New Handbag Manufacturer Shows Plenty of Heart

With the coming of spring, our minds naturally turn to fresh new looks and fashion trends. We want to know what’s hot and what’s not, and we put time aside to find the right accessories and handbags to match each new outfit. Fortunately, there’s a new handbag manufacturer in town – Laga Designs International — that recently hit the market running with two lines of quality handmade handbags and one travel bag line from Indonesia that offer as much eye appeal as they do form and functionality.

Buyers everywhere have begun to snap up the handbags for reasons beyond fashion sense. First, with more than 30 handbag and travel bag styles to choose from, the lines offer lots of options. More important, however, is that a generous portion of the proceeds from every handbag purchase goes to help the tsunami victims of Banda Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia. The latter is a story of hope, help and healing for the people of Banda Aceh, and a tale of a path less taken for Laga founders Roy and Louise Van Broekhuizen.

What started as a short-term assignment to bring volunteer teams and distribute funds donated by members of Saddleback church to those hit hardest by the devastating tsunami event a month earlier turned into an ongoing personal effort for Roy and Louise, who created Laga Designs International as a way to continue helping the victims of the tsunami-ravaged country. It was following their initial visits to Banda Aceh when the Van Broekhuizens decided that manufacturing high-quality handbags could help them help the tsunami victims on an ongoing basis.

“We began manufacturing handbags after I had made several visits the tsunami-torn area of Banda Aceh,” explains Roy. “I was asked by Saddleback Church, Lake Forest, CA, to lead volunteer efforts in Banda Aceh in January 2005. We didn’t know the trip would put us on a path to a lifelong mission, but it has become our personal goal to help the people hardest hit by the tsunami to rebuild their lives.”

The Van Broekhuizens put their money where their mouths are, making regular visits to the Banda Aceh area to work side by side with the locals to build homes and care for the sick and needy. Currently, Roy and Louise are leaving for Indonesia November 13, 2009, this will be Roy’s 21st trip since the tsunami December 26, 2004, lending much needed helping hands to the Indonesian people.

“The devastation left behind in the region of Banda Aceh continues to be heart breaking,” says Louise, who finds it difficult to hold back tears whenever she speaks about the people there. “They are still rebuilding now and still need a lot of help. In our manufacturing center, we started with 12 women August 2006, today we are supporting 300+. We want to help provide a new life for the people of Banda Aceh. We cannot give them back the loved ones they lost, but we can do a lot to help them rebuild their area’s infrastructure as we help them rebuild their lives and livelihoods.”

It takes almost a full day to make an average size handbag, almost a week for the large travel bags, the bags are made on a single pedal treadle machine as shown here by our manager from Indonesia, Hana, when we flew her to the US and had her demonstrate at AccessoriesTheShow in Las Vegas.

To read the whole story behind the creation of the company and how Roy and Louise hope to change the world of the tsunami victims … one handbag at a time … visit Laga Handbags. Learn:

Who makes all the handbags and why – All Laga Design International handbags are handmade by the local artisans of Indonesia. It is the hope of Roy and Louise that the memory of what happened to these gentle people on December 26, 2004 will remain in the hearts of those around the world so that work to rebuild their lives can continue.

More about Roy and Louise van Broekhuizen – A former VP of International Business Development for Online Trading Academy and owner of several businesses, Roy has partnered with wife Louise to create a truly unique and charitable handbag company.

What’s so different about Laga Designs International – Aside from manufacturing beautiful, high-quality, one-of-a-kind handmade handbags, the company was formed to provide employment and income for those who lost their livelihoods as a result of the tsunami disaster. By hiring and training local victims, Roy and Louise hope to help the people of Indonesia restore their economy and infrastructure.

To learn how a simple handbag purchase can help support the victims of the tsunami and to view Laga’s product lines, visit Laga Handbags. To schedule an interview with Roy and/or Louise, contact Sandra McGinty at 949.291.2265.

