BEK & MERI

   Bek & Meri is an Australian boutique company, bringing a carefully hand curated selection of the traditional and iconic string bags ‘bilums’, woven homewares and jewelleryfrom Papua New Guinea to the international market. 

Social . Ethical . Fair Trade . Handmade . Sustainable.

Bek&Meri is a brand built primarily to empower the women of PNG. In PNG, and certainly in the poorer,remote rural villages, it is the women who are the sole income earners in a family. Made almost predominantly by the women, the money generated from the sale of bilums goes directly back to the artisan and her family, helping pay for every day essentials such as food, housing, healthcare, running water and education for her children. Often the sale of bilums in PNG is restricted to locals or passing tourist traffic at market stalls. Its a mission of Bek&Meri to increase the profile and awareness of the seiconic bags by bringing them to the international community. In doing this, Bek&Meri hopes to be able to provide a regular, reliable and ongoing income stream for these women, her family and her community.

Deeply woven into all aspects of social andcultural identity in PNG, each bilum is unique and symbolic, telling reallife stories of people, communities, places and events.Traditionally used to transport goods and babies, they are extremely strong, durable, versatile and expansive. The natural fibre “bushrope” bilums are made using 100% plant materials, meaning that they are ethically and sustainable.