Reflections on product development: developing a recycled sari skirt line
Product development takes place in different way, including suggestions from consumers. Meg Gerbrandt-Weibe,Member of the Board of the Fraser Valley Mennonite Central Committee – Canada, recently shared with us her experience of developing a line of recycled sari skits with Sacred Mark Enterprise. I grew up in a Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) family in Manitoba. […]
Artesan Profile: Sacred Mark Enterprise, Bangladesh
Guest blogger Ishrat Jahan Deepa, Unit Manager – Sacred Mark Enterprise Established in March 2009, by the Mennonite Central Committee in Bangladesh (MCCB) Sacred Mark Enterprise provides alternative employment for former sex workers. The stories of these women involve abuse, victimization, trauma, and pain. A widow, an orphan, a rape victim, a mother with no […]
Coming soon to N. America – Lai Designs!
Artesan Profile: Lai Designs. A conversation with founder and designer, Puja Bhargava Kamath. Lai is a India and California based indie jewelry label under which we design and manufacture unique, culturally inspired collections of handcrafted sterling silver jewelry. Cultural and historical references reinterpreted with a contemporary touch is the DNA for Lai which means ‘the […]
Songa Designs launches the Basket Collection
An Artesan Gateway Alert! We recently caught up with our friends at Songa Designs to learn more about their launch of their new Basket Collection. Founder Sarah Sternberg, brought us up to speed on how the collection came about. AG: How did the Basket Collection come about? What prompted you to diversify your products? Handmade […]
Artesan Profile: The Carpet Workshop, Bangladesh
Established in 1997, Protibondhi Community Center (PCC) was set-up to work with people with disabilities and their families. Founded by Taize brothers in Mymensingh, a city 125km north of Dhaka, Bangladesh, PCC provides health, education, medical and skills training through self-help groups and income generating projects, including the Mohila Women’s Club under which the Carpet […]
Artesan Profile: Threadapeutic, Indonesia
A conversation with Threadapeutic founder, Hana How did the idea for Threadapeutic come about? Threadapeutic first started when I was working for an event, Indonesia Fashion Week 2015. I was assigned to make event souvenirs and souvenirs for the media people who were covering the event. The materials available for upcycling were leftover fabric, old […]
Artesan Profile: Chindi, India
We recently caught up with Tanushri Shukla, founder of Chindi, a Mumbai based social enterprise working with marginalised women to provide employment through crafts, to learn more about the organization. AG: Tell us about Chindi. What inspired you to work with marginalized women and provide them employment through craft production? C: Chindi is about two […]
Artesan Profile: Bunosilo, India
Tell us about Bunosilo. Bunosilo, started in November 2015, So it’s just 4 months old now! We provide good quality, well fitting, handcrafted clothes made out of hand loomed fabric to the customers worldwide. We aim at promoting the dying craft techniques of our country and to generate sustainable employment opportunities to them. We also […]
Artesan Profile: Hands of Hope Artisan Carvers, Kenya
By Geoffrey Tamaro, Hands of Hope Artisan Carvers Hands of Hope Artisans Carvers Self Help Group (HHAC)is a registered charity in Kenya. The project was established in response to the tremendous number of vulnerable artisans, particularly women and youth. Located in the rural town of Tabaka,400km North West of Nairobi, the project’s goals are to […]
Artesan Profile : Connected In Hope
Earlier this month we featured Minke Dancha in our series celebrating International Women’s Day, who works with Connected In Hope. We caught up founder, Ryane Murnane to learn more about the organization. My background is in social work, and my early career was spent in Atlanta working with pregnant women who were battling drug addiction. […]