The Story Behind the Handep Weave Collection

Indosole proudly partners with Handep, a social enterprise in Central Kalimantan, for their Limited Edition Weave Collection. Handep empowers women and small-scale farmers by creating eco-fashion products that integrate fashion and tradition. By supporting local wisdom, cultures, and traditions, Handep aims to provide sustainable livelihoods for rural communities while preserving the environment. Indosole values collaborations with organizations like Handep that align with their mission of resourceful creation and environmental responsibility.

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By Mara HajekOct 12, 20220 comments

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Indosole represents a lifestyle of resourceful creation. Our footwear is thoughtfully crafted in Indonesia using recycled tires and natural materials.

All of our products and materials are 100% sourced and made in Indonesia.

We are always looking out for new materials to get creative with, new communities to get involved with, and ways to collaborate with creatives.

We believe that being environmentally responsible, should be as chill and accessible as the way you wander the world.

Indosole is proud to be partnering with Handep for our Limited Edition Weave Collection.

What is Handep?

Handep is a social enterprise in Central Kalimantan that works to empower women and small-scale farmers through eco-fashion products. The rapid expansion of oil palm plantations, mining, and logging has caused a rampant rate of deforestation and the degradation of indigenous and traditional values, practices and land grabbing in Central Kalimantan. Handep emerged in response to this alarming condition.It aims to create a more locally-sensitive and sustainable economic development for rural communities in Indonesia, particularly Kalimantan, by providing more locally appropriate and sustainable livelihoods for rural communities through added value creation of local forest and agricultural products. In other words, economic development does not only focus on profit generation but factors in local wisdom, cultures and traditions, potentials of local natural and human resources, and ecological aspects.

How Handep Operates?

Partnering with around 100 women weavers and smallholder farmers in Central Kalimantan, Handep presents weaving products integrating fashion and tradition in haute couture ways. We initially facilitated the establishment of weaving groups in several villages in Central Kalimantan, then established long-term partnership with these groups.

These woven goods are then designed to be functional, and meet modern lifestyle to make them marketable at local and international market. At the heart of our business, we do fair trade with our partner weavers and farmers by giving fair prices for their rattan wicker crafts which are generally undervalued by middlemen. We also share 20% of our net profit to the partner weavers and farmers in the forms of cash, training programs and village infrastructure development.

Who Handep Impacts/Supports?

We started with 20 weavers (1 weaving group) in late 2018 and have now partnered with around 100 weavers and farmers in 4 villages.

Where In Indonesia?

Kalimantan is the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo. It comprises 73% of the island's area. The non-Indonesian parts of Borneo are Brunei and East Malaysia. In Indonesia, "Kalimantan" refers to the whole island of Borneo. In 2019, the Indonesian President Joko Widodo proposed that Indonesia's capital be moved to Kalimantan.