Attire Accessories - Mar/Apr 2018 (Issue 69)

42 ATTIRE small and very motivated team, very low running costs, a direct interaction with the producers and a long-term commitment to the cause. How do you view the current market and what trends, in both product and business, do you see emerging over the current months? Generally, our market has shown a constant increase and the type of customers have become more diverse. In the USA, for example, there is a good interest from Art Museums shops and Galleries. What are your future plans for the business? We are focusing on getting distributors in the different countries and territories and to streamline our efforts and reduce costs. In addition, we have just started to widen our field and are now part of a leather project teaching the Maasai communities to tan and process leather that would otherwise be wasted. We will then produce high quality products like bags. We have just commenced this aspect of product development so it will be some time before it is available to market. We are working with Marian Spadafora, a well- known Italian designer heavily involved in ethical fashion with strong social and environmental impact. Is there anything else you’d like to add or say about the company? I would like to emphasise the fact that this is one of the very few organisations that was initiated as a NGO project and became totally self-sustained and is still carrying on and growing after over 10 years. We are all very proud of that! Maasai Women Art is also involved in a health training project founded by Unite the World with Africa – an organisation that helps to empower education, health, choice and dignity for women, children and communities across Tanzania. So along with our social enterprise we help to train the Maasai community at large to improve their quality of life. A Maasai Women Art +44 (0)7526 674 272 maasaiwomenart.org