Description
The ALAMA collection of natural woven baskets is brand new for 2021. Hand woven from sisal grass by a member of one of four rural women’s weaving groups in South Western Kenya, these decorative storage baskets come in three sizes – perfect as planters, desk tidies and flower pots as well as storage baskets for toys, jewellery, slippers and bathroom products.
Led by chairlady Mbeti, the ladies in this group of cooperatives are extremely skilled at weaving repeat patterns, using their tape measures to produce set sizes. They get together weekly to agree work, deliver completed basket orders and collect wages. Sisal grass is purchased ready-rolled when these groups receive basket orders and a deposit sum from us, and these fibres are hand-dyed outdoors in large vats of boiling water by the weavers.
These weavers are mainly farmers, so the majority of basket weaving takes place during the dry seasons when agricultural work quite literally dries up. To purchase one of our woven baskets is to become a part of our story: a journey of sustainability and empowerment, supporting women to support their families with flexible, fairly paid work. Each basket comes with a thank you card from the cooperative who made your basket.