About Roy and Louise Van Broekhuizen

Born in Jakarta, Indonesia, in 1948, Roy fled Indonesia in 1957 to Holland, immigrated to the US (Oregon City, OR) in 1961 and 1970 on a soccer scholarship from Lewis & Clark College. Simultaneously, he pursued entry into the music business as a professional guitar player. His musical dreams were realized in the early 1970s, as he opened for Ike and Tina Turner, and opened for Jimi Hendrix and other groups. He then moved on to the business world, starting a number of import/export/international trade businesses (exporting American products to SE Asia), as well as a 300-seat restaurant, a catering business, a construction company, and a mortgage business in Southern California. Managing a number of large operations, Roy became one of the first day traders in the world in June 1997, eventually became VP of Sales and Marketing for Online Trading Academy, a company specializing in teaching how to trade for a living.

Louise Van Broekhuizen was born in The Hague, Holland, in 1955, immigrating to Pasadena, Calif. in 1961, where she eventually attended Torrance High School and El Camino Community College. She co-owned a variety of businesses and became involved in the mortgage loan business, where she was responsible for processing and underwriting mortgage loans for her own mortgage company (Harvest Mortgage Inc.) as well as DiTech, Consumer Portfolio Services and First Bank. Louise is a very organized, detailed and focused individual, traits that come in pretty handy working alongside Roy in the tsunami area of Banda Aceh, importing handbags and other products from Indonesia.

About Laga Designs International Handbags

Laga offers two distinct styles of handbag, no two the same aside from quality manufacturing practices. techniques. Delightfully distinctive, Laga handbags offer something for everyone in style and functionality. Laga is currently accepting applications from those interested in becoming Laga Handbag Consultants on a part-time or full-time basis here in the United States. Laga is also looking for party hostesses, distributors, and volunteers to assist with day-to-day operations of the company. For more information or to apply, please contact Roy or Louise by phone at 714.623.3671 or 714.623.3672.

For more information, contact:

Sandra K. McGinty, Public Relations Director

949.291.2265

Roy and Louise van Broekhuizen of Laga Designs International, Inc. were dubbed “boneheads” (people who ignore experts and conventional wisdom, follow their hearts and achieve great success against steep odds) by local Orange County Boneheads Restaurant Click here to read the entire article!

It not the average weekend for Laga Handbags as we made an appearance at the Harvest of Quilts Show at the Chimbole Cultural Center in Palmdale, California put on by the High Country Quilt Guild this weekend. This was the first time that I, Louise van Broekhuizen, made a solo appearance at a show two hours out of town.

Hoping to miss the barrage of Friday morning traffic, I left Irvine at 5:30am and, as anticipated, made the drive without incident. It was a beautiful day and I remember looking up at the sky and thanking God for it. I checked into the Best Western John Jay Inn & Suites on Palmdale Blvd early which, by the way, was a very nice hotel and the people were also very friendly. Once unpacked I went to Starbuck’s of course (drive-thru, woohoo!), to Mickey D’s for a quick Sausage McMuffin and headed to the show to set up my booth. I had plenty of time after set up to drive back to the hotel, freshen up and change before heading back to the High Country Quilt Show for a noon start time.

Everything went according to plan and I was able to share the Laga story with those who visited my booth that day, although the show attendance was lower than expected. Tomorrow would be a busier day for us all, we thought, being a Saturday and all. After the show, I drove out to the Antelope Valley Mall which was the next exit off the Antelope Valley Highway 14 and decided to order takeout sushi at Ginza, a restaurant I don’t remember seeing the last time I was in Palmdale. The sushi was awesome~ I had my normal yellowtail, albacore and salmon, and a house specialty: shrimp tempura roll topped with baked lobster ~ mmmmmmmm! The food here is not cheap, but amazing~ so definitely worth it to me! I would highly recommend this restaurant and for the next time, I’m dining in!

