With #climatechange on all of our minds these days, it has become more important than ever to ensure that I am doing everything possible when bringing Elyse & i products to life. I am looking at the materials we use and endeavouring to make changes for the better where I can - be that using cotton linings over polyester, consolidating our shipments to reduce our carbon footprint as well as ensuring we are working closely with our factories to ensure that our bags are made in the best conditions for workers.
With Christmas pop ups coming up, I wanted to look at a cotton canvas shopper bag that would reduce the need for us to provide paper or plastic bags. So as party of our conscious drive to #dobetter Elyse & i has teamed up with local illustrator and artist, Sarah 'Sizzle' Vaulkhard to design an eco-friendly, reusable shopping tote.
The brief was for an illustration incorporating the luscious tropical leaves native to Singapore and to work in one of our bags - in a very subtle, quasi-camouflage way. I love the result as I hope you will - using our brand colours of lime green and pink, the cotton canvas shopper is a tropical explosion of colour! Can you spot our little Nell bag nestled under the leafy canopy?
Contrary to perception, not everyone in Singapore is well off and we are glad to give a little back, especially at this time of year. We will be donating a portion of the profits to a local, Singapore charity called Willing Hearts. A secular, non-affiliated charity, Willing Hearts is wholly run by volunteers, apart from a handful of staff. It operates a soup kitchen that prepares, cooks and distributes about 5,000 daily meals to over 40 locations island wide, 365 days a year.
Take a look at the early sketches from Vaulkhard's talented illustration above and then check out our Instagram 'Craftsmanship' stories to see how they were silk-screen printed right here in Singapore. You can find the Tropical Shopper bag online here and it will be available to buy from our pop up events this season too.
About Art by Sizzle -
Sizzle (Sarah Vaulkhard) is a Singapore based artist and illustrator. She is constantly inspired by the local architecture, flora and fauna which still seem so exotic even after eight years here. She typically works in pen and water colours and enjoys working with her clients to create personalised pieces of art. See examples of her work, illustrations and charity Christmas cards here.
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