FROM ARMENIA WITH LOVE
The buzz word sustainability is used and abused by the fashion industry, as by many others, to whitewash products and companies, thus allowing consumers to believe that they are being responsible and in their buying decisions. In a world more and more concerned about acquiring a story or an experience rather than merely a product, the notion that the product bought does not violate the environmental and labour laws or general ethical or legal codes, aims to create a “feel good factor” for the consumer, all while legitimizing the operations of the concerned company.
“The collection is carefully curated, marrying traditional Armenian weaves and modern fashionable designs, offering both men and women the opportunity to be trendy and classy, while wearing patterns and weaves celebrating the ancient land of Armenia”.
By employing women refugees in the own country and widows of war, Sewing Hope for Armenia allows them and their families, who have lost the breadwinner of the family, to escape poverty and continue to live the decent and honorable life they knew before their loss. Sewing Hope for Armenia is committed to providing each members of the team a comfortable, healthy and fulfilling life.
Putting food on the table is the most important for every person and every family. Precarity and poverty lead to malnutrition and over time, starvation. With decent economic remuneration, each Team member of Sewing Hope is able to feed themselves, their family and loved ones.
Health is the most important for each person. Armenia knows very cold winters and warm summers. Without proper healthcare, it is easy to get sick quickly. Thanks to your purchases, each member of the Sewing Hope for Armenia Team is able to benefit from Health Insurance for themselves and their families, providing quality healthcare treatment when needed. The well being of each is regularly monitored, allowing enough family and personal time for them to re-charge themselves.
Investing in education is investing in the future. At Sewing Hope for Armenia, each Team member is trained in the art of sewing and stitching, providing her not only with a profession but a skillset that is continuously grown and developed. As a rule, all the children of our Team members are in school and/or university. Sewing Hope for Armenia supports the children of Team members with tuitions and other support to get them through their studies so that they may pursue their dreams.
Sewing Hope for Armenia’s motto is “women supporting women”. In a traditional society where the man of the house traditionally supports his family, war and displacements has caused many women to have to fend for themselves, setting a precedent that they can. Sewing hope for Armenia supports a strong role for women, encouraging them to dream at the same level as men and reach the same level as men. After all, if you can become the man of the house by force, there is no reason you cannot do it by choice.
Following the loss of their husbands, brothers and fathers in the most recent Artsakh war, many women were left homeless and impoverished, with few options available to them. Sewing Hope for Armenia was created with the intention of making sure they were not forced to remain unemployed and penniless, or to accept dishonorable and indecent employments. Today, thanks to Sewing Hope for Armenia, each lady is not only decently employed but an ambassador of the artisanship of her country and culture, helping to develop and grow the industry nationally.
Society is always judged by the way they treat their most vulnerable members. Whether by birth or by circumstance, inequalities in society, in gender, in race, plague a society and country. Equalizing this is important if society is to flourish. At Sewing Hope for Armenia, we bring in the most vulnerable, irrespective of qualifications or skill level, and offer them a chance, through training and camaraderie, to grow and develop themselves, bridging the gap between them and other members of society. They go from living off society to benefiting it and growing it.
Sustainability is at the heart of the Sewing Hope Concept: providing sustainable income for the most vulnerable, providing sustainability for the artisanship and trade of the culture and communities as well as ensuring ecologically sustainable productions and products, protecting nature as much as we protect the people who need it, to create sustainable economies in their cities and communities.
All products from Sewing Hope for Armenia are sustainably sourced from ecologically, economically friendly fair trade suppliers. We encourage and actively pursue a policy of working with local independent suppliers to allow the local economy to grow and prosper as we do. Wastage in production is closely monitored and reduced as we progress.