I got back to the hotel and settled in to have my “lonely” dinner. That’s when I turned on the TV to find the news about the Sylmar fires. I sat in disbelief as I viewed the footage of the raging fires there. And nearly every major channel was reporting the breaking news. I was saddened as I watched the interviews with many senior citizens who resided in a mobile home park there tell about their tragic situations. One woman was asked, after her home went up in flames, if she had plans to rebuild… her reply, “No, I’m too old. I don’t know what I’m going to do.” Lord, please help them~  From moment to moment, more and more mobile homes were being ravaged by the wind-driven fires~ Then I learned that the Oakridge Mobile Home Park fire was now considered a crime scene! What is this world coming to? I’m disheartened by that news as well, and it makes it that much more difficult to understand.

My prayers go out to all the families who were affected there and all the brave firefighters who make it their priority to keep everyone safe, and who try to save others from losing their homes …

I had the TV on all night; I would fall asleep and then wake up all during the night as my heart went out to those dear people who had lost everything. I couldn’t bring myself to turn off the TV. In the morning, it was already evident that I wouldn’t be able to make the drive home that night; all the southbound freeways had been reported closed.

Tired as I was I dragged myself up in the morning to work the second day of the quilt show. Before long, I started hearing about all the other fires that were breaking out all over the southland… Yorba Linda, Anaheim Hills, Brea, Corona… I was really heart-broken to hear more and more stories about the people whose homes were destroyed by the fires.

Due to all the road closures, many of the anticipated attendees never made it to the show but miraculously I sold quite a few Laga bags~ It was great to hear comments such as “oh, I’m so glad you made it to this show” and “we were hoping you’d be here!” and “I have heard so much about Laga and they are even more beautiful than the pictures.” As people strolled in, I told them about how all of the net profits go back to helping the tsunami survivors who make our bags, that the hand-guided embroidery is all committed to memory and sewn on foot-powered treadle machines. I even had my computer on which I was able to show them a video clip of the time that we brought our manager, Hana, to the United States for our very first trade show in order to do a demonstration of the technique.

So, although we did not receive as many people as anticipated, all was not lost. We tore down our booths at 5:00pm, an hour earlier than announced; the ending was quite anticlimaxic. But I met a lot of wonderful people at the show including one of my booth neighbors, Donna, owner of Fabulous Fabrics… thanks, Donna, for making the show a very pleasant one! Let me give a shout out also to Wendy Fullmer and Cherrie deVoogdt for being very attentive and accomodating! You went out of your way to make sure I was comfortable and I do appreciate that so much! And another dear friend and neighbor, Carolyn, from Bolts in the Bathtub. What a special chat we had and thank you for being such a loving, supportive lady~

As at every large event, we have a drawing for one of our small travel bag and this one was no exception. Our winner this time was EVA HARTMAN, of Edwards, California. CONGRATULATIONS, EVA! Please be sure to contact me to make arrangements to receive your beautiful Laga travel bag!

I stayed a second night in Palmdale before heading back home on Sunday morning. By then, Highway 14 had just opened back up and I was able to make my way to Irvine. The sky was beautiful and clear in the AV but once I drove past the hills, the smoke was thick and overwhelming~ I took a couple of pictures on my drive home… here is one of the fire trying to make its way to the other side of the hills:

And here is one taken right before I entered the clouds of smoke~

Although things didn’t go the way any of us had anticipated, I will not soon forget my time at the Harvest of Quilts in Palmdale. Thank you to the people who made my time there fruitful, for giving me the opportunity to tell the Laga story, to see some old friends and to meet many new ones.

And my prayers continue for those of you who have suffered here in the southland this weekend; those who lost their homes, those who are temporarily displaced and those who represent the numerous agencies who have been working tirelessly together to put out the flames. Take heart in knowing I am not alone in my prayers, as I know many are on their knees for you….

The BBC News released a story today regarding the new Tsunami warning system that was launched

By Lucy Williamson
BBC News, Jakarta

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Indonesia has launched a new tsunami early warning system, designed to give people in coastal areas enough time to escape tsunamis before they reach land.

But experts involved in setting up the system admit that some areas of the country, including the province of Aceh, are not fully protected by it.

The project is a direct result of the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami which hit the country in 2004.

A quarter of a million people died, more than half of them in Aceh.

