Cécile, Lucie, Marie, and Yvonne are the founders
of the human and social impact association that supports weaving design in Asia
[ TRENDETHICS ]
Year founded: 2018
Design and office location: Paris, France 🇫🇷
Raw material sourcing locations: Luang Prabang, Laos 🇱🇦 - Phnom Penh, Cambodia 🇰🇭 - Ho Chi Minh, Dien Bien Phu, Da Lat, Vietnam 🇻🇳 - Mandalay, Myanmar 🇲🇲
Manufacturing and production locations: Paris, France 🇫🇷 - Phnom Penh, Cambodia 🇰🇭 - Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam 🇻🇳
Meet the founders
Two stories that converge in the creation, development, and sustainability of weaving cooperatives in Southeast Asia: Marie, fascinated by the ancestral culture of weaving, passionate about entrepreneurship, beautiful products & Lucie, a master's graduate in environmental engineering, concerned by socio-environmental issues. They work hand in hand with a mission: Man, his culture, his planet! Since the first association, Trendethics, became Yakan, Cécile and Yvonne joined the adventure.
About the brand
Yakan (formerly TrendEthics) is an association that supports women from 8 ethnic minorities in Southeast Asia in the creation and/or development of a local weaving activity.
The establishment of a catalog of traditional patterns and colors (preferably natural) allows the economic development of these minorities. The cushion collections and pouches allow to highlight the know-how of these women, weavers from generation to generation.
The Yakan association acts for education, jobs, and the environment through:
- The structuring of weaving programs and craft traceability
- The establishment of cooperatives
- Skills-based sponsorship or project management
- Business development assistance
- Funding actions for local education, environment, and empowerment projects
Yakan funds education projects via the reinvestment of part of its profits to associations such as Enfants du Vietnam in Hue.
The eco-responsible impact
The products offered are produced by minimizing the environmental footprint.
The Yakan association sets up 8 weaving programs in 4 countries: Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. It supports local initiatives on eco-responsible practices, for example the replanting of organic cotton in one of the cooperatives established with Entrepreneurs du Monde.
The entire production chain is designed to minimize the environmental impact and maximize the positive social impact by ensuring a fair wage for every stakeholder throughout the entire value chain.
Also, the majority of the cushion covers are sewn in the Paris region in the Fer et Refaire workshop, which employs women reintegrating into the workforce. Another part is assembled in Saigon in Vietnam or in Phnom Penh in Cambodia by women in precarious situations. The inside of the cushions is made in the Jura.
The priority of Yakan is to create jobs and preserve the know-how of these 8 ethnic minorities by minimizing the environmental footprint through the choice of raw materials. Some cushion collections are 100% cotton and the dye is plant-based, while others are made of polyester certified OEKO-Tex and come from unsold stock.
In a zero-waste approach, fabric scraps are assembled in France into trendy and practical pouches. They are therefore available in limited editions and the sizes vary depending on the scraps. Each features a gold zipper, made in France for a local impact and chic design!
The big pluses
Furthermore, the Dokmai collection has the Alegria label.
The cushions have all been handwoven by artisans from Southeast Asia: Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, and Myanmar.
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The brand's values:
Fabric scraps are assembled into pouches.
Part of the collections and the pouches are assembled in France
Ancestral Southeast Asian weaving and, for some collections, plant-based dyes and cotton spinning
Hand weaving and sewing
The models are available in a few copies
Yakan ensures a fair wage for every stakeholder throughout the entire value chain.
Reintegration of women through sewing & support for ethnic minorities in the development of their activity
Some fabrics are Oeko-Tex certified polyester and the Dokmai collection has the Alegria label.
[ Yakan weaves bonds between peoples, between women, between ethnicities, between the Earth and Men! ]
