The Bags of Ethics Goddess Guide

At Bags of Ethics we constantly celebrate and champion women. For 20 years females have been a central focus to our business, the core driving force behind everything that we do. From our community of beautiful tailors and packers in our factory, where the workforce is 90% female, to our incredible CEO Smruti, across our business we aim to empower women and give them the opportunity to thrive in what they do.

This October we are celebrating the Hindu festival of Durga Puja, a festival that pays homage to the Hindu goddess, Durga, and during this time we aim to celebrate and showcase the achievements of our clients, staff, and customers – all of whom we believe are total goddesses in their own rights. The Hindu festival of Durga Purja is observed in the Indian calendar month of Ashwin, which corresponds to the months of September–October in the Gregorian calendar, and is a ten-day festival, of which the last five are of significance. The puja is performed in homes and in the public, the latter features temporary decorations. The festival is also marked by scripture recitations, performance arts, revelry, gift giving, family visits, feasting, and public processions. As per Hindu scriptures, the festival marks the victory of goddess Durga in her battle against the shape-shifting asura, Mahishasura. Thus, the festival epitomises the victory of good over evil, though it is also in part a harvest festival celebrating the goddess as the motherly power behind all of life and creation.

We want to use this time to celebrate all women as goddesses. We believe that women are incredible beings and want to highlight the achievements of those around us during this celebratory month. At Bags of Ethics, all of our sustainable products and merchandise are made in our ethically audited factory in Pondicherry, South India. Here, our team of tailors and packers are 90% female, with many of these women having been at the factory for over 15 years. We have an incredibly low staff turnover rate, which is rare in the textile industry as it has a notoriously high turnover rate usually. These women have supported each other like a family and many are the main breadwinners in their households. They have seen each other become wives, mothers, and even grandmothers, and have formed a supportive community throughout each other’s lives. We are proud to have them as part of our BOE family, and make sure that they, and everyone else across our supply chain, are paid fairly, and have their work recognised. We constantly want to remember the people behind the product, as these ladies are an integral part of our business and are the hands that bring our products to life.

As well as our beautiful BOE family, we also want to celebrate some of our incredible female clients. So many of our clients are kick-ass women who have founded successful businesses and who have helped influence generations of other women. This October we want to bring you a behind the scenes look at their lives, and uncover what it’s really like to be a female in business. Over the coming weeks we will be bringing you clients from across the globe who we believe are all absolute goddesses in their own rights. We will also be sharing stories on our Instagram, so don’t forget to check out https://www.instagram.com/bagsofethics/?hl=en .