‘Time delay’

The new early warning system was launched in Jakarta by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

But Dr Lauterjung, a spokesman for the German government which is assisting in the programme, said that deep sea buoys - the Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunami (Dart) system - responsible for detecting changes in sea levels had not yet been installed around the islands of Bali, Flores and the northern part of Sumatra, which includes Aceh, meaning there would be a “time delay” in predicting a tsunami.

DART EARLY WARNING SYSTEM 1. Recorder on seabed measures pressure and sends data to buoy. 2. Buoy also detects changes in sea level and motion. Tide gauges, usually sited on land, detect tidal changes. 3. Information is transmitted via satellite to ground stations which assess risk of tsunami.

Around a third of the seismographs stipulated in the government’s plan are also not yet in place.

And Dr Sri Woro, the head of Indonesia’s meteorological agency, said there were still what she called “infrastructure problems” in making the network of sensors and stations work smoothly together.

Tuesday’s ceremony marked the formal launch of the system, which is expected to be fully completed by 2010, though much of it is already operational.

Since the Indian Ocean tsunami four years ago, Indonesia has experienced two other waves along its Javan and Sumatran coastlines.

The last of these, in September last year, was successfully predicted by the new system.

The new system relies on three main parts: first, seismographs warn of any earthquakes that are likely to trigger a tsunami, then satellites monitor changes in the earth’s crust, while tide gauges and deep-sea buoys measure whether sea levels are actually changing as a result.

Indonesia sits at the meeting point of three of the earth’s tectonic plates and almost 60% of its vast coastline is at risk of tsunamis.

The new network has been built with the help of several foreign donors, including Germany, Japan and China.

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It has been nearly four (4) years since that fateful day, December 26, 2004, the day that changed the lives of many people, not only the areas affected by the earthquake and subsequent tsunamis, but also of people all around the world as we joined together to help bring restoration.Roy and I were two such people. Through the devastation suffered by so many,  our experiences have shown us that a lot of good things have come to pass as a result. We have a forever-bond with the people of Aceh (”land of the beautiful people”) and we will continue to do everything we can to help them help themselves.Thank you to all of you who have come alongside our efforts to help them rebuild and restore hope. On behalf of all those who suffered and continue to do so, we are indebted to you.

By dariuslauffer
One such company is Laga Handbags (online), which helps women who were survivors of the tragic tsunami of 2004 in Sumatra, Indonesia. The women workers of Indonesia are able to learn skills for a lifetime while providing a valuable …

Cookie-cutter fashion handbags are a dime a dozen, and thousands of them are produced in factories and sold in every town. But handmade handbags are delightful, rare treasures that any woman can be proud of. When a handbag is handmade, it is unique in many ways and reflects the skill and creativity of its maker. Many women in Indonesia choose to hand-stitch handbags to earn a living for their families. Their handbags are beautifully embroidered with amazing designs, but yet they usually possess the same or better quality as any factory-made handbag.

If you’re just yearning to own an elaborate - but unusual - handbag, here are some great tips. Let’s explore what types of Indonesian handbags are available and how to choose the right one for you.

Look for Practicality

Before falling in love with a certain design, be sure the handbag will meet your everyday needs. Do you need the handbag for work or play? Do you plan on using it every day or only for special evenings out on the town? Also, consider how many items you will need to carry in the handbag. Handmade handbags come in a variety of sizes and shapes. They range from petite to very large travel handbags. Some come with shoulder straps while others have hand straps. There are even very small make-up carriers for trips. It depends on how and where you plan to use it.

Choosing a Design and Color for Your Handmade Handbag

Handmade handbags come with a variety of styles and designs. Embroidery is used to create unique patterns such as diamonds, curved lines, circles, stars, and floral patterns. Indonesian handbags are often creatively labeled to express the type of design and color on the handbag. The words gift, live, great, eternal, recover, morning, believe, and so forth reflect the personality behind the purse as well as the style and color. Choose a style that matches several of your outfits, or that blends well with your body shape and hairstyle or color.

For spring and summer, there are colors such as red, cream, light blue, or olive. For fall and winter, colors such as black, dark brown, dark blue, and silver are excellent choices.

