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Who We Are
CREATIVE WOMEN cares... about beautiful
hand-woven textiles, about good design, and about
improving women's lives. We are a Vermont based,
woman-owned company, working in partnership with
three textile design studios in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia;
a textile studio in Swaziland; and a silk-weaving
studio in Kabul, Afghanistan to create traditionally-inspired
contemporary accessories and home textiles. More
than just designing and selling textiles, Creative
Women works to promote equitable trading
practices and to support women's economic independence. I
founded Creative Women because
I love beautiful things; I want to make a real difference
in women's lives; and I'm fascinated by travel.
Creative Women allows me to do
all three... by buying directly from women-owned
businesses, by expanding markets for hand-woven
textiles, and by paying fair prices for our goods.
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Why We Came to Be
Creative
Women began in Ethiopia. It grew out of
my experiences and travels. I saw sex workers training
to be hairdressers, only to find there were no jobs
available; I visited rehab centers where women were
sewing and embroidering beautiful table cloths,
but the only market for their products was a small
bazaar for the ex-pats living in Addis Ababa. I
realized that by finding markets in the US, an opportunity
existed to improve women's lives and to maintain
a centuries-old art form by introducing the West
to the beauty of Ethiopian textiles. |
Woman
with Camel in Rural Ethiopia
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Seamstress at Menby's
Design
in Ethiopia |
What
We Have Accomplished
Working with five
women-owned businesses in Ethiopia
, Swaziland
and Afghanistan ,
Creative Women creates elegant wearable accessories
and accents for the home. By finding markets for
their handsome and unique products in the United
States, Creative Women is supporting the emerging
private sector in each of these countries and
more importantly, creating jobs for women in societies
where good jobs are rare. Each of these energetic
businesses brings something unique to our array
of textiles.
The
weaver/artisans at Menby's Design in Addis Ababa
produce the centuries-old tibeb , an intricate
hand-woven border; then Menby's seamstresses transform
the tibeb into pillows, wall hangings, table runners,
mats, shawls, scarves, and handbags. |
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The artisans at Sabahar spin silk from local cocoons,
hand-weave the textiles, and use natural dyes
to create soft, unique, beautiful goods. Thanks
to Sabahar and its commitment to creating jobs
for a broad spectrum of women, silk production
has returned to and continues to grow in Ethiopia.
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At
Negist, another textile studio in Addis Ababa,
dyers are adding vibrant and unusual colors to
traditional Ethiopian blankets and scarves using
low-impact, plant-based dyes.
In
Swaziland, three generations of women at Coral
Stephens have been weaving mohair, and now raffia
and other raw materials, into elegant and vibrant
home and personal accessories. This committed
Swazi business employs 60 talented women and provides
them with training, skills, and financial independence...
all difficult to find in rural areas.
New
to the August New York International Gift Fair,
Creative Women will introduce our collection of
classic, yet contemporary in color and design,
100% silk scarves hand-woven at a small studio
in Afghanistan. Azana employs 20+ women, trains
them in weaving and dyeing, and offers literacy
and educational courses after hours. We're very
excited about working with the women of Azana,
and just as delighted to be bringing their products
to the US market. |
One
of Azana's newly-trained weavers.
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What
We've Been Doing
We've been busy.
We...
- are a member of
the Fair Trade Federation of America;
- have been selected
for the juried Sustainability Display and the
New York International Gift Fair for the past
three years;
- are regular exhibitors
at the New York International Gift Fairs (come
see us in booth 5446);
- were featured in
ABC Home's Focus on Africa events;
- participated in The
International Fair and World Fair Trade Day
in Burlington, Vermont;
- exhibited at an invitation-only
show at the Smithsonian Museum of African Art;
- have products in
over 150 museum shops, stores and catalogs;
- have joined the Museum
Store Association and The Crafts Center, a non-profit
organization working to improve access to markets
and resources for low-income artisans;
- won "Best Visual
Presentation, Hand-made Division" at the San
Francisco Gift Fair.
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By
buying Creative Women
products you, too are Creating Beautiful Things...
in your own life, and in the lives of the hundreds
of women we work with.
Ellen
Dorsch
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70 East Shore North, Grand Isle, VT 05458