If you’ve gone bargain hunting over the weekend along the Street Market at the Curve before, you may have come across this little stall that sells an assorted and colourful array of "Jute" bags.
Owned by Miss Shamala, she proudly sells each of these bags at affordable prices of RM10, RM15 and RM20, depending on the type and size of the bag. You may be surprised to know that these prices have been the same for the past five years! Shamala, who has been in the business for five years, also custom makes to order, for a minimum of 400 bags per order.
According to her, these "Jute" bags are all handmade in India as well as locally, and one can observe the effort and craftsmanship that goes into making one of these.
What is a "Jute" bag you may ask? Americans often call jute burlap. It is a shiny plant and natural fiber that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. By nature, Jute is bio-degradable and bags made from jute have a distinctive and natural look.
In addition to that, these bags are very sturdy and durable. Shamala herself points out that these bags may be used to carry a laptop or groceries.
When excessive use of non-biodegradable synthetic material is causing concern all over the world, a plus factor to owning a "Jute" bag is its eco-friendliness.
Picture credit: www.bagsnob.com
Instead of the "I’m Not a Plastic Bag" craze that shot it to Planet Tacky once imitations of every colour started being churned out, I say using a non-branded bag is a nice steer away from mass commercialism.
