Women producing necklaces in a small Cambodian village.

How it all started -

'Aukun' I breathed as Lita gave me this delicate specimen and explained its story, I was blown away by its origins and to know that she knew the ladies who had crafted this necklace. This was a true rarity, to know who's hands put together your treasured possessions. It sparked a real curiosity in me in the way that this mystical jade bead sparkled in the mid day sun (made from paper) and how it had been crafted by 'real people'.

Leaving Cambodia, on that humid July afternoon in 2015 I knew I was leaving a stone unturned. I had an inkling I would be back to learn more. This wish was granted when I carried out my dissertation research two years later. What a fascinating project to be involved in and in many ways a true polar opposite to the fast fashion industry. An industry that is shoved down our throats at every street corner, every time we turn on the radio and all over our Instagram feeds. This distant fashion had become to overwhelm me, after report after report uncovered unethical fecklessness, unsustainable practices and damaging environmental impacts. All the statistics although staggering in number were faceless and nameless and impersonal. I wanted to do something to change my mindset and maybe other people's as well, to refocus my values in this complex, intertwined commodity network. So, I started planning my trip back to Cambodia to talk with these ladies who made my beaded necklace.

After some discussions with my tutors and Land mine design's, I had a vague plan. I knew I wanted to understand the ladies practices and to appreciate their craftsmanship and I also wanted to understand the connection to the consumer and how this impacted the way people understood fashion and their duty of care.

(Photo taken from Landmine design website)

The research

So, I packed up my back pack with everything I needed strapped on my back and I went back to Cambodia to talk, in as much depth as I could with minimum intrusion to these ladies. I had so many questions to ask and so much to understand, I was excited to meet the people behind my necklace. Crossing the border from Thailand to Poipet, I was hit by the familiarity - the smells of the market, the chaos of the border crossing and the sound of Khmer conversation, it was a beautiful chaos. As a way of saying thank you to the community I offered something that I could do in return which was teaching English for them in an after school club.

When the rainy season eased off we could venture out to start this conversation. I was invited into Srey's home to converse with her, she welcomed me with a smile and the pitter patter of excited feet. Rice was cooking and spluttering over an open fire, balanced by four sticks and the wet mud was making my flip-flops stick and slide, much to the amusement of the children. Four generations of the family were cradled together under a wooden shelter. We went to her living area, she was carrying her child in her arms. She had been born paralysed from a motorbike accident. We convserved together and through a translator, she shared her story with me.

She said that the biggest change for her since working for LandMine Design was that she now had the opportunity to work from home and to care for her daughter, her daughter could not sit or speak and needed constant care. Previously her source of income had been from making charcoal from wood, this work was very unpredictable, tiring and she was constantly exposed to the heavy smoke from burning the wood. She had to live with her sister as being a single mother she did not have the income to support herself and her child. Whereas now she had her own space and could work from there and in the centre with her child. I could see the gratitude for this opportunity in her eyes and the hardship she had endured which I could not even begin to relate too. She illustrated the space she worked in and the procedure of making the beads.

Each bead unique like the women who made them, with a different story. I visited eight women in total whilst in Cambodia, all with unique situations and all with a common bond that had grown a community in that village. The village popularly known as the Landmine village has known hardship and heartache from the Khmer Rouge and the aftermath of exploding landmines to poverty and trafficking. This community was a bright light in this village which had brought international curiosity and local change.

Findings and my thought process

The research I gathered in the village was full of emotions and real life stories and anecdotes. It became hard to condense this quantitative data as I did not want to loose the depth and emotion. I made some concluding points such as that the act of producing had shaped part of the women's identity and had viewed their work for what it was as unique craftsmanship to be truly appreciated by an international purchaser.

Imagine if every company could have this transparency and trust-worthiness, to know that the workers are being appreciated and ethically treated. What a difference it would make if we could view our items and fashion for the wonders they are as artisan creations with beautiful intertwining stories that are never linear but complex and on going. That keep on living on as we use them to represent different things as our memories are imprinted upon them. This new found space of appreciation for my items has given me a new, refreshing perspective. No longer do I find myself scouting out the latest deals in Zara on a bored afternoon but instead I research my brands, I buy second hand, I upcycle and I reuse. I purchase from brands that reflect my values that have a positive impact on all members of the supply chain.

It is so important to believe in something and to live it out, in doing this we are using our consumer voice to demand better.

Landmine design : https://www.landminedesign.org/