Born in the foothills of the Himalayas, Joyn was founded with the aim of creating holistic employment for marginalized people who wouldn’t otherwise have work. Passionate about empowering artisan communities by connecting them with new healthy markets, founder Melody moved her family to Northern India in 2010 and officially began the Joyn journey in Rajpur in 2013.
This sleepy mountainside town is a center of blended cultures and artisanal traditions, from India, Nepal, Tibet, and beyond. Today, Rajpur is still the home to Joyn’s headquarters and home to Tsering, the Head of Operations and Production. A woman who shares Joyn’s vision of putting people first, Tsering loves her community deeply. She works closely with makers every step of the way as bags are handcrafted by local artisans, from colour mixing and block printing to vegan-leather stitching and distribution.
A proud member of the Fair Trade Federation, Joyn is committed to supporting fair work practices and ensuring employment is managed at a local level, putting jobs back into the hands of the makers. Striving for transparency, quality, integrity, and a circular low-waste supply-chain, Joyn is always looking for ways to improve the lives of artisans and reduce environmental impacts.
Working in partnership with locally owned and managed cooperatives; Joyn has expanded operations through New Delhi and into the mountain range bordering Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos. By learning from the past, honoring well-intentioned mistakes, celebrating the wins, and discovering new opportunities, Joyn is able to continue the revival of traditional local art forms.
Using sustainable fabrics and remnant leathers, coupled with a relentless appreciation for the handmade quality bestowed by local artisans, Joyn bags are the connection between meaningful employment for marginalized communities, and you.
