Lua started back in 2000. We arrived in Vietnam after a year of adventure travelling mainly throughout SE Asia and were hugely impressed by the beautiful and colourful textiles and silk fabrics we discovered there, as well as the skills of the local artisans producing gorgeous clothing and accessories. We were inspired to bring a little of this back to the UK by providing beautiful handmade products at an affordable price.
The majority of our products are designed in the UK and come to life using the talents of local craftspeople in Vietnam. With the exception of our printed and some of our heavier scarves, our products are all hand-made. We produce a wide range of accessories including bags, purses and scarves but we specialise in eyecatching fabric day bags in all manner of textiles; printed cottons in the summer and thicker fabrics in the winter, as well as small gift items particularly purses, small cosmetic bags and jewellery rolls. We have always produced a wide range of silk velvet products and for the last ten years also specialise in hand appliqued bags purses often featuring flora and fauna largely of the UK - dandelions, robins, owls, hares, sheep, oystercatchers, dogs and many more!
We are known for our rich colour palettes and feature vibrant sumptuous velvets and thicker wool/herringbone/brushed cotton fabrics in the winter and our own designs of cotton prints in the summer.
We are primarily a wholesale company and supply over 400 shops/garden centres and museums around the UK - to see more extensive ranges of our products, please do contact us to find your nearest stockists.
Sourcing our Products
We are an independent family-run business and most of our products are produced in partnership with local small business in Vietnam. Our ties with Vietnam have grown stronger over the last 17 years of trading and we visit regularly, sometimes with our children who share our love of travelling and making new friends. We continue to visit our suppliers at least twice a year and:
Pay a fair price for our products as agreed with our suppliers which ensures the workers themselves are paid a fair wage and enjoy good working conditions.
Many of our products are hand-made by women working either in a small, light workshop on the outskirts of Hanoi or at home so that they can work around family commitments. The workers are paid sick leave and, health insurance is provided for older workers. Bonuses are paid after each season and, in summer, a holiday to the beach is organised by our main partner for all the workers and their families. The regular work provided enables women from largely rice farming rural areas to improve their families’ living conditions and to send their children to school and possibly even higher education.
Our main technicians have worked with Lua for 17 years and provide excellent training and mentoring to new workers as well as tremendous experience and craftsmanship in developing new products.
Since 2010, we have provided sponsorship to children supported by the Kianh Foundation, a small grass-roots charity based in the UK which addresses the drastic need for improved health and education services for disabled children and adults living in the Quang Nam province of Central Vietnam – an area heavily bombed during the war. Lua currently sponsors the education and daily care of Nho, a shy 11 year boy with developmental delays who attends the Dien Ban Day Centre. Nho, who came to the Centre having never spoken his entire life and at first unresponsive, is now growing in confidence and showing himself to be a charming, happy little boy who is now beginning to speak in whole sentences. For more information, please visit
If you need any help in placing an order or making your selection, please do give us a call on 01926 614178.
Velvet Bags | Velvet Purses | Velvet Accessories | Lua Designs
