Creative Women: Fair Trade Hand-Woven Textiles

Who We Are

Creative Women cares … about beautiful hand-woven African textiles, about good design, and about improving women’s lives. We are a Vermont based, women-owned company, working in partnership with two textile design studios in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and a textile studio in Swaziland, to create traditionally inspired contemporary accessories and home textiles. More than just designing and selling textiles, Creative Women works to promote equitable trading practices and to support women’s economic independence. “I founded Creative Women as a way to create jobs in Ethiopia and sustain an ancient art form by introducing the West to the beauty of Ethiopian textiles”, says owner Ellen Dorsch. “Today Creative Women provides a socially responsible link between producer and consumer by opening markets for these high-quality textiles."

Why We Came to Be

Creative Women began in Ethiopia. It grew out of my experiences and travels. I saw sex workers training to be hairdressers, only to find there were no jobs available; I visited rehab centers where women were sewing and embroidering beautiful table cloths, but the only market for their products was a small bazaar for the ex-pats living in Addis Ababa. I realized that by finding markets in the US, an opportunity existed to improve women’s lives and to maintain a centuries-old art form by introducing the West to the beauty of Ethiopian textiles.

Woman with Camel in Rural Ethiopia

Our Partners

Today, working with four women-owned businesses in Ethiopia and Swaziland, and finding markets for their handsome and unique products in the United States, Creative Women supports the emerging private sector in both these countries and most importantly, creates jobs for women in societies where good jobs are rare. Each business brings something unique to our array of textiles. The weaver/artisans at Menby's Design, Addis Ababa, produce the centuries-old tibeb, an intricate hand-woven border; then the seamstresses transform the tibeb into Creative Women's pillows, wall hangings, table runners, mats shawls, scarves, and handbags. At Sabahar, silk production has been reintroduced into the country. Here, workers spin the silk from local cocoons, hand-weave the textiles, and using natural dyes, create vibrantly colored shawls, scarves, throws and blankets. The artisans at Negist weave the most gossamer looking scarves and panels, dying them in contemporary colors that flatter all women.

Seamstress at Menby's Design in Ethiopia

In 2006, Creative Women started working with Coral Stephens, a business in Swaziland where three generations of women have been weaving mohair, and now raffia and other raw materials, into elegant and lush home and personal accessories. This committed Swazi business employs 60 women and provides them with training, skills, and financial independence … all difficult to find in rural areas of Swaziland.

The Hand-Weaving Tradition

Creative Women capitalizes on this energy by working in Ethiopia and focusing on the tibeb, a hand-woven traditional textile. For generations, Ethiopian weavers, mainly in the Dorze and Chencha areas of southwest Ethiopia, have woven netelas and gabbies on traditional looms using centuries-old patterns and designs. On Monday and Thursday mornings, weavers from these areas walk from their homes -- sometimes over an hour each way -- to sell their fabrics at the textile market. Merchants from Addis wander through the crowd of weavers, negotiating for the best deals, while local women look for a good price for their limited purchases.

Weaving is a family activity in Ethiopia: sometimes a supplement to a family's farming, sometimes the entire source of income. Women are responsible for gathering the cotton grown in the Rift Valley lowlands, carrying huge loads on their heads and climbing steep mountains back to their villages. Women of all ages spin cotton, using a simple drop spindle to make the thread used for the weft (horizontal) threads on the loom. Most of the cotton used for the warp is factory made.

Spinners at a training session

Traditionally, the men do the weaving. Their pit-style looms typically are set up outside the house. Whenever possible, they are built into a hillside and the weaver digs a hole, and sits with his feet hanging into it. Four vertical posts and two horizontal pieces connecting the posts support the Doko loom. Two harnesses, with many string heddles, are suspended from the horizontal pieces. Attached to each harness is a long rope that forms the treadles of the loom. In front of the harness is the reed that holds up to 600 threads.

Weaver in Addis, Ethiopia

Today, many of the Dorze and Chencha weavers have moved with their looms to Addis, and sell their fabrics at the big market at the foot of Entoto Mountain. There, among hundreds of overflowing stalls of weavings, Ethiopians and ferengis (foreigners) look for the ideal piece of fabric to make a traditional, or sometimes Western, dress … each with just the right touch of tibeb and color that says, hand-made in Ethiopia.

