In Style July 2008

After learning the hard way that having a product featured in a major lifestyle magazine turns a lot of heads our direction, we were thrilled to answer a sample request for InStyle magazine early in 2008.

 

Nestled near the end of InStyle's July 2008 issue with the beautiful Anne Hathaway front-and-center, the Life & Home section featured a gorgeous collection of African and African-inspired accessories and home decor items. Anchored by a tranquil shot of the Singita Sasakwa Lodge in Serengeti, Tanzania, the collection showcased the effortless nature of Safari style.

Our handwoven Kenyan sisal baskets added a big splash of color that called across the page to beautiful jewel-toned framed African moths from the Evolution Store. By the time the issue hit the news stands, we were ready--thankfully--for the droves of orders for these beautiful baskets. By October of 2008, more than 250 baskets had been welcomed into appreciative homes. InStyle's editors were instrumental in bringing together the Kenyan women who craft these baskets with so many great shoppers here in the States. Asante sana, InStyle, from all of us at Swahili!

Here's a little info about our handwoven Kenyan sisal baskets:

WORKING WOMEN. A cooperative of Kamba women in Kitui, Kenya, dye and weave tough fibers extracted from the spikey leaves of the agave sisalana plant, commonly known as sisal. A skilled weaver can produce one basket in an eight hour workday. Weavers receive payment per completed piece, and either work from their own homes or at the cooperative's farm, where weavers come together for training, materials and support.

FUNDING FUTURES. Kamba people in Kitui typically live on their own land, and it is customary for Kamba women to meet their family's dietary needs with gardens of maize, squash and other veggies that grow in Kitui's semi-arid climate. Since most food is grown at home, the income earned from weaving is applied to school fees, clothing and health care.

UPDATING THE CRAFT. Sisal was introduced to Kenya from Mexico and Central America toward the end of the 1800s, but Kenya now produces a large portion of the world's sisal supply. For Kamba women, adapting their traditional weaving skills to utilize this locally-grown plant made perfect sense, and what started as a group of 25 weavers has now burgeoned to a huge group of 900 women, with an extended family group of 4500 benefiting from the cooperative's income.