Help those in Need with Charity Bags

Another option to consider when buying an Indonesian handmade handbag is to shop for charity bags (or charity purses). Charity bags are made by those in Indonesia who need the money for daily food and supplies. Some companies in the United States offer to buy the handbags and resell them to Americans or through the Internet. A few companies will even train the workers and provide sewing and embroidery supplies to work with. One such company is Laga Handbags (online), which helps women who were survivors of the tragic tsunami of 2006 in Sumatra, Indonesia. The women workers of Indonesia are able to learn skills for a lifetime while providing a valuable service to handbag lovers.

When choosing a company for handmade handbags, research online to find companies that offer authentic Indonesian handbags, not replicas. The real handmade handbags are usually priced from $35 up to $150, depending on the style and size of the bag. Companies should provide detailed information about how and where the handbags are obtained, and where the company is located. Look for companies that are up-front about their procedures and customer policies.

A handmade handbag from Indonesia can also be a memorable surprise as a gift for Mother’s Day, Christmas, birthdays, or other occasions. The handbags are reliable and affordable, and the remarkable craftsmanship of Indonesian women makes them highly desirable in the fashion world. Go online today to find that perfect handmade handbag for you!

Today Laga Handbags was invited to participate once again in Hollywood United Methodist Church’s pre-holiday “Alternate Christmas Mart” shopping event. I have to say, since having met this truly amazing group of people two years ago, my life has been enriched.

 

 

 

Reverend Kathy Cooper-Ledesma is one of the most sincere church leaders I have had the pleasure of meeting… We have appreciated her support of the work we endeavor to accomplish in Aceh with and for the tsunami survivors there, and she has such a wonderful heart. It is evident that this church body stands in the gap for its community; how blessed we are to know them.

 

Our dear friends Rae Sowell and her husband Jay are dedicated members at HUMC. It was Rae who was instrumental in getting our foot in the proverbial door at HUMC. She is such a genuine and giving person, and you just know that she always thinks of others before herself. She is always offering to help us in any way she can, and is faithful in spreading the “Laga” story to all who will listen… We just love you, Rae! And thank you so much for the scones and coffee this morning!

Another member is Pauley Perrette, who plays “Abby” on the hit TV show NCIS. We first met Pauley last year when she purchased some of our handbags at HUMC. We met her again today, as she ranted and raved about our Laga bags! “I gave my sister a Laga bag and to this day she tells me time and time again that it’s her favorite bag and that she just LOVES it!”

 

Pauley was so generous as to purchase several more bags from us today, and she posed with Roy for a picture. She also autographed a postcard for us to give to one of our dear volunteers, Louise Bauwin, who we mentioned to her is such a fan of NCIS and is always faithful to tape all the episodes so she does not miss seeing “Abby.”

 

I also met another amazing lady today. I believe her name is Linda. She is a beautiful lady with white hair in a wheelchair and we chatted as she admired our bags on the table. She shared with me that she was partially blind and partially deaf, and that she was turning 100 years old on January 19^th ~ can you imagine? I told her that my birthday was January 7^th and she said, “You’re a Capricorn! Do you know who was the most wonderful Capricorn who ever lived? Jesus!” That was something I had never heard before, or even thought of. I will always treasure my little chat with Linda today. And I’m glad that Roy took a picture of us together~

 

All in all, it was a beautiful day at HUMC. Thank you to all who made our day so special! And we look forward to the next time we have the privilege of seeing you all again!

Dana Point woman sells hand bags to help Tsunami victims

A booth at weekly farmer’s market has helped her bags get attention.

By CHRIS DAINES
Staff Writer

Less than three months ago Vivian Vanderwerd took her handbags and put them on display at the Dana Point Farmer’s Market. Vanderwerd, who also spends her time acting in the last five years she has lived in Dana Point, saw the attractive bags and the noble cause behind Laga Designs International Inc. bags and decided that she should sell them.

Click here to read entire article

From Disaster Comes Opportunity

The van Broekhuizen’s handbag business offers economic opportunity for Indonesian tsunami victims.