The Craft and Weaving Tradition in Swaziland

I spent much of my time in Swaziland meeting crafts people, particularly basket makers, and working with the weavers who supply us with our wonderful mohair and cotton products. Women have been weaving baskets out of sisal, straw and other grasses for generations in Swaziland. Today you can see examples of many types and qualities of baskets. The traditional and functional baskets remain simply made, with little decoration, but serve many utilitarian purposes around the home. New businesses and non-profit groups have moved this traditional craft into the 21st century, adding colors obtained with eco-friendly dyes, and very complicated designs, and marketing Swazi baskets to a global market. (See www.tintsaba.com and www.gonerural.com).

Spinner at Coral Stephens

Textile weavers in Swaziland, as opposed to Ethiopia, are women. They weave the warm and richly colored mohair used in our Swazi shawls and blankets from hand-spun Lesotho mohair. In addition to these classic home accessories, our Swazi producer draws from Swaziland's long history of basket making and grass weaving, to produce unusual raffia pillows and floor cushions in a variety of colors and stripes.

Art historians suggest that the missionaries who came to Swaziland in the 1800s first encouraged women to use their basket weaving skills to weave textiles. Subsequently, they were encouraged to use their hand-woven textiles to change their style of dress and cover their breasts in the Western style. Another theory suggests that international development organizations capitalized on the weaving tradition and set up weaving training programs for women so that they could generate income for their families and communities. Regardless of how it happened, most weavers in Swaziland today are women. And whether its baskets or textiles, they are creating products that incorporate Swazi culture and beauty into each piece.

Ellen visiting the weavers at the Monday market.

A Personal Note from Ellen:

"After a 35 year career in public and reproductive health, both in the U.S, and internationally, I knew it was time for a change. I wanted to start a business that would make an impact on women's lives, allow me to travel, and to be surrounded by beautiful things. I held my breath, jumped, and started Creative Women. Creative Women brings all of my passions... including my family... together. Whether making sure that bills are paid on time, an order arrives intact, or pleasing a new customer, I never lose sight of our goal ... creating jobs and improving women's lives. At the same time, I take enormous pride in knowing that we are sustaining an ancient art form by introducing the West to the beauty of Ethiopian textiles."

Women staff at Coral Stephens, Swaziland

Visit Creative Women Hand-Woven Textiles for more product info and find shops, catalogs and websites that carry these gorgeous textiles through their Store Locator.

Creative Women: Fair Trade Hand-Woven Textiles

A Shoe Fetish, Anyone?

Why is it that shoes capture our attention so completely? Hats, gloves, and other accessories also have their fan clubs, but shoes seem to beat the others in terms of a collective and historical obsession. Sure, they serve function in how we connect with earth: protecting from the elements, providing warmth, keeping our selves clean and enabling or preventing mobility. But, I think there is also something about the form itself that offers the maker and the wearer a challenging canvas to go beyond function into adornment. Shoes make or break an outfit. They define social status. They change how a person stands, walks or sits. Look at the shoes and a judgment is formed about the person. Adornment speaks of historical, cultural and personal statements of society.

Sioux quilled and beaded moccasins, circa 1900. (Cowan's Auctions Inc.)

My all-time favorite museum, The Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, has a huge exhibit along one wall with hundreds of shoe samples from around the world, old and new. Their web description states:

"People everywhere face the common concern of how to cover and protect their feet. As you look around, you’ll notice that people have responded to this concern in countless (and often amazing) ways.

The kind of shoes a person might use depends on a combination of factors: what the environment is like, what kind of shoes his or her group traditionally wears, and what the shoemaker can create.

Imagine shedding your own shoes and standing in one of these pairs instead. Which ones would you choose? And what would it be like to look at life from that different point of view --even for just a moment?"

I carry mukluks from Afghanistan, one of my best sellers in my eBay store. I have several pairs and love wearing them during the cold, winter months.


Made by Afghan refugees out of recycled sweaters, the mukluks are more of a sock than a shoe or boot, but they come from a boot tradition, much like the felted boots of Tibet:

Tradtional Tibetan Felt Boots

These are examples of function needed for a cold climate offering comfort and protection. But, shoes have also been a source of pain and even death. Foot binding in China lasted over 1,000 years. Women bound their feet tightly, curling the toes under the feet and raising the arch of the foot. The smaller foot, the better. Lotus shoes, now highly collectible, encased these crippled foot remains. This pair is available on eBay for $345:

Chinese Lotus Shoes

I actually had a customer in my Chicago store who came looking for a pair of lotus shoes for her 90 year old mother who had bound feet. Shirley Two Feathers has an interesting article on her blog about foot binding. She doesn't know where she got this photo:

We may think of these customs as barbaric, but stiletto heels also cause severe tendon and back damage. The High Heel Shoe Museum has a bunch of sexy photos of women in stiletto shoes.

