Haiti Design Co. is a community-based nonprofit dedicated to creating sustainable development through design, training, and job creation for underserved communities. The organization’s mantra comes from an old Haitian proverb that means “Many hands make the load light.” They believe that there is a commonality between the designer, maker, and consumer and that when working together we can help lighten each other's load and bring about lasting positive impact. 

Haiti Design Co. features three teams — leather, jewelry, and sewing teams. In addition to these in-house teams, they have five branches in an Artisan Incubator program, which helps independent artisans. The organization and community development committee provide resources such as healthcare and educational seminars on leadership development training and mental health awareness. Around 45 women and 15 men who have experienced vulnerable situations in life are working in-house at Haiti Design Co. 

The beautiful leather is locally sourced from a family-owned tannery within the country, and the group specializes in durable, full-grain, and vegetable-tanned leather. More than 24 women at Haiti Design Co. are part of the group’s sewing team. The talented artisans create beautiful products such as handbags, soft leather goods, and homewares. Textile manufacturing does not occur within Haiti, so the denim and canvas pieces that Haiti Design Co. artisans use to make products arrive from the Dominican Republic. Haiti Design Co. aims to maximize the sustainability and the impact behind these handmade products.