Fair and just

Sheenagh Day tells us about how and why she founded Maison Bengal and her hopes for her network of producers when the world emerges from lockdown

What is Maison Bengal?

We are a fair-trade company selling a range of bags, totes, baskets and mats. All our products are made by hand in Bangladesh, using indigenous raw materials such as jute or seagrass. Our raison d’être is to provide much-needed income to the thousands of marginalised young women who use their artisanal skills to expertly craft our products.

The idea of starting a fair-trade company began when I lived in Bangladesh in the early 2000s, working in family planning and reproductive health. Poverty was the underlying cause of so many of the issues affecting the women I worked with. In many cases poverty denied them basic human rights – access to education, nutrition, rights, decision-making, choices and life opportunities. At the same time, I was struck by the high level of artisanal skill in weaving, macramé and basket-making I had seen.

I researched widely and identified three local NGOS that specialised in poverty alleviation through training in handicraft production. Working in some very remote areas, their knowledge of the local languages and customs is essential and they know where the communities with the greatest need reside. I invited these NGOS to become our local fair-trade partners and so our collaboration was born.

Why did you launch the business? How did you find the producers you use? How does Maison Bengal benefit these communities?

Fair trade helps to build resilience among vulnerable communities in order to help them address current and future challenges. It is great to see the many changes in people’s lives that a fair wage and regular work can bring, particularly in education, nutrition, health and housing.

We started 2020 with a buoyant outlook for the business which the coronavirus pandemic has altered dramatically. Demand for our products has plummeted and uncharted territory lies ahead for all of us. Some of the major clothing brands have already made their priorities clear by cancelling billions of pounds worth of orders with Bangladeshi factories. This tragic betrayal of support for their producers is, in effect, treating millions of young, vulnerable female garment workers with no more humanity than an inanimate machine. In contrast, fair trade is fundamentally an approach that places the original maker at the centre of the business. That means honouring all our orders and looking positively to the post-lockdown future. Social justice and solidarity are the values that underpin our approach to the challenges ahead. Maison Bengal will not abandon these values – or our producers.

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What are your plans for the future?

Maison Bengal works with more than 5,000 women in Bangladesh. Products include this jute mat, £72 (below), circular hogla basket, £50

(far below) and round jute basket, £54 (below left)

Wimborne

£50, Garden Trading

Regista garden dining £1,250, Monica Armani for Tribù at Go Modern

BM5568 lounge chair, £632, Carl Hansen & Son at Aram Store

Lorette chair, €99, Frédéric Sofia for Fermob

Mirto outdoor

£1,474, B&B Italia at Chaplins