About Sulci

Vision

Through its creative process, Sulci aims to open up a way for Filipino women to be self-confident and independent and to create a society. We allow everyone to fulfill their hopes and dreams and reach their full potential. Sulci continues to send a message that women in developing nations are a great human resource, full of possibilities. Our bags, carefully crocheted from local raw materials called Raffia by a crochet hook are excellent in terms of quality and design, and contribute to the creation of ecological and sustainable society.

History

The Sulci story started when Satomi Sekiya who has always been an expart and a hobbyist in crochet and now a Sulci representative, visited the Philippines in 2010 and saw the situation of local women, who were willing to work but could not find a place of work. Sekiya then decided to develop a way for local women to earn income and be independent through bag making. It has been nearly two years since she taught local women crocheting skills from the basics, such as how to hold a crochet hook and explaining crocheting patterns. Sulci built up its trust and relationship with local women increasing quality to the point where it began to sell its products in 2012. It was Sulci that introduced the use of Raffia for crocheting with a crochet hook as it had traditionally been used for weaving only. This method allowed the freedom of working from home, relieving the requirement for investment in machinery or a factory.

Sustainable Production

Sulci bags are crocheted from the fiber of Raffia (a kind of palm tree and known locally as “buli”). In the Philippines, Raffia predominantly grows in colonies such as the island of Bohol. With an abundance Raffia trees, the fiber is harvested creating, employment. Some of the benefits of Raffia include Warmth pertinent to to the handmade natural material, durability, flexibility and light weight. In Japan Sulci bags are being sold at department stores from Tokyo to various localities and receiving high opinion.

Fair Trade

Sulci provides crocheters with place of work and environment wherein they can receive proper compensation for their work and live a life with pride, at the same time as doing housework and raising children. Money they earn be spent for daily life, education for children, purchase of domestic animal and so on. Local women are now working with pride and a sense of responsibility by taking charge of management and accounting of the workshop. Previously having to crochet esparilles shoes for less than P20 (Philippine peso) per pair, now at Sulci they are earning between P200 and P900, depending on the bag’s design. n one week, a crocheter can produce three bags. This means women, who are doing the crochet inside their homes, can get P2000 in a week.

Locally-Rooted Effort

In the Sulci workshop located in Carcar City, Island of Cebu, in the Philippines, close to fifty women living in the neighboring area are working as crocheters. They polish their skills daily and crochet bags at each one’s own pace.
As well as this, in 2015, Sulci trained women inmates at Carcar City prison to begin making bags there who in turn send the money they earned to their children.

prison
inmates

Designers Training

In the hope of producing bag designers from the crocheters, Sulci has been hosting a design contest competition for bags designed and made by workers themselves since 2014. As a result of Sulci’s effort to find talent by rewarding top five designers with money and prizes, crocheters’ skills have improved every year. Sulci also has been holding a fashion show where crocheters themselves appear on the stage as models carrying bags they crocheted.

winners who got a certificate
fashion show

Sulci Fund

From the wages to be paid to the crocheters, three percent (3%) is set aside and saved for the Sulci Fund since the founding of Sulci. This Fund is to be used for medical care of the crocheters, school expenses of children and future library construction

Sulci’s comittment to SDGs
Sulci is looking for agents who are willing to market Sulci bags. For those who are interested, please contact us the link below.

Company Profile

Company name: Sulci Inc.
Establishment: November 11, 2011
Address: 4-2-13-811 Ohsaki, Shinagawa-ku,Tokyo 141-0032
TEL/FAX: +81-3-3494-0073 / +81-3-3494-0073
E-mail: sulci@sulci.co.jp
Representative: Satomi Sekiya

CONTACT