Happily Made

Established in 2010, Happily Made supports and empowers marginalised women in Cambodia by providing them with a source of income that allows them to stay close to their families. Happily Made products are skilfully weaved and hand-crafted, using upcycled fabrics, recycled plastic bottles and eco-safe dyes. We had the privilege to hear about Happily Made’s vision and mission from founder Veronica:

Hi Veronica! Tell us a bit about yourself and Happily Made:

I started Happily Made when I lived in a Cambodian village with my then husband & 4 kids. I got front row seats to how important it is for us to order the beautiful handicrafts that women in Cambodia make.

It's so confronting seeing women working in sweat shops or having to leave their families to find employment. It's wonderful to know that the women who create Happily Made treasures are able to stay at home with their families & earn an income. I love that 12 years later I'm still able to create home-based jobs for incredible women who deserve our support.

What would you like to achieve with Happily Made?

World domination. Ha! No, I actually don't know. I feel like we've been in survival mode for so long which makes it really hard to think ahead. Just staying afloat is taking allll the focus.

But, I will add that I've become really aware of how important my role is to educate consumers about how powerful they are when they buy from small producers.

What are you passionate about?

I'm passionate about a lot of things. But I get an extra wave of excitement when I can find a creative solution to something that feels impossible to someone else.

What does ethical consumerism mean to you?

Hmmmm. This is a tricky one. To be honest, I really feel that there's a very very big spectrum & we all land somewhere different depending on where we're at in life. So many factors contribute to how "ethical" we can be. (And as a side note, it drives me crazy that op shops are often more expensive than Kmart.)

I try to encourage people to slowly move towards more "ethical" choices, instead of feeling overwhelmed that they aren't 100% ethical.

Describe your perfect day!

My perfect day involves a spontaneous adventure in nature. Eating something that surprises my taste buds. Laughing until it hurts. And then coming home and realising a cleaning fairy folded the huge pile of washing on my dining table.

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Come support Happily Made at One Good Christmas Market:

Date/Time: Thursday 7th December, 4- 9pm

Location: 184 Surrey Rd, Blackburn VIC 3130, Australia

FREE Entry