Selecting the right cotton in cooperation with our local partner, is an absolute process on its own. You can imagine that it is hard to find the color and feel that you love the most.
We have emphasized on 5 beautiful colors which represent how we perceive the world and how we have personally experienced Cambodia . Golden Yellow: Like a beautiful sunrise at the Kong Rong Samloeng – Indigo Blue: like the ocean view at Kampot or Kep – Courageous Green: sustainable as our product and the beautiful rice fields in rural Cambodia – Coconut Cream: the first sip of a fresh young coconut is the best in the world – Tempel grey : Thinking of the Bayon temple vast Ankor Wat Tempel complex.
Working together with our local partner, we have achieved that the women in the weaving community can work homebased. By setting up the loom at their homes we encourage independence and they can have their own saying in time management and production amounts. Setting up a loom takes 3 days and is therefore not a one woman job. Our aim for the future is that we will be able to further accommodate the women creating the SRA MAY products and continue to grow as a social enterprise and lifestyle brand.
The pattern that looks good with everything. It started when the idea was formed to take SRA MAY from just a social enterprise to being an independent lifestyle brand on its own in 2018. In order to form their own identity Andréa Odeurs, head of the income generating project at the time, started to draw different patterns at the kitchen table in Siem Reap, Cambodia. The SRA MAY pattern was born and so here we are now. In the summer of 2018 the first blankets where produced. Nowadays we are not only creating these unique blankets, we also produce pillow cases and smaller products. Keep an eye on the webshop for new arrivals. By the way, did you know that to weave one SRA MAY blanket it takes 2 full days of 8 hours of weaving.
Working in a unique way, SRA MAY tries to bridge the gap that so often binds women to their homes and families in developing countries. By setting up looms in their houses, and creating a workspace for our sewing ladies above the shop in Kandall village (where you will often find the youngest child being brought in to work). The women involved are able to work and create beautiful products, we try to facilitate them and give them a sence of independence. Quite often the work will get interrupted due to cooking, children who need feeding, harvesting or planting seasons or any of the other thousands of responsibilities that you carry as mother in rural Cambodia. This is one of the reasons our stocks are limited, and sometimes production may take its time, but its also the reason why these women have their own jobs and provide extra income to their families. This makes us very proud to be a part of this process and now together we stand strong!
