one philosophy.
two collections.
ARTICLE 22 accessories are designed by Elizabeth Suda. They are the result of a contemporary western form and functionality put into conversation with the traditional methods and aesthetics of cottage industry artisans. Each bag is dyed with indigo leaves, seeds, resin or mud, hand woven and constructed in Laos. Leather details are added in NY with repurposed cuttings from private jet plane interiors or other premium repurposed leather. They are at once eclectic in style, classic in form, and modern in function.
TRADING Co. accessories are designed and crafted by artisans who employ their technical and aesthetic savoir faire. During our travels, we purchase a few of a kind scarves and jewelry from artisans, local businesses and occasionally traders to help their goods access new markets.
FOUNDER, DESIGNER
When her suitcases are unpacked, Elizabeth, a New York native, is at home in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. She may otherwise be found busing through the emerald passes of the Annamite Mountains or strolling along the banks of the Seine. Traveling has been key to her conceptualization of ARTICLE 22 and design process. After nearly two years in the Merchandising Department at Coach, Inc., Elizabeth became curious about how and by whom the goods Americans consume are made. She ventured to the other side of the world and found a home in SE Asia where she worked, and witnessed the intersection of sustainable economic development and globalization. She consulted for Helvetas, a Swiss NGO, on the income generating potential of handcrafts for the Rural Income through Sustainable Development Project, RISE, worked with a social business that supports women who hand weave textiles from naturally dyed yarns, and designed four clothing collections made from these eco-friendly fabrics, which were presented at Laos’s equivalent of fashion week. Recognizing that market linkage and design are major constraints on artisans, she founded ARTICLE 22 to create a traceable link between producers in the east and consumers in the west as well as to share the many stories about the women behind the fabric.
Elizabeth studied History and Art History at Williams College and Oxford University.
and many stories.
Gael Forterre
Gael grew up between the City of Light, Paris, and the craggy shores of Bretagne, where he spent summers studying the alchemy of artisanal hard cider made from the finest apples of the season’s harvest. He currently lives in New York and puts his background in Finance and Management from the Sorbonne to work as an Option Trader on the energy desk at BNP Paribas.
Wallis Suda
Wallis Suda is a textile artist and lifestyle designer from New York City. Her education from Parsons School of Design, styling experience, and training with French couturier textile artists, has given her not only a broad range of experience, but has honed a variety of skills that allow her to advance the work of her textile studio collaborating with different designers. She is the resident artist of Atelier Cadavre Exquis.
Trademark TM article 22 & Article 22 trading Co.
fashion meets economic development
We believe that social business has the power to engage the innate talents of individuals in a way that is natural to their lifestyles, respectful of local customs and promotes the creation of authentic, beautiful and meaningful product. We collaborate with artisan communities through non-governmental organizations and local businesses to develop design forward products for international markets.
the model is simple: people + planet + profit
Every purchase supports the economic livelihoods of artisans that work according to their own environmentally and culturally sustainable traditions including natural dyeing, hand loom weaving and metalsmithing.
ARTICLE 22
We named the company after the 22nd article of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which celebrates the economic, social and cultural
rights indispensable for... dignity and the free development of... personality.
MADE IN LAOS
At 6 million, the population of Lao PDR is nearly 2 million fewer than New York City’s yet is as diverse, comprising nearly 50 ethnic groups. A country roughly the size of England, it is less densely covered with 23 versus 246 people per square kilometer. Considered to be the poorest country in Asia after Bangladesh, subsistence agriculture accounts for approximately half of the GDP and provides 80% of employment. Bringing another meaning to farm to table, families literally eat what they harvest, leaving little opportunity to sell and generate disposable income.
However, handcrafts from textiles to repurposed metal, baskets to paper, function as useful quotidian objects, while also representing Lao cultural and artistic traditions. Critically, these handcrafts, especially textiles, diversify income sources and present an opportunity for women to become active contributors to the economic well-being of their families.
