KeoKjay means “bright green” or “fresh” in Khmer, the Cambodian language. KeoKjay’s main designer, Rachel Faller, is a beautiful woman who uses her love for design and environmental work to make a real difference in the world.
This brand is a social enterprise that provides jobs for HIV-positive women in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, through the production of handcrafted fashions that Faller designs.
Finding employment is nearly impossible for the majority of women in Cambodia, and KeoKjay provides them with work.
Because of KeoKjay, fair opportunities and wages are met, the quality of life is increased, health is gained back, and the cycle of poverty starts to unwind.
Not only does KeoKjay work to help the starving and hardworking women of Cambodia, it also sets out to create distinctly beautiful clothes with a boldly ethereal air. All clothes are handmade using natural or recycled materials. Faller wanted her Spring/Summer 2011 collection to be elegant and comfortable, while still being edgy and bold with striking details, colors, and patterns.
Shapes were simple, free-flowing, spacious, and lightweight, but were also intricately designed and put together with woven details of contrasting colors and bright shots of electric red. KeoKjay is perfect for the girl who likes to spend her days outside surrounded by nature and people.
Her body needs to move, and she needs to feel comfortable, but her imagination is always running wild as she hungers for travel and adventure. KeoKjay is practical and modern, but also fashion-forward and adventurous in its exploration of other cultures, beginning with the colorful women of Cambodia.