Hear from ARTICLE22 partners in their own words in the BBC feature with Founder, Elizabeth Suda and lead artisan Somechit.
BBC Sounds tells the story of how a rural village in Laos took their local innovation to the global market through an unexpected partnership with our Founder, Elizabeth Suda 10 years ago. ARTICLE22 was born as artisans who spent over 40 years transforming bombs and scrap into soup spoons began making bracelets with a first order of 500 pieces from Elizabeth. Today, the ARTICLE22 team from NYC to Laos, creates a full line of jewelry that raises awareness and funds for Mines Advisory Group to clear some of the 80 million unexploded bombs from the land and reaches customers in over 40 countries.
"One piece of shrapnel actually said "rocket mortar” on it; and I realized that that was a piece of American history."
FOUNDER, ELIZABETH SUDA
In a world of fast fashion, this story is proof that fashion can be sustainable, meaningful, beautiful, and change people’s lives - from those who craft it to those who wear and share it.
"I am very proud I can create something beautiful from an object that almost killed me. People look at my jewelry now and think, “This is beautiful!” They don't think it's dangerous anymore. So yeah, I am the proudest person on earth"
LEAD ARTISAN, SOMECHIT
DOCUMENTARY
Buying Back the Bombs
Discover our founding story and lesser known facts of History through our 2010 documentary short featuring artisans, deminers, Vietnam War veterans, and the man who alerted US Congress about The Secret War in the neutral territory of Laos.
Our two minute trailer introduces the main characters of our ten minute documentary. Each contributes to telling the story behind The Secret War in Laos and its legacy of 80 million unexploded ordnance (UXO) that continue to contaminate the land decades later. Watch and meet the real people who are doing something about the problem of UXO in their farmland - from artisans upcycling the metal to professional MAG deminers safely removing the cluster munitions and other bombs to make their land safe for generations to come.
DISCOVER THE BRAND
Our artisan partners are entrepreneurs and agents of change. Each piece helps MAG (Mines Advisory Group) clear some of the 80 million unexploded bombs from their land.
SHOP
The virtuous circle of our jewelry is embedded with impact from how it is upcycled to the remote village artisans who developed the method, to the contributions each design makes to our Nobel Peace Prize winning parters at MAG who demine the land. As of 2024, our jewelery has contributed to clear more than 4.5 million square meters of bomb littered land in Laos. Since 2022, the Revival Collection made by a Kharkiv-based master fine jeweler contributes to MAG Ukraine.