I was living in Kenya when Mari came to visit, and we took a trip to the local craft market, only to witness the extraordinary skill and knowledge of Kenyan women artisans. And the stark reality that came with it: despite their remarkable craft, they had no pathway to international markets. No platform, no connections, no way to reach the customers who would have loved what they made.
These skilled artisans had spent years mastering the traditional techniques of the Kiondo basket, learning from the women who came before them. The process begins by crossing two long strands of twine, or warp thread, with another two strands and continuing a lash weave. It takes anywhere between half a day and two days to weave a single basket, only by hand, never with tools.
So we set out on a mission to give them a global platform: to build a bridge between exceptional Kenyan craftsmanship and the rest of the world, entwining our own Nordic design training with the skill of the African artisans. We wanted to create products that aren't craft with a design label attached, but where design and craft work as one, from the very first sketch to the finished basket, an eye for proportion, material, texture and longevity shaping every single piece we make. Seven years on, we collaborate with over 1,300 female artisans across the continent, and sell their products in more than 30 countries.
Kiondo baskets, the majority of our designs, are crafted in Kenya. Milulu grass baskets are woven by hand in the Iringa region of Tanzania, and elephant grass baskets in the Bolgatanga region of Ghana. Every basket is slightly different. Not a flaw, but a feature, unique to the hands that made it.
Take Tabitha Munyao, a skilled basket weaver and the respected chairlady of her artisan group in Kenya. Or Felister Nzyoka Kyanguyu, who is not only a talented weaver but also a tailor, a singer in her local church choir and a generous mother. There's Peninah Kilelo, who used to weave and sell ropes at a local marketplace until she saw women in her village weaving baskets in 2018. She bought some sisal and paper, taught herself to weave, and later joined one of the groups weaving for Mifuko. Rose Mwikali Mutua sings at the local choir, maintains her homestead, tends her farm and reads the Bible. Alice Kavindu Moses is a goat farmer who has been weaving with us since 2014. And Mirriam Mukiti owns a small shop in her village and has been weaving in the Kithitu women's group since 2013, having learned the skill from her grandmother.
Inside each of our bags you'll find the name of the artisan who made it. It is a small detail that carries enormous weight. This was made by a real person, with real skill, and her story matters.
As farming, so often a key source of livelihood for families in these regions, grows ever more unpredictable with climate change, our focus is on bringing employment to these women. We're a guaranteed member of the World Fair Trade Organisation, which means fair wages are a verified commitment, not a marketing claim. Because when a woman earns a reliable income from weaving, she invests it in her children's education, her home and her family's health.
So we want to keep championing the idea that traditional craft and high fashion are not opposites. They can, and should, exist together. And as our limited collection with Chloé proves, they absolutely deserve to be.
