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Artisans
Arghand
The Arghand cooperative in Kandahar was founded in May 2005 by Sarah Chayes who lives in Afghanistan and spends most her time between Kabul and Kandahar.
The members of the cooperative, both men and women, bear equal responsibility. They share the revenues as well as the risks. Members have control over all aspects of production regardless of gender or ethnic background.
Arghand was established to contribute to the economic development of the southern provinces of Afghanistan.
The cooperative produces not only handwoven scarves and shawls, but also natural skincare products from fruits of the Kandahar region.
The exclusive Arghand scarves are designed by members of the cooperative who are assisted by a highly experienced weaver from Herat (a city in the western part of the country).
The untreated silk is imported from China. The women and men in the cooperative dye the silk by hand, and then use traditional wooden looms to weave the scarves.
The members jointly determine the colours of the scarves. The design of the scarves is often based on the Afghan turban, which is still worn by many men.
The sale of the scarves keeps the Afghan weaving tradition alive and assures that the members of the cooperative earn an income.
Take a look at the scarves from Arghand.
Reeling silk at Arghand
Artisans from Myanmar
Myanmar has a strong tradition of weaving. Its many artisans have been long making the most beautiful handwoven silk fabrics and are also well known for their complex handwoven tribal cottons. More about Artisans from Myanmar
Atis Fanm Matènwa
Atis Fanm consists of a group of women from Matènwa, a rural village in the mountains of la Gonave, an island off the coast of Haiti. More about Atis Fanm Matènwa
Basha
Basha is a young Fairtrade organisation in Dhaka and Mymensing, Bangladesh. Its aim is to support underprivileged women in finding dignified employment. Basha's vision is to continue to grow as long a.. More about Basha
Caserita
Caserita works in a spirit of cooperation with their partners based on the principles of equity and solidarity that help improve quality of life for the artisans. More about Caserita
Cathy Ulos
Cathy lives at Sumatra, Indonesia. Ze has a little shop where she sells drinks and snacks and when it is quit she weaves scarves. Every scarf she makes is different. More about Cathy Ulos
Craft Village
Craft Village supports weaving families in the countryside of Cambodia by ordering and selling handwoven scarves and shawls. More about Craft Village
Equitable Marketing Association
The Equitable Marketing Association (EMA) is a fair trade organisation in the province West Bengal in the northeast of India. EMA was established in 1977 at the initiative of seven cooperatives. More about Equitable Marketing Association
Karenni artisans in Thailand
The Karen form a large tribal community in Thailand. The majority of the Karen people live in refugee camps in the mountains in the northwest of Thailand. They originate from Myanmar but had to flee f.. More about Karenni artisans in Thailand
Kelzang Wangmo
Many women in Bhutan have learned their excellent weaving skills at a very young age from their mothers. Only few countries show such an amount of exquisite weaving, and still appreciate this form of .. More about Kelzang Wangmo
Kimdo Pashmina
Kimdo Pashmina is an impressive family business in Kathmandu, Nepal. Daya Bir Sing Kanshakar, late father of currect owner Prakash Kanshakar, founded the social enterprise in 1959. The enterprise's go.. More about Kimdo Pashmina
Mulberries
Mulberries is a fair trade organisation in the northeast of Laos. Mulberries was established in 1994 by Kommaly Chanthavong and seeks to create opportunities and income for people in Laos. More about Mulberries
Ny Tanintsika
Ny Tanintsika (literally: Our Land / Our Earth) is a non-governmental organisation working for the conservation of nature in Madagascar. The organisation works together with villagers and farmers from.. More about Ny Tanintsika
Pa Daeng
The Pa Daeng weaving group is a very small group, consisting of six Thai grandmothers. The group was founded ten years ago by Pranorm, a Buddhist nun. More about Pa Daeng
Sabahar
Sabahar is a Fairtrade organisation in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. The organisation’s aim is to offer underprivileged women and men a sustainable income. At present Sabahar employs one hundred and twen.. More about Sabahar
Sana Hastakala
Sana Hastakala (meaning "Small Handicraft") is a nonprofit organisation in Kathmandu. The organisation markets the rich, traditional and artistic craftsmanship of small-scale producers. This way, it h.. More about Sana Hastakala
Village Works
Villageworks Cambodia was established in 2001 as a social enterprise. In 2015 they became certified members of the World Fair Trade Organisation (WFTO). Village Works takes great pride in carrying the.. More about Village Works
Vinita
Vinita is an artist in her fifties living in the northern part of Thailand. Because being an artist does not pay well, she now earns an income by dyeing silk scarves. More about Vinita
Weavers from Isan province
Some of the artisans that make our scarves we have not met in person. As we do not know their individual story, we refer to those artisans as ‘weavers from Isan Province’ without any further speci.. More about Weavers from Isan province