Profession / role:

proprietor

Company / organisation:

Smateria UK

Website (if you have one):

www.smateria.com

My primary role in relation to fashion is:

Supplier

I am looking to discover or buy

Retailers

About me / About business or organisation:

Smateria offers an impressive range of quality and beautifully designed bags and accessories for men, women and children. All of our products are handmade using either re-purposed materials, such as construction, fishing and mosquito nets, or recycled materials, such as plastic bags and motorcycle seat covers.

We believe that the brand has a strong identity, both as a result of the unique source materials used but also the imaginative styling of the bags. The use of repurposed mosquito nets, combined with a vibrant colour range, gives the bags a distinctive appearance.

Other than the uniqueness of the products, our workers are employed in line with fair-trade principles and every effort is made to support and develop them as individuals. Our employees are fully trained, giving them transferrable skills and better prospects. The company also encourages the use of traditional weaving techniques, thereby ensuring that an important part of the country's culture is maintained.

Career history / Company history:

We started our journey as the UK distributor for Smateria from June 2013. Whilst the products have achieved commercial success in mainland Europe, the brand is fairly new in the United Kingdom. We are excited to be launching the product in the UK and introduce this amazing products into the market.

The Smateria brand is the brainchild of 2 Italian women, Jennifer Morellato and Elisa Lion, who took their inspiration from the streets and markets of Cambodia. Their vision was to establish a social enterprise in Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh. The enterprise had two essential aims. The first was to design a range of high quality, contemporary bags and accessories using predominantly recycled and repurposed materials, of which there is an abundance in the city. The second was to manufacture those designs in a socially responsible way.

Smateria has been established for 7 years and currently have distributors in more than 10 countries.