The award-winning sape’ musician launched the Harvest Tote bag collection to raise funds to help kids in rural Sarawak gain better access to education
"Supporting education plants seeds for the future and enables better opportunities for children," says Alena Murang of the motivation behind her first ever fashion collaboration with local lifestyle brand Gin & Jacqie which was launched online on October 11, 2021.
The Harvest Tote collection consists of three tote bags with matching pouches, the designs of which were inspired by the traditional Orang Ulu weaving patterns in Sarawak. Twenty per cent of the proceeds will go to the Association for the Development of The Education of Indigenous People, a charity that Alena got acquainted with through her mother. Determined to support the organisation's cause, Alena found a kindred spirit in Gin & Jacqie's founder, Jacqueline Ng.
"Gin & Jacqie knows the processes of creating functional bags and the brand is known for its colours and prints," Alena adds. "I was happy to be given a blank canvas to express my art. I’ve learned from woven material; which is the traditional way, that repetition, symmetry and geometry are elements of nature. Together, we incorporated all of that into a modern day, waterproof tote bag."
See also: How Alena Murang Is Using Music To Inspire Today's Youths
All the tote bags come with a detachable strap which bears the phrase, "Plant Now, Harvest Later", a subtle reminder about the value of education. “My father’s generation was the first to get formal education and the first to go to university. This has enabled my generation to have the life that we have now and that is why education is a very important cause to me," says Alena who is of Kelabit Dayak and English-Italian heritage.
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