It was a woman in a white linen dress who started it all. A glimpse of her crossing a cobblestoned street in New York and on her shoulder swung a perfect, woven basket bag. There was something about her that was so effortless — she looked as though she had stepped out of 1970s coastal France.

It was then that founder Yi-Mei Truxes was inspired to create a line of bags evoking that same nostalgia and perennial style. It had to be just right, and six years at Vogue had trained her well. She eventually found it in a small village of artisan weavers in Bali. And thus, Bembien was born. At the forefront of Bembien's work is their support of these precious weaving communities. It is their goal to help bring their craft into a wider market on the other side of the globe. 10% of all Bembien proceeds go back into their local community in partnership with the nonprofit Nest.