"Upande" means "Side" in Swahili. Our UPANDE Side Bags are especially designed to carry your smaller items. It not only adds a unique and stylish touch to your outfit, but also reflect the cultural identity and creativity of the artisans who made them. Each UPANDE Side Bag is one-of-a-kind, featuring intricate colours. Looking for something bigger? Check out our Tote Bag or Backpack collections.

UPANDE Side bag collection:

3 products

Also check out our BEBA Tote bag collection:

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Choose your favourite design

By carrying a UPANDE bag, you can connect with Tanzanian culture and appreciate the rich diversity of global craftsmanship. It is available in seven different colors, including natural, solid black, black & natural, brown, yellow, green and rust.

100% handmade from 'Milulu' grass

The environmentally-friendly reed grass called "Milulu" is used for weaving the bags. The "Milulu" grows near streams, and the local women uproot, clean, and dry these grasses before using them for weaving the bags. We combine the skillfully hand-woven bags with elements of high-quality Tanzanian leather. We carefully add the leather by hand to ensure the quality of the final product.

Sustainable & Ethical

When you choose a UPANDE Side bag, you support sustainable and ethical fashion while contributing to positive social and environmental impacts. By making a purchase, you contribute to the full-time employment for over 300 previously unemployed rural women in Iringa and Njombe, Tanzania. Plus you help preserve their long-standing tradition of weaving.

Transparant & Personal

Our UPANDE Side bags not only add a unique and stylish touch to your outfit, but also reflect the cultural identity and creativity of the artisans who made them. Vikapu Bomba believes that apart from being fair, trade should also be transparent and personal. That’s why each of our UPANDA Side bags comes with a label that features a portrait and brief story about the 'mama' (local woman artisan) who wove the tote bag. So you will know exactly where the bag comes from and who made it.