Most of the gorgeous, young models are sitting, kneeling, or laying down. Hmmm.... Wonder why? Could it be that they are NOT comfortable?!! One of my best friends when I was growing up in Brazil was Japanese. She and her sisters all tried to compensate for their height wearing these stilettos. Even back then, when we were young and flexible, they could not wear tennis shoes. They could run in those spikes, but not without.

Contemporary artists and designers continue to draw on traditional fabrics and needle work, as well as form, for inspiration for cool-looking shoes. Feltoman from Turkey sells beautiful suzani on felt boots on eBay. (There are flat soles available, too!)

Suzani boots, $115, Feltoman

The Natural Store uses vintage kimono fabric in their smart-looking pumps, $320 pounds.

Kimono covered shoes from The Natural Store, a fair trade outlet.

Diverso Studio on Etsy has a nice selection of mola shoes for $45.

Mola shoes from Diverso Studio on Etsy.

Shoe images are everywhere in art. They are painted, cast, quilted, silk screened, and framed. Travelers photograph them. Radical Sabbatical captured this happy photo in Morocco:

Moroccan slippers by Radical Sabbatical

Have a shoe fetish, anyone? Whether you do or not, walk gently on this good earth!

A Shoe Fetish, Anyone?

Eco Housing: Baskets So Big You Can Live In Them!

Have you ever seen a basket so beautiful that you wish you could blow it up to a much bigger size, magnify it, step into it and live in it? Well, there are traditional dwellings around the world that have lived out this concept, using the natural fiber materials found in their environment to build simple to elaborate living structures. Bamboo, wood, straw, banana leaf, grasses and many other renewable materials take the basic concept in assembling a basket to that larger dimension.

In 1973, a book called Shelter was one of the first to document dwellings from around the world in one place. It is still available through Shelter Publications, which has since published a couple of other publications on the same theme. The book has over 1,000 images of yurts, huts, tents, domes, tree houses and other dwellings in their traditional environment or inspired by native cultures. The book inspired me to get others like it and to think of living spaces in a new way.

Urban and suburban sprawl in the United States have been swirling out of control for the last fifteen years. McMansions behind bars in gated communities promise isolation from crime, other undesirable outside influences, manicured lawns, uniformity, and above all, distance from nature.

Where would you rather live? Here?

A gated community in Ontario, Canada.

Or, here?

A Toraja House in Indonesia

Now there is a huge housing crisis with millions facing foreclosure, displacement, and financial ruin. The increasing cost of oil has also put a stopper into the car culture, the desire for the biggest monster on wheels possible. How many of us really need a hummer? Without downplaying the real pain many families are facing in the loss of their homes, jobs, and access to transportation, this crisis is helping give green construction and transportation businesses the boost they needed to enter mainstream markets.

Several years ago I knew I was fed up with life in Chicago. I longed to be closer to nature, my business was not doing well (retail store selling handicrafts), the cost of living was enormous, and I just wanted out. I started thinking about maybe having a bed and breakfast somewhere with a cultural theme. I knew I wanted to be somewhere in the SouthEast and started researching bed and breakfasts in that area. Everything was Victorian or cute country. Then I found some green businesses, mostly in Florida. New Mexico, California and other Western states had a ton of wonderful spas and green hospitality places with interesting architecture and commitments towards sustainability and low impact living. Sigh... All these wonderful experiments going on all over the country... but, they all need capital and acceptability from the public.

One day, I sat back and had this wonderful vision of a place I would love to be a part of. I saw this villa unfold in front of me, full of the craftsmanship I so love, people from all over the world, a place of teaching and of recovery from the city. I wrote it down, researched it, and called it the Peace Villa. I didn't pursue it, but kept it up on my website, just in case someday it would come off the shelf.

Since that time, similar ideas have been pursued by others, both in terms of personal housing and for recreational purposes. Simon Dale built a house in Wales for his family, what I consider the ultimate dream of living in a big basket.

Simon gave me permission to use his photos and text from his website, so I have a bit below.

"It was built by myself and my father in law with help from passers by and visiting friends. 4 months after starting we were moved in and cosy. I estimate 1000-1500 man hours and £3000 put in to this point. Not really so much in house buying terms (roughly £60/sq m excluding labour).

The house was built with maximum regard for the environment and by reciprocation gives us a unique opportunity to live close to nature. Being your own (have a go) architect is a lot of fun and allows you to create and enjoy something which is part of yourself and the land rather than, at worst, a mass produced box designed for maximum profit and convenience of the construction industry. Building from natural materials does away with producers profits and the cocktail of carcinogenic poisons that fill most modern buildings."

