Bilum & Bilas

Bilum & Bilas is a Papua New Guinean social enterprise which supports female artisans to develop a wider market for their crafts and improve their livelihoods. 

A Bilum is an iconic Papua New Guinean string bag which holds deep cultural and emotional significance.  Bilas is decoration and adornment used throughout PNG to celebrate diversity and express one's culture. 

Bilum & Bilas began in 2014 when founder Jessica Cassell realised that the complexity and time needed to create the bilum bags meant that scaling for market was difficult.  

Makers came together to design and produce smaller handcrafted items. These wearable accessories celebrated the delicacy of Bilum weaving and wove in the culture of 'Bilas’. Retaining the use of natural fibres and traditional techniques, Bilum & Bilas pieces are inspired by the beauty and essence of the Bilum. This is distilled into striking, unique accessories that look beautiful and create stable jobs for Papua New Guinean women with these unique skills.