Hand-woven Napkin from Ethiopian Cotton

Hand-woven Napkin from Ethiopian Cotton

Description & Details

This soft and richly textured napkin is entirely hand-made in Ethiopia. It is crafted from locally sourced, pure raw materials and with extensive know-how. Carefully selected cotton fibres are spun by hand into beautifully uneven thread. Konso and Dorze weavers, who are amongst the most skilled in the country, apply their knowledge of the loom, patience and attention to detail to every thread. Created in 2004, Sabahar aims to preserve and celebrate Ethiopia's ancient craft of hand loom weaving. The company offers fair and stable employment opportunities and extensive trainings for craftsmen to apply their traditional skills to modern fresh designs.

Composition & Colour

100% natural cotton; naturally dyed.
White

Size

50cm x 50cm

Care

Thanks to Sabahar's reliable dyeing technique, the textile can be cleaned in the washing machine using conventional soaps. The dyes are also AZO free and REACH certified.

How it is made

A Spacious, Airy Atelier

Situated in the middle of Addis Abeba, Ethiopia's bustling capital city, Sabahar's airy and spacious atelier is located in a haven of green. It is here that the weavers, spinners, dyers and finishers make the intricate hand-woven cotton textiles.
Spinning the Cotton

Cotton production has been a central component of rural and urban Ethiopian life for centuries. Sabahar uses cotton grown in lower elevation areas that is spun on drop spindles by their crafts(wo)men's talented hands. Hand spun cotton is very textured and soft and makes each product unique.
Dyeing the Threads

Sabahar only uses environmentally friendly dyes for its cotton, such as coffee, onionskin, tea, safflower, marigold and cochineal. To further minimize its environmental footprint, Sabahar has also installed a sophisticated water recycling and purification system.
Hand Weaving the Cotton

Hand weaving has been a way of life for centuries in Ethiopia and almost all textiles are still made on hand looms. The art of weaving is passed down from father to son, thus almost all weavers in Ethiopia are men. The techniques have not changed much for centuries but Sabahar has worked on introducing new patterns, colours and designs.
A Rich Yet Dying Heritage

Sabahar works primarily with weavers from the Konso and Dorze ethnic groups that have the reputation of being the most skilled weavers. Generally, weavers remain a quite marginalized group and most still only work in the informal sector. As such, the art of weaving is disappearing as the newer generation is choosing to leave the trade.
Finishing the Product

Two small yet dedicated teams of women ensure the finishing of each piece. One group of women make the fringes, a time-intensive process of twisting and knotting the end threads. And another group sews, cuts the ends of the fringes and quality checks each piece.