The house is much lighter and bigger on the inside than I expected:



Simon has many more photos and instructions for how to build a similar structure on his site. But, see! Isn't it just a big basket?

This is not a new idea. Variations on this can be found all over the world from time immemorial. Here is a photo, now on public domain, of a wooden yurt from Russia:

Mongul Travel sells gorgeous fabric yurts for under $4,000:


Isn't this just gorgeous? So, here you can live in a basket, covered with your favorite textile! And, look at how bright and sunny the inside is:

Many may think that living in a traditional dwelling like the ones I'm showing here, means living in discomfort, without bathrooms or other amenities, but there are many green construction businesses out there that are adapting these traditional building methods to modern needs or expectations. Bamboo is a wonderful renewable material that has lately been used in many new ways. We now have bamboo fibers that knitters, weavers and quilters can use in their work, and the construction business generates gorgeous flooring and pre-fabbed panels that offer both a durable and healthy option to the often poisonous mainstream materials. Here's a nice little video showing the construction of a bamboo house using pre-fabbed panels:



Your basket house does not have to be rustic and ethnic looking. You know the slick lacquerware found in Thailand and VietNam? Here's an example from Green Tulip Ethical Gifts:

Those who like a sleek, modern look can have it, too! Building Green has a bamboo model house designed by Danish architect, Soren Korsgaard:

If you can't or don't want to build your own basket house, consider staying in one for your next vacation. Many of the sites mentioned in this article have good links that can give you more information on other projects or resources. Again in Wales, Cae Mabon, offers such a retreat with wonderful structures like this one throughout the resort:


Heifer International, a wonderful food aid program based here in the United States, works worldwide to alleviate hunger. They have several learning programs for adults and teen-agers and are soon opening the Hidden Villa in California:

"The ten acre campus will be located at Hidden Villa, a nonprofit environmental education center in Los Altos Hills, California (18 miles west of San Jose). Since 1945, Hidden Villa has provided learning opportunities to inspire a sustainable future."

Not only are these basket houses interesting architecturally, but they also step lightly on the earth and save resources. If built correctly, they can help us save energy, reduce our dependency on oil, and decrease the use of toxic materials. My friend, Tom Spaulding, of Angelic Organics Learning Center, recently built a new building which houses their offices and training workshops. They used straw bale building methods with naturally harvested woods for supports, creating a gorgeous structure. This is in Beloit, Wisconsin where winters are miserable and long. The building was so warm, they often wore shorts during the winter! Imagine! No heating bills in the bitter MidWest!

The challenge and delight for all of us is to use these ancient ideas that have worked for our ancestors and apply them in big or small ways to our immediate environment. It's not always easy as city ordinances and neighbors may balk at what looks different from what they are used to. It takes education and successful examples to make inroads into entrenched ideas of what is acceptable for our neighborhoods and communities. But, we are not talking about the sod houses of yesteryear. Instead, we have beautiful, solid structural options today that can use these fibers to the full capacity of our imagination and technology. Take it to the next level!

Sod House in Nebraska

Eco Housing: Baskets So Big You Can Live In Them!

Is it Green or Fair Trade?

In today's world, where things come from is an important question. If we make things ourselves, we might question the toxicity of the dyes we use, whether the cotton used in a quilt is organic, if wool came from healthy, well-cared for sheep, or we might look around us and try to figure out how to recycle or upcycle discarded "junk" into something new. If we buy something, we might also wonder about these questions and whether the person who made it worked in a sweatshop or received fair wages for their labor.

Where, oh, where did this doll come from? Who made it? Is it old, new, collectible?

Those of us who have a passion for textiles, fiber art and all things handmade tend to zoom in on items that show expert workmanship, interesting designs, and a new way of putting things together. I draw a distinction between vintage and new work and whether something was made by and individual artist/crafter or as part of a business.
The doll is new, made of recycled fabrics. An unknown (to me) crafter made it. It is from Bolivia. It doesn't have much value as a collectible item, but is interesting as a cultural one. One can find plenty of handmade things online that are interesting to fiber enthusiasts. Knowing what the environmental and social impact that item has is a growing concern for those of us who want our purchasing power to help improve conditions here on Planet Earth. Products that fulfill environmental concerns are called eco or green products. They are measured by the impact their carbon footprint has in the production of the item. Products that represent underserved populations as an economic development initiative are referred to as fair trade products.

The doll is both fair trade and green. I bought several of these to sell in my eBay store last Christmas (I think there may be one left, hint, hint...). Inter-American Trading, my source, works with artisans in Bolivia and Peru.

