What is whom all about?

The mission behind whom bags and accessories is to reduce climbing and textile waste.

Everything we produce is made primarily with upcycled and secondhand materials. We only use retired/old/dead ropes, which we source from local climbers and climbing gyms (you can donate rope here if you have some that you'd like to contribute). In most cases, ropes like these which have come to the end of their usefulness for climbing would otherwise be thrown away.

We also spend hours sourcing our fabrics as sustainably as possible via hunting through thrift stores and secondhand fabric stores for the perfect colours, patterns, textures, and weights of fabrics that we can repurpose for our products. Because of this, each item we make is only available in limited quantities, which keeps things always fresh and exciting.

Who is whom?

Dorice (left) has sewn on and off since childhood. After a years-long hiatus, in 2020 she bought a sewing machine off Facebook Marketplace for $30 and dove headfirst back into making clothing for herself.

Guian (right) became obsessed with climbing at the age of 14. He began climbing, hanging out, and working at his local climbing gym from nearly day one, essentially growing up there during his formative years.

In the winter of 2023, Guian was cooped up inside with a finger injury that temporarily prevented him from climbing, so Dorice jumped on the opportunity to share her hobby with him. His first project? A tote bag, of course.

Two people standing behind a table with 'whom' branding, surrounded by handbags under a tent.

Where did whom come from?

Since 2023, Dorice and Guian's now joint obsession with sewing only grew, and given that it was taking over their apartment anyways, they thought they might as well try and make something of it.

Guian, having climbed for over a decade and worked in climbing gyms in the past, was aware of just how many old ropes got tossed over time. Dorice, having dabbled in selling handsewn goods in the past, had been harbouring a lifelong dream of being a craft market vendor. In 2024, whom was born over multiple car-camping brainstorm sessions, where they decided that upcycled rope accessories would be how they combined their passions and goals.

Since officially launching whom in May 2025, they have continued to sew and operate everything out of their home studio in Burnaby, BC.