Travel & Community
Track Ethnoteks adventures and see what our community is up to. This is a place we'll feature our Tribe of customers and all the awesomeness that you're up to. To be featured tag @ethnotekbags and #etktribe on social media.
Our Tribe sends it!!!
This week's proof of that is a story from our friend and fellow Tribe member Andrew Seymore. We like to think of his last name as being spelled 'SeeMore' because this dude does exactly that. He works hard as a High School teacher in Saigon, Vietnam and with what little free time he has, he dedicates it all to seeing more...life is short people, and I think we all can take a page from his book in how to maximize free time as free people should.
I went to Moksha yoga tonight for a Hatha Yoga class at 9pm. Kitty was teaching. Moksha has a vibe about it. Something special. A rad space. Philly D, the owner, has become a friend in the few short months we've known him. He lives out the Moksha mission so authentically and when you find that in a fellow small business, it's refreshing. Moksha has 7 pillars...a set of ideas and philosophies they aim to live by as a community, and you can feel that. The 7 pillars are: Be healthy, Be accessible, Live green, Sangha support, Reach out, Live to learn, Be peace. Dig it.
After Tribe member and close friend/advisor Pierce McNally read Marie Malinowski's recent article in The Examiner (in regards to the 'how' and 'why' behind our direct trade business model), he felt inspired to weigh in on the topic of conscious consumption. Here's what Pierce has to say...
"All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother. - Abraham Lincoln
This statement couldn't be more true. As you can imagine, the importance of motherhood runs deep in our Tribe. Many of the artisans in the villages we partner with around the world are mothers, and Tribe member Arushi has commented on how strong the role of women is in Bhuj - where the weaving process starts and ends with the women of the Tribe. That's special. The women of the Tribe are special, and we wouldn't be here without them. This statement holds true for our own mothers as well. Today we are full of gratitude for them, because without their undying support and love, Ethnotek wouldn't be possible. Today we are counting our many blessings, and taking time to express gratitude to the mothers in our villages, and our own mothers.
We were first introduced to Tribe members Nikki McGee and Melanie Ford's idea to tour South America (with a focus on Chile) when we were in Salt Lake City at Winter Market Outdoor Retailer this past January. With massive amounts of energy and passion, Nikki (who is originally from Minnesota and a longtime friend of Founder Jake) told us about The Female Frontier...
This past Tuesday we introduced "Tribe Tuesday" with some Swag for Stories fun. Tribe Tuesday is all about appreciation of our Tribe...highlighting what our Tribe is up to with their packs, sharing stories of the Tribe from the road, and showing our gratitude with things like the chance to snag some free swag!
This ETK Blog post is brought to you by Cori Orak, via the Tribe Scribe. Cori was the first official member of the Tribe, and is Founder and Head Bag Designer Jake's leading lady. Cori has been Jake's muse in many respects, and thus has been extremely influential in the design process. We are beyond-honored and happy to welcome Cori as a guest writer on the ETK Blog. Cori's perspective on life in Vietnam is invaluable, and she shares the same passion for cultural appreciation, social responsibility and sustainability in this time-honored craft.
Step into the design process of our bags, get the first look at new product roll-outs, see collaborations, brand alliances and more.
This colorful section of the blog is to highlight the culture & handmade process of our artisans and to share other relevant articles on anthropology and hand-craft.
Track Ethnoteks adventures and see what our community is up to. This is a place we'll feature our Tribe of customers and all the awesomeness that you're up to. To be featured tag @ethnotekbags and #etktribe on social media.