Project Overview
Karachi Tote Company turns rescued fabric (old curtains, worn Ajrak, factory scraps) into one-of-one tote bags. Each one is hand-stitched in Karachi by local artisans using techniques like Ajrak, blockprint and appliqué. The brand sells internationally, with free shipping to the USA and Canada.
I designed and built their Shopify store, from the homepage and catalogue to the product pages and the brand story pages.
A founder video, the rescued-fabric story and a lifestyle lookbook come before the first price.
The Challenge & My Role
A $12–$45 tote is easy to scroll past. What makes these worth buying is the story: the fabric each one was rescued from, the artisans who made it, and the fact that no two are the same. The store had to:
Lead with that story without hiding the products
Present every tote as one-of-one rather than a stock item
Build trust with overseas buyers who have never heard of the brand
I handled the information architecture, visual design, Shopify setup and section configuration, product page layout, the story pages (Artisans & Craft, Our Story, Purpose), and the mobile experience.
The Process
I organised the homepage as a short story:
Why it exists: the founder's sewing-machine video and the rescued-fabric promise.
What it looks like on people: a lifestyle lookbook shot on Karachi rooftops.
Where it comes from: "Thirty years of saved fabric. A 50-year-old sewing machine."
What you can buy: the one-of-one catalogue.
One-of-one totes, each with its own name, price and story.
The visual style stays warm and handmade: a soft cream background, plenty of white space, and calm typography, so the colourful fabrics are the focus.
The Build
Video hero. The founder's sewing machine at work, under the line "One-of-one totes, handmade from rescued fabrics".
Lifestyle collage. Real people with the totes, linking into the Blockprint and Canvas collections.
Collections by craft. Blockprint, Eplique Work, Ajrak Revival, Needlework, Printed Fabric and Graphic Totes.
Product pages. Each tote has its own backstory (for example, "made from an upcycled IKEA curtain") plus highlights, a thumbnail gallery, Add to cart, Shop Pay and pay-over-time messaging.
Story pages. Artisans & Craft, Our Story, Purpose, Tote Care, FAQs, and Returns & Shipping.
International trust. A free-shipping bar for the USA and Canada and clear returns information.
Mobile. Every section is laid out for small screens, including the video, the lookbook and a two-column product grid.
Each tote’s backstory sits next to Shop Pay checkout.
A dedicated page for the hands behind every tote.
The whole story laid out for small screens.
The Outcome
Karachi Tote Company now has a store that sells the story as much as the product. Shoppers see the craft, the people and the rescued fabric before they see a price, which is what makes a handmade tote worth ordering from the other side of the world. The team can add new one-of-one pieces and collections in Shopify without any code.
0 likes · 1 view · Nov 14, 2026
Story-led Shopify store for Karachi Tote Company: one-of-one handmade totes from rescued fabric, sold to the USA and Canada with an artisan-first design.
