Sustainable Textiles from Ethiopia
Do you have a shop or brand and need some last-minute summer staples? Well, it's not too late to get these beautiful hand-spun towels delivered just in time for the summer months. They are a true staple - throw them in your bag, take them on a road trip, use them for the beach, on a picnic, as a scarf or a sarong.
One silver lining I am seeing more of these days is how consumers are truly shifting their buying habits and moving towards, fewer more meaningful things. They’re asking where materials are being sourced from, who is producing what they buy, and where its made. It excites me to see people asking these questions more and more. If you’ve been following me for a while, I hope you can see that I honestly strive to bring the best of handmade to you. With that in mind, I am excited to dive in and tell you a bit more about my partner's supply chain. They strive for honesty and aim to work as locally as possible.
Where is the cotton used to make these towels from?
Cotton production has been a central component of rural and urban life in Ethiopia for centuries. Traditional clothing has been made from locally cultivated cotton, spun on drop spindles by women and then woven on handlooms by men. Cotton is grown throughout Ethiopia, on large and small farms alike.
Once the cotton has been harvested, farmers take the fiber to centralized cotton ginning plants where it's processed. My partner purchases this unspun cotton from distributors and then employs over 100 women to hand spin the fiber into yarn.
What feels more crucial than ever is to support local. This cotton is local to the enterprise, cutting their carbon footprint dramatically and avoiding the import of additional raw materials.
What is unique about handspun cotton?
Handspun cotton is almost extinct in the world today but it has a luxurious softness that can't be matched. It is so time-consuming that few countries in the world continue to produce it. Even in India, it is almost all subsidized. As its production has a long tradition here in Ethiopia, women often spin in their spare time to diversify their income. That tradition is what makes it possible for this enterprise to use this very rare commodity for my partners' foutahs. You can feel the difference as these are extra soft to the touch.
Who makes these towels?
This enterprise supports 95 full-time employees and works with about 70 other weavers who work from home. They outsource work to another 100 women to spin the cotton, on a part-time basis. My partner is a member of the WFTO and OEKO-TEK STeP certified.