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“We need to humanize garment workers. They are not machines and that’s something that we forget.” When Shivam Punjya began Behno, a collection of a ethical luxury handbags, his production model was a grassroots movement where standards and polices were built from the bottom up. That meant asking and listening to factory workers instead of creating policies for them without their input. “You can’t address garment workers’ rights if you don’t come from that space directly,” says Shivam, who was previously a coordinator at the non-profit Fashion Revolution. In order to build his brand, Behno he took a step back to visit factories and learn what ethical standards meant to the women making Behno’s ethical luxury handbags. “That’s how we started better standards with social mobility, family planning, health benefits and more. It’s completely bottom up created with garments workers to put them at the center of the narrative.”
With an ethos built on inclusivity it’s no wonder that behno was chosen as the brand name. It means ‘sister’ in Hindi and is often what the women at the Behno factories call one another. They are a family who make decisions together for the benefit of all. And, Behno is more than a line of ethical luxury handbags. It’s a grassroots movement that is about community.
Shivam spoke to The Wellness Feed about how family fuels his ethical brand, the power of customer relationships and giving back in a way that helps his family.
Ethical Begins With The Right Relationships
When it comes to designing a product, even ethical luxury handbags, everything begins with relationships and that means suppliers and factories. “In the beginning we sourced leathers from India,” Shivam discusses how his small team personally vetted factories to ensure that they met the brand’s ethical standards. “But, when folks know that you’re visiting factories, the conditions tend to change overnight. To counter this we started to do spot visits when our visits weren’t curated to see reality.”
These unplanned visits opened Shivam’s eyes to processes that didn’t sit well with him and his team. “We want factories and tanneries to make changes, so we provided road maps.” When changes weren’t made within their desired time frame, Behno made the decision to work with an Italian tannery who were more transparent and is a Gold Member of the Leather Working Group, an organization that maintains rigorous environmental and ethical production protocols. “We understand that change doesn’t happen overnight, however after that space has been given and it seems that these factories were reluctant, we understand that it’s our jobs to support players doing it in a better way,”
Other parts of the Behno supply chain that involve constructing the ethical luxury handbags remain in India. These factories promote women’s rights, offer family planning services, include access to education and use eco-conscious materials instead of toxic dyes. “Behno handbags are a durable, luxury product at a contemporary price point,” Shivam says about the decision to work with these suppliers. “We want customers to have these bags for a long time.” While it has taken a few years for the brand to broaden their access to certain materials, they’ve been able to reach a level today that Behno proudly stands behind. “Today I feel very comfortable that every product is made with the best materials.” And, like any luxury brand standing behind its products, bags with broken straps or loose threads can be returned to be fixed. “Nothing needs to be thrown away. Everything can be recycled or mended.” Shivam says.
The other aspect of building strong partnerships involves adapting to change to support one another. “In the US, we have governmental safety measures. In India garment workers don’t have access to that,” Shivam mentions the impact that Covid has had on his business. When wholesale accounts were canceled, he felt responsible to his factories. As social justice issues in India received media highlights about factory workers not being paid, Shivam was keen to tackle the tough conversations with factories and artisans about how he could help. “It’s about trying to understand,” he says. To avoid canceling orders colors were changed to make them more appealing for e-Commerce. “A lot of the factories did have to work on a smaller capacity to ensure safety. One of our orders has been delayed by two months. We’ve just had to be very flexible.” For him and his team it’s more about adjusting, ensuring that everyone is on the same page and offering support where they can. “The factory has been very supportive of their workers. That’s their sense of pride.”
Consumers, Don’t Be Afraid To Ask
It wasn’t that long ago that Shivam was on the campaign of #WhoMadeMyClothes with Fashion Revolution. “It has ignited a conversation that consumers now feel more comfortable having,” He says about the media campaign that sought to humanize garment workers. “Now, it seems more commonplace to ask brands harder questions. Who are the artisan partners? Where do the raw materials come from? It’s democratized to be able to ask brands about their ethics.” And, Shivam believes that we as consumers have the responsibility to ask these questions.
When it comes to Behno, at first he didn’t believe that ethics and sustainability were something that he needed to talked about. Rather he sought to simply build it into the DNA of the brand. “But, then I realized that people were looking for these answers and didn’t realize that we were an ethical brand unless we talked about.” So, he sought ways to give consumers a look into the Behno world through videos and stories that highlighted the workers behind the brand.
Today social justice movements and climate change have helped to make consumers more in tune with what’s going on.
Giving Back To The Community
Since the induction of TOMS into our everyday footwear vocabulary more brands have stepped up to the plate to give back. “That concept is very interesting because a part of your revenues are spent on areas that aren’t a part of your profit line,” Shivam explains. And, while the concept is one of many altruistic trends that brands are adopting lately, he didn’t want to feel pressure to jump on the bandwagon. “It’s more about building partnerships and figuring out ways to do it meaningfully.” For Behno, that meant partnering with the National Down Syndrome Society, an organization that has been a great resource for Shivam’s family since they found out that his sister Nirali had been diagnosed. “She was the first in the my immediate family,” he says. “Suddenly, our family structure and needs were very different and they were a great resource.”
The other organization that he wanted to share his revenue with was the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. “My sister is a part of the club. For years she’d go three to four hours everyday and those people that she met there are her best friends.” Both of these organizations are very personal to Shivam. “There has to be that level of personal connection, otherwise it’s not genuine.”
