Handmade in Africa

Crafting handmade products provides a particularly vital employment option for rural African women. The backbone of the family, rural women cook, clean, garden, care for the extended family and often shoulder the burden of paying school fees. Creating products from home around daily responsibilities empowers rural women as earners.

Celebrate the cultural diversity of communities, while seeking to create positive and equitable change. These products were developed sustainably to benefit African communities.

The beautiful luxe wraps are handmade by artisans in Africa. The artisans of Sammy Ethiopia weave Ethiopian cotton into two wide panels, then add a hand-stitched center seam to create an expansive gabi body shawl. A gabi can be used as a shawl. throw, tablecloth or baby carrier.

Choose from 3 colors: seaglass, tangerine, and lemon.

The Natural Cotton Ethiopian Wrap Shawl, is handmade from Ethiopian cotton by the skilled artisans of Trio Craft in Addis, Ababa, Ethiopia. A traditional wrap worn commonly in Ethiopia, each shawl is gently adorned with a simple banded edge and braided fringe.

The stylish Mudcloth & Leather Wallet is handcrafted from durable leather and mudcloth by a wonderful group of textile artisans in Bamako, Mali, who shine at incorporating contemporary mudcloth into their designs. 

The women of F.R.E.E. (Foundation for the Realization of Economic Empowerment) are using copper recycled from used water heaters and wire, as well as silver mined up-country to create eye-catching wearable art. Young, self-taught Zambian women are defying gender norms as metalsmiths. 

Tell us: Do you have a favorite from this list? As always, we would love to hear from you.