Ethiopian Cotton Towels: Weaving a Better Future January 08 2016, 0 Comments

From the beautiful country of Ethiopia come our gorgeous and naturally luxurious, Woven Promises Ethiopian Cotton Towels.  These Fair Trade, artisan made cotton towels are incredibly soft and get increasingly softer with every wash. Cleaning these towels is a breeze as all styles machine wash and dry beautifully.

Each and every towel is a handcrafted work of art made from very talented artisans.  Each piece is handmade from hand-spun and hand-dyed Ethiopian cotton using ancient weaving techniques and contemporary colors and patterns.  Every one of our Ethiopian cotton towels is completely handmade in only one workshop located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and each piece passes through the hands of over 20 artisans in the making.

Ethiopian Cotton Towels are widely used across the Mediterranean, partly due to their absorbency and ability to dry quickly and also because they work exceedingly well as a beach towel and sarong. With the average terrycloth towels, the sand gets stuck into the fibers but with the sleek, Ethiopian Cotton Towel, the hand weave is so tight, that all the sand falls right off with a gentle shake. And, of course, you don’t have to use them as towels; they are beautiful as a tablecloth or table runner, a scarf or a shawl, a throw, a picnic blanket or even a colorful wall hanging!

Ethiopia is the 5th poorest country in the world and finding employment is extremely difficult and this is where the Fair Trade Artisan group Sabahar really touches so many lives in a positive way.  Sabahar has truly stepped up by creating a compassionate program for working mothers. Men are the weavers and this is a long tradition in Ethiopia but this workshop employs primarily women to spin the cotton and participate in the dyeing process and finish by hand knotting each piece.

This artisan group also employs many individuals that are "contract" workers; Women in the community that spin at home and men that have looms set up on their property.  This empowers women and men with families by providing the opportunity to take home raw cotton and spin it into thread allowing them to work from home.  This program provides a meaningful and sustainable income for artisans, households and families while allowing the family unit to remain intact. We hear from the artisans that their work is meaningful to them and brings hope to their futures, allowing for growth, security and advancement in their lives. The workshop now employs 56 artisans including spinners and dyers, weavers and finishers in age ranging from 20 to 63 years old.

Thanks to our partner, Woven Promises and the Fair Trade Artisan Group Sabahar, these talented men & women are able to support their families through dignified employment.  By creating these Fair Trade, handcrafted woven products, artisans now have access to health care, transportation, a savings account and all of their children are now being educated.