Impact

We are honoured to share stories of handcrafted products wrapped in history and cultural legacy.

Basket Weaving

Culture & Context

Basket weaving is supplemental income within the Frafra ethnic community and over time, this beautiful eco-luxury tradition of hand-crafted skill has been passed forward through generations and is practiced by men and women alike.

Weaving is crafted in a communal manner and groups are often families and extended family members of various age groups.

Measured Impact

social return on investment

We are constantly measuring our impact and reassessing best practices. With additional intervention, it is our goal that all female Artisans will mature from intermediate-level weavers into trainers and further develop into Master weavers.

It is also our goal that these women will advance to train two women each, in order to generate ripples effects and build a larger pool of women artisans with additional skill sets.

Continuously Woven Into Community

2017 - Bolgatanga

Over the years, we have weaved symbolic exchanges with our Artisan partners and today our business model provides functional employment to disenfranchised grandmothers, mothers, aunts, and daughters, fostering and guaranteeing food security, access to healthcare, formal banking, a sense of well-being, and post-secondary education to their dependents.

Women Enablement

When we make intentional decisions to support items that are produced by women of all social and economic backgrounds women, we are giving women the opportunity to build autonomy in the home and their communities. This is especially key if these women exist and operate within patriarchal societies.

Training ToolKits

Capacity Building

Our highly contextual training standardizes production in an informal market, and provides artisan leaders with tools, resources and innovative ways to preserve and improve heritage techniques.

To achieve that, we aim to provide a professional and conducive learning environment to weavers at various levels of skill ability artisans need both investment and business coaching that’s not Eurocentric but is abreast and diverse.

Providing these essentials also to helps refresh existing tools to enable export capacity products. Programming for various types of weaving skill sets will be tailored to fit the needs of each group. 

Production

RESOURCES & TOOLS

We provide mats for each Artisan that works with us on a contractual basis. This is necessary for the dignity of the weaver and this also provides a clean surface for straw to lay on during the weaving process.

Trainings

Community Benefits

Self-affirmation and value

Promotes ownership and a sense of belonging that shows Artisans that they are a valued part of our Woven Worldwide community, fashion value chain and this world.

Why do you work with male suppliers ?

The intention is not to center a male owned businesses but we recognize that if these male-led businesses were to collapse, it would have a devastating impact on the women weavers within these value chains. When interviewing 3 suppliers, collectively, they source from over 84 weaving groups consisting of thousands of women weaver. It is best to work within the current cultural parameters as we introduce contemporary ideologies and business models. 

What are your thoughts of the usage of technology in the informal Artisan space?

We understand that traditional methods of technology have ethnically biased approaches in terms of their applications and is not culturally inclusive in the design process nor is it democratic.

Safe Environment

Giving women agency to be heard in their native tongue and by giving them a chance to voice their opinions, ideas, and concerns, we promote an environment free from emotional harm and ensuring a feeling of security and comfort to all.

Ancestral Craft

Amplify international interest in this largely overlooked craft community despite Ghana’s long history in the craft space.

Inter-generational connectivity

The youth will receive positive guidance and development from mature master weavers and Improve upon adult relationships.

Sustainable Development Goals

  • No Poverty

    Providing more weaving jobs to rural women contributes not only to their personal economic welfare but to their households who very often rely on women as the sole breadwinners of the home.

    Additionally, thanks to these revenues, women can guarantee food security and access to healthcare and education to their dependents, offering a virtuous socio-economic circle reducing poverty.

  • Gender Equality

    Women, despite being at the heart of weaving in the northern regions of Ghana still operate under an unequal and highly patriarchal system where economic and political power is concentrated in the male heads of their communities. By providing women with employment opportunities and spaces to enhance their expressiveness, women can gain stronger agency over their future and their families’ future.

  • Decent Work & Economic Growth

    Due to exposure of international retail environments and inherent cultural lineage, our workshops are truly an interactive process that promote a hybrid of ancestral weaving techniques produced to a industry standard of quality.

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  • Responsible Consumption & Production

    Weaving has been an ancestral practice done with a majority of naturally sourced products in a non-exploitative/industrial manner. Showcasing this production and sharing the artisanal practices to a global stage reflects the ethical requirements of the fashion industry and the impact of such craft into communities whose livelihoods still greatly depend on it.

  • Partnerships For The Goals

    Partnerships with associations with a diverse membership and collaborating with Artisans to provide them with decent work and sources of income could contribute to reducing the severe inequalities that still affect persons in Ghana’s communities, and particularly in access to employment and inclusion in community life.

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