Kraftino – Cambodian Brand Wallet Made from Old Tire Tubes

Phnom Penh- Kraftino, a Cambodian wallet brand made of old inner tire tubes, is making its way slowly into the domestic market.

Co-Founder of Kraftino Social Enterprise, Bun Naratito, said, “The wallet has received support overseas across the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France and the UK for more than 2 years”.

During the initial stages of production in 2014, manufacturing the wallets and marketing it were the main challenges. As the wallets are made from old unused inner car tire tubes, the material becomes sturdy and rigid making traditional sowing techniques redundant.

Kraftino, a Cambodian wallet brand made of old inner tire tubes

Naratito also added, “The needles would sometimes break or after production, the results would not look neat and clean as a standard product should be. Another obstacle they faced was marketing the product domestically. Due to the habits of the majority of Cambodians, they prefer high grade materials with stunning appearances over old reused products. The mentality of recycling for the environment has yet sunk into the minds of the population and so the brand has to be marketed overseas first before coming back to Cambodia”.

However, in recent years, Kraftino has received initial support in Cambodia and is only considered as its first domestic steps, said Bun Naratito. The wallets have made small appearances in certain events such as the Christmas Fair at Himawari back in December 2017.

Despite not earning significant profits yet, the brand is providing jobs for 20 women who are vulnerable to domestic abuse as well as those who are handicapped as this lines with the vision of the company. The co-founder, Naratito, hopes that Cambodian people will soon support domestic brands over international brands in the near the future.

Kraftino, a Cambodian wallet brand made of old inner tire tubes

Kraftino, a Cambodian wallet brand made of old inner tire tubes