July 23, 2022

SHA: finding hope in the power of help

The raison d’etre of «Sewing Hope for Armenia» is in the very name of the company – to sew hope. The word sewing, has two meanings, one is the literal, where sewing indicates the actions made to put together pieces of cloth, the other, planting a seed. «Sewing Hope for Armenia», plants the seed of hope in the hearts of these women who have lost everything, only for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It is through the needle they use for stitching, that the journey of hope begins.

At the initiative of 2 Armenian girls who could not leave their sisters in need, on the 8th of January 2021, only two months after the end of the war, The «Sewing Hope for Armenia» Centre on Marshall Baghramyan Avenue in Yerevan opened its doors to welcome 14 ladies, each carefully chosen for their precarious condition brought about by the conflict, some having lost a soldier, the others having lost their home in Artsakh to the enemy. Whether widowed or married to someone incapacitated through injury incurred in battle, these 14 women found each other in a sisterhood, united by their suffering but equally by their desire to rebuild their life, in honor and dignity.

The Centre was equipped with professional industrial grade sewing, stitching and overlock machines, and supplied with traditional Armenian weave for the women to transform into fashion and home accessories – a quintessentially Armenian touch inspired by modern fashion. While the tradition of weaving and stitching is one that is intertwined with the Armenian people since thousands of years, this doesn’t mean that every Armenian woman is able to stitch, let alone create handbags worthy of the international market. Anyone with the slightest knowledge of Armenian history, will know that Perseverance is a trait found in all Armenian blood . . . over the months, under training by sewing masters of tradition, the bags got better and better, until each woman was confident enough of her work, to be able to attach a signed card to it, introducing herself to you, telling you her story and thanking you for buying the product, in hope that you enjoy it as much as she enjoyed making it for you.

When you purchase anything from Sewing Hope for Armenia, attached to it, is a little card, with a short life story of the lady who has made the item you have bought. Each card ends with: “I hope you will enjoy carrying this peace as much as I enjoyed creating it for you.” before being personally signed by that lady.

Make a purchase at Sewing Hope for Armenia! By doing this, you will support single refugee women from Artsakh and Armenia, meet them to regain hope and faith in the power of love and help.