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Meet the Clutch of Our Dreams

Lidia May’s handbags are not only cute, they’re for a good cause.

Designers
lidia may handbags
“Relaxed, refined glamour” is how May Yang describes Lidia May, the Bangladeshi handbag brand she started alongside Rasheed Khan. The two were friends before launching the brand and created its blueprint after realizing their joint passion for craftsmanship and social equity. “I had been living in Dhaka, Bangladesh, for a year and volunteering on weekends to help fund-raise for a school that serves children living in one of Dhaka’s slums,” May tells us of the idea that sparked it all. “I saw a vibrant local fashion industry and stunning craftsmanship and wondered how we can utilize the best of Bangladesh’s artistic and cultural wealth to serve its least.”

From the beginning, the two had a code of ethics laid out for the brand. “Every bag we sell helps someone get a better education, open a door, or grasp an opportunity through our partnership with the Lidia Hope Centre Trust in Dhaka,” May continues. “With the launch of the new collection, we are pledging 100 percent of the proceeds to go towards [our] $100,000 fund-raising goal for the school.” The same school May volunteered at is where they’ve created a program that teaches unemployed and unskilled women how to embroider. “Over 300 women have completed the program and are now earning and uplifting their families,” explains May. As for the new collection she speaks to? It’s clean, structured, modern, and you can check it all out below.

7/10
Photo: Courtesy of Lidia May
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