Buffalo Leather Shopping Bag

Simple, stylish, strong and durable. This natural tan Fair Trade buffalo leather shopping bag has dark leather detailed  stitching across the front and back panels and double shoulder straps, which are non-adjustable. Handmade cotton yarn is used for the stitching.  Inside, there is a single, unlined compartment. The bag is fastened at the top by a leather toggle.

Made entirely by hand by rural villagers in the Himalayan mountains using traditional tanning methods making these bags the most eco- friendly leather bags you can buy. Because chemical dyes have not been used, the natural blemishes of the hide are visible. Each one is unique. The more it is used, the better it will get. 

This beautiful Fair Trade buffalo leather shopping bag was handmade in  Nepal.

Dimensions - width 35.5 cm  x  height 35.5 cm  x  depth 7 cm.  Strap 32cm depth approx.

Please note: mustard oil is used to soften the leather, preserve and protect. When new, the bags may have a slight residue on the surface, but can easily be removed with a soft cloth. We recommend you not getting the bag into contact with light clothing initially, until this residue has gone.

These bags are made in an area called Sindhukot, which is located high up in the Himalayas in a very remote area of Nepal. The residents collect the buffalo hides, which are bi-products from dead animals, from surrounding villages and then produce the bags completely by hand, as their village has no electricity, sewing machines or technology whatsoever.

There is no work for the villagers where they live and their subsistence farming does not provide enough food, so in order to find work, they must travel to the city of Kathmandu. The villagers have to make their way on an 8 day round trip to the capital simply to find out if an order has been placed for their bags.

It is a 3 day walk to the nearest road, then they wait for a bus for another day`s journey by road. In Kathmandu they visit the Fair Trade group ACP to see if any orders have been placed. If it has, then they purchase the required buffalo hide from local small villagers on their way home, thus distributing the income a little.

After at least 6 weeks of tanning, the bags are then made by hand as there are no sewing machines available. The journey is repeated, this time putting the bags on the back of donkeys, in order to take the finished products back to Kathmandu to receive the balance of payment. 

These bags are currently responsible for the income and welfare of the whole community and contribute to many surrounding villages high up in the Himalayan mountains of Nepal.

ACP is based in the Himalayan Kingdom of Nepal and is a truly inspiring organisation which provides professional services in technology, design, marketing and managerial skill for over 1,200 low income, primarily female, craft producers.

ACP are also committed to undertake precautionary measures to prevent industrial pollution for the preservation of Nepal's fragile environment. They are a member of WFTO, Fair Trade Group Nepal (FTGN), Federation of Handicraft Association (FHAN).

You can read more about this wonderful group of producers in our Blog post - Secret Diary of the Fair Trade Bags from Nepal

Our amazing Buffalo Leather Shopping Bag was handmade by ACP artisans.