Deux Mains
DEUX MAINS WAS BORN TO CREATE GREAT JOBS.
Deux Mains brings environmentally friendly and sustainably-made footwear and accessories directly into the hands of consumers in an efficient and cost-effective way. DMD’s innovative business model turns poverty into prosperity through smart partnerships and a vertical supply chain that increase the opportunities for living wage employment in Haiti, while respond to the growing consumer appetite for well made, impactful fashion products.
Deux Mains was created in a time of disaster, but thrives in its wake. A brand inspired by the strength of the Haitian people. As an earthquake responder, Julie Colombino-Billingham came to the Island as a volunteer, but found the perseverance of the Haitian people to be her lasting truth and the catalyst for this company.
“Do less and listen more.”
As an earthquake responder, she felt a strange distance, almost like an out of body experience to the chaos around her, however there was also an intimate connection to the devastation, as she was literally living among it. The first days after the quake were the most difficult. When feeling most lost and hopeless amidst the dire level of devastation, she prayed for guidance and felt called to "do less and listen more." And so she did.
“I don’t want a bottle of water. I need a job.”
Not long after, while doing a food distribution in a tent camp, a woman told Julie, "I don't want a bottle of water. I need a job." This was the message she knew she must listen to, so Julie decided to sell her home in the states, quit her job, and moved to Haiti permanently, where she set out on a mission to create sustainable jobs. By making ethical and environmentally friendly sandals and fashion accessories, she was able to do just that. She also wanted to ensure the story of Haiti, told to the world, would be filled with pride and determination as her early experiences dictated.
