Browsing Tag

ethiopia

Big Fashion Little Products Spotlight

Georgie Jones: Arambha

Georgie was living in Ethiopia with her husband and 2 small boys for 2 years.  She was inspired by the rich culture, vibrant colours and century old techniques there, so she decided to look into working with some of the very talented local artisans. Through meeting various people along the way, she came across groups training and working with people from some of the poorest areas in and around Adidis Ababa and founded Arambha, which sells ethically made clothes, shoes and accessories.

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Georgie with one of her sons

The groups Georgie works with provide sustainable jobs and lifestyle for all their employees – they are housed, fed and their children are educated.  They also pay a fair wage which is very rare in Ethiopia.  Along side all of this, all the materials used for her Arambha collection are locally sourced, handmade using traditional techniques and equipment and where possible, recycled.

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At her shoe workshop seeing her first children’s moccasins sample!

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5 gorgeous colours to choose from

Not only are the children’s moccasins amazing, Georgie also has a fab collection of things for women too. I adore the women’s moccasins – uber cool and very comfy.

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Ladies mocassins with the Asaita scarf

There is a great selection of colourful accessories including scarves and ponchos and the little girls skirts are so sweet!  Below is one of my favourite scarves and a beautiful necklace that comes with a touching story.

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Mojo Scarf

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“Bullets to Beauty” necklace made from recycled bullet shells and glass beads

 

Take a look at all the gorgeous things at Arambha whilst knowing that anything you buy supports women and families in Ethiopia. Who needs more of an excuse to shop than that?

 

Georgie’s Favourite’s

Shop: Merkato in Addis Ababa – largest open air market in Africa

Website: Barnaby Gates – beautiful wallpaper and fabric, especially their Star designs

Restaurant: Soushi in Cirencester

Hotel: Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge in Nepal

Holiday Destination: The Luberon Valley in Provence