FAQ
BeeKeeper Parade's support and customer care email address is buzz@beekeeperparade.com - you can always reach out with any inquiries by emailing our hive there, but here are some of our most commonly asked questions:
Story, Cause & Ethos 🌻
Information on who we are and how we started is on the Who We Are page.
What is a Social Enterprise? What makes BeeKeeper Parade a social enterprise?
Social enterprises are businesses focused on social justice and/or sustainability as a primary drive, as opposed to profit. The majority of income is from trade and product sales, as opposed to donations (which separate us from charities).
We do work alongside a charity called Baby Tree Projects.
BeeKeeper Parade's mission is creating sustainable products using upcycling, and putting most of our profits towards funding children's education in Cambodia.
How does BeeKeeper Parade make a social/environmental impact?
The global fashion and textiles industry is riddled with exploitation, and BeeKeeper Parade's goal is to minimise harm done to the environment and workers involved with the creation of these beautiful backpacks by giving discarded materials new life, and supporting the team in Cambodia by employing only those we can afford to pay properly.
Where are the bags made?
Our bags are made in Cambodia by our amazing team called the Imaginarium, lead by production manager Sophy Hor. Sometimes, when our Australian team has the time, we also cut material in our shops. In both cases, we keep the team small so we can assure that everyone is paid properly and can take the time to put care into every item. This means that our products can take a little while to make, and new products take many months to debut. This is called the "Slow Fashion" movement. During COVID-19, Koky and Sophy handed ownership of the Imaginarium over to the workers, so BeeKeeper Parade's products are all made in a self-owned factory.
How much material have we rescued from landfill?
As of 2024, we have upcycled about 90 tonnes of material, and counting!
How have we supported education in Cambodia?
As of 2024, we have opened five schools in Cambodia and brought 6000 kids through education. Read more about our education here (the page is a bit old but will eventually be updated... eventually!)
Where did the name BeeKeeper Parade come from?
Product Questions 🎒
Are the bags machine washable? 🧼
Most of our bags are made out of materials (likely cotton) that would normally be turned into clothing, so most of our bags are able to be hand washed, or sometimes even cold machine washed (20 degrees).
If your BeeKeeper Bag seems to be made out of something unusually fluffy such as synthetic furs, vinyl (Tuukjet), sequins or plant leather, we recommend taking a warm damp cloth to it with a tiny bit of dish soap instead of letting the bag be submerged in water.
If you have a WEEKENDER, CARRY-ALL, MINI CARRY-ALL, CLASSIC HANDBAG style bag, please remove the piece of CARD that keeps the bottom flat before putting into a wash. This card is made of paper and will turn into mush!
With our patterned/print designs, consider testing the soapy water on just a patch on the bag first with a damp cloth, to ensure the ink doesn't run! Single colour bags should be okay!
Our Royal backpacks, Mini Royals and both sizes of Weekenders come with a little care tag inside, with cleaning instructions:
"Clean with warm water and mild detergent. Air dry. Do not iron.
Bee careful not to bleach. Bee careful not to dry clean. Bee careful not to tumble dry."
How waterproof / weather resistant are the bags? ☔
Most of our backpacks are lined with water proof materials between their outer fabric and inner lining, however we cannot protect the zips from letting in water. If you are caught in a storm, the exterior of the bag may appear wet but the inside should be nice and dry, as long as the zips are shut. Submerging the bag will result in it becoming wet, as the zips will let in water in the gaps.
The Tuukjet and plant leather bags will not let water in, however the zips still have gaps.
What is a Da Vinci / Sweetest Things patchwork bag?
Sometimes BeeKeeper Parade creates beautiful bags out of limited fabric. We call these our Da Vinci collection. We are lucky enough to have these materials donated by generous individuals that work within high-fashion industries, and are working like vigilantes to collect otherwise discarded fabrics from big names like Ralph Lauren and St Tropez.
We also produce a lot of offcuts within our own production team, and whenever these fabrics are beautiful prints, we try to make patchwork bags that we titled The Sweetest Things collection.
Both kinds of bags are one-offs, and will never be replicated exactly the same. For these reasons, these bags are often sold at higher price points than their more common counterparts.
Will you restock my favourite pattern? Are you going to make different pride flags? 🏳️🌈
We restock about 3-4 times a year. We work with limited fabric sometimes, so theres no guarantee we will restock a specific fabric colour or print. We never re-do the exact same Da Vinci or Sweetest Thing bag. We are looking to restock rainbow and trans flag bags soon!
