bipoc pls read

I've rewritten this a million times scared of being taken the wrong way and how others might respond but in light of the political climate in the US right now & baggu's most expensive drop just came out, i told myself here's the elphaba moment (lol)

I worked for them for some time and was able to see that their business practices aren't entirely sustainable and they actively green wash to sell the "we care about the environment" narrative. As a lot of you know already, their last collab's designs (not all designs but some, you can look it up for yourself to find out more) was achieved via AI. I know many people have mixed feelings about AI and its usage but one thing that is for sure, it is horrible for the environment. Supporting baggu because of their values, I was very disappointed to see how they responded to this. Not just to the public but also as a worker. There was very little conversation about what to communicate to their customers when asked about AI and Baggu/their collaborator's ecological impact. It seemed to not be an open conversation and the overall tone from my baggu was a very negative "this is so annoying, the collection is awesome". They often purchase supplies from Amazon, Nestle, and other environmentally unethical companies for whatever reason. maybe for convenience and to save money. However, they spend a substantial amount of money on upper management while paying their retail workers a very crappy wage.

What also drove me to create this post is their blatant disregard for BIPOC. As a person of color, I felt incredibly dismissed, the workplace became uncomfortable. a lot of micro aggressions became causal. I have spoken to other past employees that have also experienced micro aggressions, demotions, and even being fired when speaking up about racism in the workplace (which drastically changes your life when you don't have another job lined up especially in the cities their stores are located , being very expensive cities).

I don't want to go into so many details as to not call the individuals out , this isn't meant to be unkind, it is meant to inform those who care about spending their money on products that are made with true transparency and with human compassion in mind. If you are doubting my post, just look at their glassdoor page. anyway, shop small from bipoc owned business!! there are many who make crescent bags from recycled materials, def feel free to plug your small business if you are bipoc/queer owned. thank you for your time!