You know its Big Apple connections and style inspiration. But many might not know that a certain city in Africa is behind some of Kate Spade New York’s pretty designs. The company’s two-year-old manufacture facility in Masaro, Rwanda, is the nerve centre for the brand’s range of handmade designs, which are sold under the On Purpose line.

The over 150 artisans there earn a steady income and health care benefits from this gig – they get paid no matter how much sales are made – and are experts at handiwork like leather-smithing and beading. Some of their past designs have included fully beaded clutches and heavily embellished crystal necklaces. For the current summer collection this year, the designs, available at the brand’s The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands and Takashimaya D.S. boutiques, have a girly twist to them. Think totes in pastels that are adorned with both oversized and teeny-weeny bows.