Artesan Profile: GLO Creations, Rwanda
GLO Creations, a textile design company, founded by Gloria Kamanzi Uwizera in 2008, produces both fashion and home decor items. Derived from the founder’s name, the brand aspires to design and create products that “glow”. With a small team of five, GLO Creations line of products include the following: t-shirts for kids and adults; men […]
Notes from the field: reflections on working with big retail
by guest blogger Sarah Sternberg For many producer groups and artisans, getting an order from one of the big retailers is the dream. We wanted to learn more about what it takes to achieve that goal and reached out to our friends at Songa Designs to learn more from founder Sarah Sternberg. Three years ago […]
The start of many beautiful conversations
by guest blogger Mary Louise Marino Artesan Gateway friend and supporter Mary Louise Marino has recently embarked on a three month journey in Asia, in part to enable the launch of Indigo Lion Artisan Boutique. We are delighted to share her reflections at the start of this journey. In these past two weeks, still at […]
Artesan Profile: Prokritee, Bangladesh
Late last year, we featured Swapan Das (Executive Director at Prokritee and Chairperson of ECOTA) as he shared his thoughts on Fair Trade. We caught up with Swapan recently to learn more about Prokritee, a fair trade company in Bangladesh that supports over 1,500 artisans in rural areas. Founded in 2001 as a an auxiliary […]
Artesan Profile: Amarella, Mexico
We recently caught up with Lina Moreno Velez, founder of Amarella to learn more about how she was inspired to set up an organization that supports and preserves Mexican artisans and their culture. Originally from Colombia, we were intrigued by her story and vision and wanted to share this with you. The idea to set […]
Social Impact Stories: Moyna, Basha Bangladesh
Showcasing the individuals who make up the artisan industry. Basha Moyna* has husband and son who is 3 years old. Her husband works and earns 300 Taka per day by which they purchase food. She pays the house rent, cable bill and puts some money in savings. Her husband says he is contributes a lot […]
Songa Designs Launches Accessories Club!
We were delighted to learn of our friends Songa Designs recent launch of their Accessories Club. What a creative way to create a steady source of income and develop a steady following at the same time! Based around a monthly subscription, Songa Designs offers three options: Annual $44.95/month; Quarterly $48.95/month; Bi-Annual $46.95/month. Every member receives […]
Opportunities and challenges of e-commerce platform
By Guest Blogger Rumi Takama (Founder, Jalak Bali) Originally from Japan I have spent half of my life overseas and have always been inspired by people, culture, traditions and food in different regions of the world and what nature has to offer to us. I currently live in Bali, Indonesia and have launched Jalak Bali, […]
Artesan Profile: Child’s Cup Full, West Bank
Founded on the principle that when you invest in a woman, you invest the larger community, Child’s Cup Full (CCF) is a non-profit social enterprise that creates sustainable economic opportunities for Palestinian refugee and impoverished women artisans in the West Bank. By providing career-relevant artisanship training programs and sustainable employment to low-income women artisans who […]
Artesan profile: Darzah, West Bank – These shoes are made for showing off!
Darzah, an initiative of Child’s Cup Full, a non-profit social enterprise based in the West Bank, is a collection of tatreez embroidered products, hand-stitched by talented women artisans. By creating sustainable economic opportunities for refugee and low-income women, Darzah is building a consortium of artisan centers to not only have a long term economic impact […]