Here is how they describe themselves:

"We are Direct Importers and Wholesalers of Handicrafts, Musical Instruments, Jewelry and Clothing from the Andean Countries of Peru and Bolivia .

We are a family owned business offering indigenous products through the private enterprise system. Our merchandise is produced in an environmentally sound manner. We are members of the Fair Trade Federation."

Groups like Inter-American work with people to help them improve their standard of life. Artisans working with such groups are often referred to as producers. The artistic impact of products they make often take second place to the saleability of an item. Producers may be paid by the piece, or may belong to a collective that helps decide how profits will be used for the benefit of the community as a whole. Success of a project might be measured by the number of locals who have greater access to education, medical attention, legal resources and so on. Often groups are structured as a collective, cooperative, non-profit, church organization or non-governmental organization.

Not everything fair trade is green and not all green products are fair trade. For example, a fair trade group might be working with batik artists in Indonesia. They might pay their producers fair prices for the batiks, but might use toxic dyes in the process. Many of the dyes used overseas are illegal in the United States because of their toxicity when discarded.

And, a green item, let's say an organic cotton scarf, might be made using good environmental standards, but they may pay their workers poorly. These are two different conscientious markets that need to marry. Both have loyal customer bases which have been slowly merging together. Fair Trade coffee is an example of how one cannot survive without the other. Coffee growers unite as collectives and find larger markets if they grow organic beans. This needs to happen in other production sectors as well.

I would like to introduce four organizations that have truly helped grow awareness and organize groups together. You may click on their website images to better read the text and visit their websites by clicking on the title. I have copied each mission below:

The Fair Trade Federation

"The Fair Trade Federation (FTF) is an association of businesses and organizations who are fully committed to fair trade. FTF strengthens the capacity of its members, encourages the exchange of best practices, and raises awareness about the importance of choosing fairly traded products and supporting businesses committed to fair trade principles."

International Federation of Alternative Trade

"IFAT is the International Fair Trade Association, the global network of Fair Trade Organizations. IFAT’s mission is to enable producers to improve their livelihoods and communities through Fair Trade. IFAT will be the global network and advocate for Fair Trade, ensuring producer voices are heard.

Over 300 Fair Trade Organizations in 70 countries form the basis of our network and membership is growing steadily. Approximately 65% of our members are based in the South (that is: Asia, the Middle East, Africa and South America) with the rest coming from North America & the Pacific Rim and Europe. We are truly international!

Our members have the concept of Fair Trade at the heart of their mission and at the core of what they do. They come in many shapes and sizes and represent the Fair Trade chain from production to sale. Our members are producer co-operatives and associations, export marketing companies, importers, retailers, national and regional Fair Trade networks and financial institutions, dedicated to Fair Trade principles."

Aid to Artisans

"Aid to Artisans, a nonprofit organization, offers practical assistance to artisan groups worldwide, working in partnerships to foster artistic traditions, cultural vitality, improved livelihoods and community well-being. Through collaboration in product development, business skills training and development of new markets, Aid to Artisans provides sustainable economic and social benefits for craftspeople in an environmentally sensitive and culturally respectful manner."

Co-Op America's National Green Pages

"Co-op America is a not-for-profit membership organization founded in 1982.

Our mission is to harness economic power—the strength of consumers, investors, businesses, and the marketplace—to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society."

All of these organizations have loads of information on what constitutes fair (or alternative) trade. The National Green Pages is an excellent database for finding both green and fair trade products, not just for crafts, but for all areas of life, including investing financially in socially responsible banks and businesses.

This is a short article on introducing the concept of fair trade and green products. I am in the process of inviting groups to write about themselves and will include more articles on these topics in the future. Finding a way to improve the world through what we make is as important to me as the aesthetic value of a piece. Poor artists are not only in developing countries. Many of us struggle for basic needs in pursuit of our passions as artists or crafters. I have no health insurance and many of the other artists I know live in sub-standard conditions with no savings or safety nets. But, I have always known that this struggle has been my choice. I have a good education and could move to an area where my skills would receive decent compensation. I choose to live in a small town where good jobs are scarce.

Not so for most of the world. So, when a scarf, a doll, a quilt, or a weaving can make a real difference in someone's access to resources AND when that item contributes to cleaning up our environment- I'm all for it!

I have several fair trade groups listed under Fair Trade Fiber at the right and will continue to increase that listing as well as develop one for green products. If you would like to contribute articles to Fiber Focus on this theme, please contact me. Meanwhile, explore these organizations and you will find wonderful groups and resources out there! Go green and fair!

Is it Green or Fair Trade?