Laga Designs International, Inc., is a business with a mission. When Roy van Broekhuizen went to Indonesia as a relief coordinator after the 2004 tsunami, he saw scene after scene of total devastation-homes wiped out, schools and businesses flattened, and families fractured. But it was the survivors who affected him the most. “You would see them sitting on the floor, just traumatized. They had lost everyone and everything,” van Broekhuizen says.

When van Broekhuizen’s contract with his church’s relief service ended in February 2006, he and his wife, Louise, vowed that they would do anything they could to help the survivors of Banda Aceh, Indonesia, and the local economy. They found their solution in the one-of-a-kind embroidered handbags that Louise had purchased in the village. Encouraged by the interest that Louise’s bags were generating in their hometown of Santa Ana, California, the van Broekhuizens held a party at their condo and sold $2,000 worth of bags.

Soon, the van Broekhuizens were receiving via airmail up to 11 boxes of handbags at a cost of $250 per box. The couple brought in their first 40-foot shipping container of bags in August 2007. They have on hand as many as 6,000 handbags and 33 consultants to sell the bags through home parties. Laga handbags are also sold in area boutiques, at booths at accessories trade shows, and on e-retailer eBags.com. “We’re showing people something they’ve never seen before,” says Roy. “Each handbag is a piece of art.”

One hundred percent of Laga Designs’ profits go back into the business, including renting production facilities overseas and paying wages for 150 tsunami survivors in Banda Aceh. Laga Designs’ products, which also include belts, wallets, and travel duffels, incorporate native patterns passed down from generation to generation. Even the name of the van Broekhuizen’s company is indigenous–Laga is a variation of the Acehnese word for beautiful–and each product line is given an Acehnese word.

The van Broekhuizens are trying to balance their explosive growth with their current inventory. “We don’t know what’s going to sell, so we have to juggle all the different styles, colors, and sizes,” Roy explains. With a supplier half a world away, filling orders quickly can present challenges. For example, with eBags, the couple has to ship an order within 48 hours. “We’re trying to get warehouse space. We can’t work out of our garage anymore.”
The growing pains are worth it, according to Roy. “To see those women now, how they are so empowered–it gives us all hope. We do our little part to help people, and it makes us realize how lucky we are.”

Originally published June 2008. Reprinted by permission, uschamber.com, June 2008. Copyright©2008, U.S. Chamber of Commerce

June 4th, 2008, 9:30 am · Post a Comment · posted by Hang Nguyen

An Irvine company’s handbags may land in the Smithsonian Christmas and/or jewelry catalogs.

Laga Designs International’s five purses and a wallet have passed a pre-selection stage for the catalogs, said Danette Nguyen, assistant buyer for the Smithsonian catalogs.

The products in the Smithsonian catalogs are picked because they relate in some way to its museums’ collections. That allows it to keep its non-profit status.

The Laga bags will relate to the Asian ethological collection at the National Museum of Natural History. The collection comprises of 30,000 objects from Southeast Asia, Nguyen said.

The Laga bags are handmade by more than 150 tsunami victims in Aceh, the Indonesian province that was destroyed by the earthquake and subsequent tidal waves on Dec. 26, 2004.

The nearly three-year-old Laga business allows founder Roy Van Broekhuizen, pictured above, to reconnect with his childhood. His family, part Dutch and part Indonesian, fled Indonesia when he was 9.

A Smithsonsian buyer came across the Laga handbags at a trade show in Las Vegas.

The institution plans to sell these pieces from $30 to $140, slightly higher than what they go for on Laga’s Web site. The Harapan “Hope” purse, pictured right, which Laga retails from $130 to $190, is one of the bags Smithsonian is considering.

The local company will find out in about two to three weeks whether it made the final cut for the Smithsonsian catalogs that arrive in homes in October, Nguyen said.

(Register photo of Van Broekhuizen and his wife Louise with their bags. Other photo from Laga Web site.)

Check out this video of our manager Hana using the single head, treadle Singer sewing machine making one of our Laga handbags:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tcy2dse68M&feature=related