilities and traditional Bengali craft. The shapes are simple and classic with accents of very detailed, decadent and ornate embroidery work. They are a melding of clean lines, architecture and rich detail.
“We referenced very classic, older, European traditions because my personal style is understated and brands like Hermès are what I am attracted to,” explains May Yang, co-founder along with Rasheed Khan in Lidia May. “And because I was in Bangladesh at the time I was very much inspired by the embroidery work. I really felt like it was an opportunity to combine these traditions and the richness that comes when human cultures meet.”
The launch of Lidia May is in line with a broader evolution of arts and culture happening in Bangladesh. From the Dhaka Art Summit, founded by Bangladeshis Rajeeb and Nadia Samdani (who are often listed amongst the top 100 art collectors in the world), to the Dhaka Literary Festival which has hosted actor Tilda Swinton in the past.
As for the embroidery on the bags, it is in a tradition that has been handed down from the Moghul courts. During that dynasty, teams of craftsman lived at court custom-making clothes for the noble household and over centuries, the craft and its techniques have been passed down for generations.
“We modernized and created new motifs with the artisans who know the techniques and worked with them to come up with embroidery work that looks fresh and interesting to a western audience,” says Yang.
This has made the process of launching longer than it might if they were making the handbags in Italy. It took the founders a year and a half to simply get to where they are because of the learning that had to take place between the makers and the founders alike. Should they have done it in Europe, the same process would have only taken a matter of months.
Brands like Lidia May have the potential to play a role in advancing the economy in Bangladesh in the areas of accessory and clothing manufacturing, as Bangladesh is mostly known for creating mass market merchandise that doesn't require artisanship. Not because the artisanship doesn’t exist—clearly, it does. Although the way the garment industry has developed there has been a matter of numbers. Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries in the world where a staggering 25% of the population lives below the poverty line. That means there is a massive labor force ready to work and churn out product at a level that meets global demand. The labor exploitation in the garment industry that has occurred as a result has been headline news, making the social enterprise aspect of this brand even more relevant.
The Lidia in Lidia May stands for the Lidia Hope Center, the non-profit with which the brand is affiliated. The center supports families in the urban slums of Dhaka, the Bangladeshi capital, and is home to the Embroidery Artisan Training program designed by Lidia May. The goal is to train the people in the program in the fineness of embroidery giving them a marketable skill.
“The way that we approached it was that not only did we want the nonprofit to be successful but that the workers would gain employment,” says Yang.
Yang herself has a background in law and moved to Bangladesh to pursue a career in development and poverty alleviation, but always had a passion for design. This drive let her to undertake an apprenticeship with a leather master in New York who was the leather designer for brands like Carolina Herrera and Oscar de la Renta.
So while Vogue has their point of view on ethical consumerism, how does Yang define it?
“For me, what makes a product ethical when it gives pride to the person who makes it and to the person who wears it. That’s what we as a company try to focus on,” she says. “It’s not about waving a moral banner over the consumer. It’s about trying to create the most desirable product possible.”
