Shenaini | Brand Story

WE ARE FAMILY

WORKS OF LOVE BY MIAO WOMEN

Yes, we are FAMILY! We came here because we fell in love with the Miao people and the exquisite embroidery they have been doing for many generations. The women who work in this small factory workshop have become like family to us.

Shenaini means “God Loves You” in Chinese, and this small factory operates in an atmosphere of love. As you view the videos on our website, you will hear our stories, our hearts for the Miao people, and our passion for great products and a warm and loving atmosphere in that we set up as we established this workplace.

This small factory/workshop, which is now owned by a local Miao woman, is located in a mountainous region of south-central China where the Miao people live simple but impoverished lives. We purchase our product from this factory to “Bless the Hilltribe Miao People of China”: by

1. Providing Employment

2. Sustaining Handcraft Skills

3. Transforming Lives

Our products are warehoused and fulfilled from our new location in America in the beautiful State of Maine.

WATCH THE STORY OF SHENAINI

THE MIAO PEOPLE

The embroidery ladies and many of the seamstresses have come from rural villages in the mountains of Western Hunan Province. Their skills have been hidden from the rest of the world because of their remote location. Their local company, Hunan Ethnic Crafts, was created to allow them to exhibit their skills with much better fabric, zippers and threads than they previously had access to.

SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT

What is Fair Trade?

Providing a fair wage for artisan's work
Developing transparent and accountable relationships with artisans to ensure they have long term jobs
Supporting safe and empowering working conditions that are healthy and free of discrimination
Never using exploitative child labor
Reusing and recycling materials wherever possible
Selling products and using production methods that reflect the history and traditions of artisans' countries
Creating opportunity for artisans who live in poverty

We knew that we could not provide the high quality product consistently without equally high quality work environment, wages, benefits and raw materials. Our women have developed a growing passion for high quality in their work - they care - and it SHOWS! Our job is to make them love what they do, and it's working.

Paul & Dorothy Lacy

We are an American couple who first discovered the Miao people and their beautiful hand embroidery in 2001. We fell in love with the Miao people and started to work with a local couple who would make products for us using the hand embroidery they sourced for from Miao women in local villages. At that time we lived in the USA and started to market these products there. But as we found more of a demand for them, we felt led to improve the quality which meant bringing everything in house.

We loved living in this part of rural China for 14 years and working cross-culturally and cross-linguistically. We developed a fruitful synergy with the local people as we brought our western skills and marketing approaches to the production of beautiful handbags and accessories that these Miao women produce. Now that we have relocated back to America, is is still our hearts’ desire to promote these beautiful products around the world and bless the local women here with satisfying and profitable work. Our Maine-based company, Shenaini, buys our products from Sharon's company in rural Hunan, Hunan Ethnic Crafts.

VIEW OUR STORY

Meet Our Artisans

Long Ying Tao

15 years

Long Fan Mei

15 years

Liu Lan Xiang

7 years

Ou Ni Hua

15 years

VIEW ALL

Clients

250

Locations

1

Staff

16

Years

15

Professionals

All of our workers are experienced in sewing and embroidery.

More Than Product

You are purchasing for more than a product. You are creating job opportunities for the indigenous women to stay with their family.

Quality Guaranteed

Quality raw materials. Quality products.

“I like their brand story. It gives meaning to the products and make them the best gifts for friends and family.”

Enoch Liang, Taiwan

“I like their persistence in making high quality products and their vision is beautiful. They create the ladies job opportunities so that they don't have to leave their children to work in the city.”

Taylor Ngai, Hong Kong