Our Story

Authenticity is the greatest luxury

Here to carry you from work to weekend, we create handcrafted bags & accessories that don't compromise your values. By implementing age-old artisanship techniques and working with small groups of talented craftsmen, each of our bags is meticulously made. Each item is hand signed by the person that made it, and each purchase plants 5 mangrove trees. The positive social and environmental impact of the way that we work is felt all over the world, but it’s our humble beginnings in Aotearoa New Zealand that is synonymous to the way we work.

Kiwi ingenuity

In 2015 our co-founder Danny found himself meeting craftsmen and their families during his travels through India, Nepal and Indonesia. They all had the same story. They had lost their jobs working for fashion brands due to the tradeshift to China, and found themselves uneducated, unemployed, and unable to make ends meet. Determined to give these talented craftsmen a fighting chance to support themselves, Danny knew he could connect them with the western world. With his savings he bought 100 leather Duffle bags from a family he’d met, and sent them back to his home in Auckland, New Zealand. With some good old fashion Kiwi ingenuity, shipping began from under his bed and a website was built. Duffle&Co was born. Today Duffle&Co is run from New Zealand by Danny and his partner Emily, who work to unite ethical production with naturally derived responsible materials, to bring you handcrafted bags that don’t compromise your values. 

Our makers

We empower artisans and their families from Indonesia and India. One of these families is Sundari, Gito and their two daughters. (Pictured with Danny.) When we found them in Bali, they had lost their jobs working for two well known fashion brands, who had moved production overseas for cheap labour. Sundari, Gito and their extended family were working and living in the same two rooms, unable to afford to send their children to school. Now they have a separate house, have helped us to employ over 15 more craftsmen from their community paid well above the minimum living wage, and their daughters (and all of the other artisans' children) are in school getting an education.

Our materials

Each of our bags has been carefully crafted from only the very best natural, sustainably sourced materials. Our leather is full grain, end-of roll leather, that we take from other factories and repurpose by hand cutting around small defects. Our full grain leather is taken from the top layer of the hide, chosen because it retains the grain and natural markings of the hide. Plus it’s the best leather you can get! Which is why each of our bags is truly unique. Our leather alternative Pinatex is made from pineapple leaves, taken from the waste of the plant and made very much in the same way as felt. Each of our canvas bags is made from 100% organic cotton, and dyed using azo-free dyes. This is why they feel so soft!

Restoring the environment

Giving back to mother nature is at the heart of what we do. We are partnered with Eden Reforestation Projects to help restore and protect the fragile ecosystems of islands that make up Indonesia. It's important to us that our craftsmen's home and livelihoods are protected, and sadly Indonesia is an area that gets hit with frequent tsunamis and floods. Planting mangrove forests that are native to these islands is a great way to reduce soil erosion and protect many of the endangered fish species that are so heavily over fished. Each purchase plants 5 mangrove trees, that restore much needed biodiversity and wildlife populations, provide paid work to local communities in their planting and maintenance, and helps to suck in CO2.