About

Founded by Nathan Zhang, brandnü is an ethical trade network for rural artisans that works in partnership with China’s socially conscious designers and artists to help redesign rural livelihoods by offering support, resources and better access to urban markets.

The brandnü project aims to:

• Promote and sell ethically-sourced goods from charity projects and social enterprises at its retail store in Beijing
• Provide a platform that unites successful urban creatives with rural artisans to produce more marketable and better quality products
• Pioneer new models for poverty alleviation by facilitating cooperation between China’s rural and urban entrepreneurs
• Raise public awareness of social innovation
• Build bridges between international and Chinese NGOs, social enterprises and organisations

brandnü has contributed to a variety of charitable projects, including building two rural libraries in collaboration with Dulwich College International School of Beijing, and hosting an exhibition of works by artists from Beijing Huiling Community.