category: Ethnotek | Vegan Backpacks & Accessories

The ETHNOTEK story begins in 2007 somewhere in the northern highlands of Vietnam. In one of the many Hmong villages living there, Jake Orak, an American backpacker, discovered the colorful and beautiful fabrics woven by the local people and had an idea. He wanted to preserve this unique culture by bringing it into the 21st century and combining it with cutting-edge technology. So he began combining high-quality, handcrafted fabrics from Vietnam—later also from Indonesia, India, Ghana, and Guatemala—with equally high-quality Western backpacking technology. A virtually unbeatable combination, as the success of ETHNOTEK would demonstrate.

Orak and his colleagues are taking advantage of globalization and beating the market at its own game. They leverage global trade to preserve local handicrafts and create jobs in remote locations. At the same time, ETHNOTEK bags serve as highly visible ambassadors of artistic traditions from various regions of the Global South in the vastness of the interconnected world. High-tech and ethnic style. That's ETHNOTEK.