If you saw a pattern or colour of bag that you liked, but is no longer in stock, please write us an email at buzz@beekeeperparade.com ! We will ask the Cambodia team if they have any remaining fabric, or work with you to create a custom bag to your liking!
Creating new bags at the non-custom price point can be difficult because we cannot predict the demand for certain special designs, such as pride flags. As we cannot promise a date for releasing specific other flags outside of the rainbow and transgender pride flags, please email buzz@beekeeperparade.com to discuss a custom bag!
What is a custom bag / how to place a custom order?
If you'd like a specific design on any of the products we have, please write us an email at buzz@beekeeperparade.com to discuss a one-off design made specifically for you!
Some folks will have their own fabric they'd like to use, in which case we ask you to ship it to 11 Centre Pl, or bring it in to our store in person!
If you do not have your own fabric, you can describe your custom order as best you can through the emails.
Custom orders cost the price of the item, + $40 , for example a custom royal is $139 + $40 AUD.
Help! My bag is broken, do you do repairs?
BeeKeeper Parade products are made with the utmost care, and made to last as long as possible. For that reason, we offer free repair services if you bought your bag within a year ago. If your bag was purchased over 1 year ago, we ask for a $20 flat repair fee.
We can mend anything from broken straps, tattered materials and missing buckles and pieces. The normal turn around rate is about 4-6 weeks from when we receive the bag, but delays may occcur.
If you live close by, drop your bag off at 11 Centre Pl within opening hours to sort it out with one of our Keepers. You can also pick up your bag from this location 4-6 weeks after dropping it off.
If you need to send the bag and need it sent to you, you will need to cover shipping. Please email buzz@beekeeperparade.com to discuss!
If our repair options are not convenient to you, we encourage you to find a local repairer or try yourself. We do not have warrantees that you can "void", we just want you to love your bag for as long as possible and part of that is encouraging extending its lifespan in a way that works best for you! 🧡
Shipping, Returns & Orders 📦
Basic information about shipping can be found on our Shipping Policy page. We ship domestically and worldwide.
Information about refunds and returns can be found on the Returns and Refunds page.
What is the process for packing orders?
When an order comes through, one of our Keepers will try to pack and send your order within 24 hours. The order will then become "fulfilled" and you will be notified via email.
All orders are packed by hand, so if you leave notes in the Notes field at check out, we will understand any further instructions you may have.
Can I order a gift to someone? 🎁
If you would like your order to be a gift or include a message to someone, please write the message in the Notes field at check out, and we will gift wrap the order and include the message on a little gift tag!
All orders are packed by hand, so if you leave notes in the Notes field at check out, we will understand any further instructions you may have.
What materials do you use to package your online orders?
We pack our orders in cardboard boxes and with paper strings, tissue paper or padding and with paper tape. The entire packaging is recyclable and biodegradable 💚♻️
My order has not arrived, what should I do?
Orders from within Australia take 2-5 business days, and international orders vary depending on destination. If you expect an order within Australia and it has not arrived in 2 weeks, please contact us. If you expect an order internationally and it has not arrived within a month, please contact us.
Our email address is buzz@beekeeperparade.com
I made an error with my order, what do I do?
If your order has not been fulfilled, please reach out to one of our keepers at buzz@beekeeperparade.com - if the order has already been fulfilled, it may have already been packed and sent, but you're always welcome to reach out.
Can I pick up an order in person?
If you live nearby, or plan to visit Naarm and would like to come into our store to collect your order, please use the code PICKUPANDCOLLECT at checkout. Your order will be fulfilled and waiting for you at 11 Centre Place, and you can come by during opening hours to collect your order!
Why have I receive an email about my order being unable to be fulfilled / refunded?
Sometimes our Keepers are unable to finalize your order, this can happen for a few reasons, but most of the time it is due to stock error. As a small business with only a handful of Keepers, sometimes we have not updated our stock correctly on our website, and someone has already bought the last bag that you've attempted to order.
In these instances, you will be given the option to choose a replacement item that the Keeper will send you photos or links to or choose to refund or partially refund your purchase.
Other Inquiries 🐝
We are always open to answering more questions about BeeKeeper Parade. Please contact us at buzz@beekeeperparade.com
How can I collaborate / partner?
If you would like to partner with us, E-mail us and one of our keepers will give you a buzz.
Are you accepting donations?
We are working through a backlog of many beautiful donated materials, and are avoiding too many donations from individuals at the moment, but please don't hesitate to write us an email to check in!
Do you do wholesale / bulk orders?
Yes! Please see more details on our wholesale page.