A Considered Process

ETHICAL AND SUSTAINABLE | WOVEN BY HAND

Our love of straw is tied mainly to its natural beauty, and to the fact that it is a natural fiber. That is woven by hand and biodegrades safely back into the earth makes us love it even more. 

The art of handweaving each bag takes approximately 12 to 15 hours - an artform and skill that exists in select locations around the world.  Each Pamela Munson handbag takes about two days to handweave and assemble.  The inherent beauty of our products stems from the natural materials and handweaving process in that each piece is unique and no two bags will be the same – each is an original creation.  From rattan handbags expertly shaped by the hands of craftsman in an 80 year old Asian factory, to the artfully executed straw embroideries created by artisans in The Philippines, to the peerless craftsmanship of leather workers in Florence, Italy, and our hometown heroes handweaving and sewing our hats in New York, we collaborate with a global network of experts in their craft to realize our designs.  The art of bringing a design to life requires a global team dedicated to their craft with respect for our collective home. 

 

As a brand, we use all-natural, untreated straw to let the beauty of our designs be the focal point.  The hardware we incorporate – whether it’s resin from Italy, semi-precious sustainably sourced stones, or nickel free metal hardware that has been electroplated, a technique that has existed for thousands of years and can be seen in ancient artifacts of Peru – is best in class and safe for the environment. 

Our leathers are from Italy and dyed using vegetable dye to lower our environmental impact. As a matter of taste, we prefer natural, rich colors.  The interior linings of our handbags are an all-natural cotton that will biodegrade back into the earth safely along with the straw bag exterior. 

Our personal tastes at Pamela Munson lend itself to a respect for the planet, we love rich natural colors that can be created responsibly.  As we've incorporated more leather finishings into our collections we've partnered with a Florence-based duo who visit our tanneries, utilize vegetable dyed skins, and ensure that our leathers are of the best quality with as minimal of an impact to the environment as possible.

Our ideas and designs take time to execute and the people bringing them to life deserve the time and fair pay to create them.  We work smartly yet slowly.  We start designing each collection a year in advance and within this time it takes our partners three to four months to weave and hand assemble our handbags.  We create for the sake of beauty - knowing that without a thriving, healthy planet and a global team of happy partners there is nothing beautiful to celebrate.