Borboleta bags have been loved by customers in more than 50 countries and counting!
We believe that we are all travelers through life. Whether it’s a trip to the local grocery store or a stroll on Paris’ Left Bank, women need bags that are chic, lightweight, multi-functional, and have lots of pockets for super organization.
Lightweight:
Every Borboleta bag is lightweight so you can carry it all day without hurting your back. We handpicked high quality material that is 30% lighter than leather. You’ll be surprised at how light is it!
Functional Designs:
You want roomy and practical bags that are uniquely yours. That’s why Borboleta bags have 4-10 pockets (depending on the style) to keep your things organized, including rear zippers for easy access and convertible straps. To add a luxury touch, Borboleta uses signature zip pullers and hardware. All the materials are handpicked for the best quality. Borboleta canvas totes are customizable, too!
Cruelty-Free:
We are PETA-approved and strongly believe that we should never hurt animals or the planet in the name of fashion. All of our bags are made from scientific leather. Scientific leather or vegan leather is a high quality material that is made 100% from microfiber. It is an innovation from Japan. This innovation yields the look, feel and durability of genuine leather, but better in a way that it is waterproof, more resistant to molds and 30% lighter than genuine leather.
Fair Pricing:
With our direct-to-consumer strategy, we remove middleman fees and offer you fair and affordable prices, without sacrificing quality.
Ethical Production:
Every once in a while, we hear about abysmal conditions for factory workers in places like Bangladesh and China. It’s important that we all stay informed about the working conditions of our fellow men and women.
Here at Borboleta we set up our own workshop where we make sure artisans work in safe and airy conditions. We pay them very fair wages plus they have benefits like health insurance and paid vacation / sick leave. We also provide investment opportunity where they can choose to have a few percentages of their salary go to investment and we contribute the same amount for them every month. This way they will get to invest and in the future will get to reap the benefits. Usually makers only make daily wages with no benefits, let alone think about investing for a better future. You can be sure that all Borboleta bags have the highest quality and that our makers enjoy a happy, comfortable workplace with good health benefits.
Giving Back:
For every bag purchased, we donate to breakfast and educational programs of The Ocean of Wisdom Foundation. We are sponsoring breakfast for underprivileged students in the north of Thailand everyday. We have donated thousands of books for the library, medical supplies, bicycles, art supplies, science supplies for 2,000 students in Thailand (16 rural schools). We have also donated to the Emergency Home for women who were abused and also to help medical staff fight covid19. Please follow us on social media to see our current charity projects.
Read more about the programs here.
Meet Borboleta Designer:
Veronica Race
CEO, designer
Hi, I’m so glad we’ve found each other here. Let me tell you a bit about my story so you’ll understand why I have a strong passion behind my brand.
I grew up in a multi-cultural household, which took me around the world with all my things in tow. Borboleta Bag has grown from this auspicious beginning to make traveling and professional women organized and happy.
My dad’s from Boston and my mom’s from Bangkok, so I split my time between the US and Thailand. After graduating from University of Maryland College Park, I spent the following seven years in the nonprofit and educational sectors in Washington, DC, and Bangkok. Throughout that time, I had the pleasure of traveling to 20+ countries, carrying bags I designed all the while – bags designed specifically for the traveling lifestyle.
Families, friends, and even strangers, told me they wanted my bags. So, I switched careers and went back to school for fashion design at the Chanapatana International Design Institute (with Accademia Italiana in Florence, Italy). I started Borboleta (“butterfly” in Portuguese) in 2012 to share my designs with fellow travelers and professional women.
In 2016, I asked my team to handle Borboleta and I moved to Florence, Italy, to pursue an Master’s Degree in Fashion Brand Management from Polimoda International Institute of Fashion Design and Marketing.
I moved back to Bangkok and making sure our customers are happy with their Borboleta bags. Well, I travel a lot for work and vacations. I also have to travel back and forth between Bangkok and France to pursue my Doctorate degree in Business Administration in France. I’m in my third year now. If things go as planned, I’d be finishing my doctorate degree at the end of 2021.
A bit about why Borboleta is a social enterprise…
It all happened during a what seemed to be a happy Christmas holiday on my sophomore year in college. I was vacationing in Phuket in 2004 when the Boxing Day Tsunami hit. I had plans to chill on the beach that day, but I made a last-minute decision that morning that would save my life. I decided to go rock climbing and rappelling. Descending from Phuket’s rocky outcrops that afternoon, I saw death, wholesale devastation, and swarms of vacationers looking for lost loved ones. I had planned on returning to my home in Bangkok the next day, but I couldn’t ignore the catastrophe, and so I decided to stay on. I volunteered for a week, using my English and Thai to translate between medical staff and tourists, and to help vacationers find their loved ones.
There were happy reunions, to be sure. But not everyone found their family members. This experience deeply saddened me, but it inspired me to action, too.
I founded the Ocean of Wisdom Foundation in 2007 with a mission to improve the lives of underprivileged students in Thailand. I felt like I was given a second chance in life and I have to start contributing now, not when I retire. The first matter I wanted to tackle is education and nutrition for rural schools. I was quite frustrated because there were so many problems that I wanted to fix, but things were moving quite slowly because we had to rely on donations. When I started Borboleta in 2012, I committed to donate a part of proceeds every month to the social causes. Over the last 8 years Borboleta has sponsored so many amazing projects for the foundation. I truly believe we can use business as a tool for social change.
Thanks for stopping by. Let’s grow together.
Love,
Veronica & Borboleta team