In 2014 we decided to launch Mayamiko The Label. A contemporary women’s wear brand inspired by African artisanal tradition and prints, with ethical trading and sustainability at its core. Many graduates from our fashion lab now work with Mayamiko The Label and benefit from our workshop policies as well as a large number of artisans we collaborate with on special projects.
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Today, Mayamiko The Label is a respected ethical fashion brand that has been named ‘one to watch’ by Vogue and voted ‘Innovative brand of the year’ by Veggie Magazine. Mayamiko The Label ships world wide and is available online at www.mayamiko.com as well as through a number of ethical boutiques.
Our work is rooted in the Ethical Trading Initiative principles and upholds to the fair trade promise. We are a provisional member of WFTO (World Fair Trade Organisation) We are inspired by traditional craftsmanship and artisan design and work closely with female artisans both in Malawi and across the globe, collaborating with exceptional makers and providing further training to those who wish to hone a skill or learn a new one entirely. Community development is equally important to us and we always strive for our creative projects to have a deeper value and lasting positive effect on those involved. We work with many creative collectives who empower and train wonderful people who just need a fresh opportunity to thrive. From refugees and asylum seekers to mothers of differently-abled children, our partnerships help support talented artisans with fair opportunities. |
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OUR PRODUCTS & SUSTAINABILITY
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All garments are ethically made in our workshop which is powered by solar energy, cutting our carbon footprint and environmental impact. All materials used are sourced from the local markets in Malawi no further the 40km from the workshop. By doing this we provide trade opportunities to the local communities and support their economy.
On top of this, to further support our sustainable promise we follow a zero waste policy and use a special pattern cutting technique to ensure maximum fabric usage meaning we minimise scrap fabric waste as much as possible. Any material that is left over gets given a new life, from our scape fabric we make wonderfully handy things such as hair scrunchies, dust bags for the garments and most importantly reusable sanity pads for the local girls of Malawi and refugee camps in need (read more here). Last but not least we only use environmentally friendly packaging materials and give our customers the option to offset the carbon emissions of their delivery through our partnership with NGO One Tree Planted. |
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OUR ARTISAN PARTNERSHIPS
Mayamiko x Macoha
Our gorgeous batik and tie-dye fabrics are hand-dyed by talented artisans at the Malawi Council for the Handicapped (MaCoHa), an organisations based in Blantyre, which employees and trains wonderful humans, differently abled. We pay MaCoHa a fair price for the artisans' work and love working together on new and creative artisanal products. We are also working on introducing more eco friendly dye alternative to the traditional dyes, and have been experimenting with onion peels, hibiscus flowers and avocado peels.
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Mayamiko x Booteek
For the last few years we have been working with a social empowerment project called Booteek, supporting disadvantaged women artisans who are mothers to disabled children in Sri Lanka. The women artisans work from their homes, giving them the flexibility to work at their own pace and care for their children. The clutches, boho bags and tassels they make for Mayamiko are from 100% local raw silk and are beautifully hand embroidered. We also use recycled tea bags for packaging, which are lovingly painted by their differently abled children as art therapy.
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Mayamiko x Myanmar
During a sourcing trip, we discovered some incredibly delicate and precious scarves, hand dyed and hand woven in Myanmar by the Kayan Lahwi women, also known as Padaung, a sub-group of Red Karen (Karenni) people. In the late 1980s and early 1990s many Kayan tribes fled to the Thai border area and settled in refugee camps. The Kayan Lahwi women dye and weave beautifully rich textiles, often crafted into scarves or cloth, as one of their main income generating activities. The artisanal process is highly skilful and elaborate, and the result is so luxurious and unique. In the future we hope to bring you more of their exquisite work, as we keep supporting the development and empowerment of their communities.
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MAYAMIKO X FIORE ALL'OCCHIELLO
For our recent up-cycled silk collection, we have partnered with ethical artisan workshop 'Fiore all'Occhiello', a social cooperative based on the outskirts of Milan. Fiore all’Occhiello provides stable employment for disadvantaged people, refugees and asylum seekers as part of comprehensive programmes of integration and support services in the local community. Skilled tailors and artisans from Africa, Asia, and Latin America have expertly crafted each piece especially for Mayamiko. The workshop is located in proximity of the silk mill from which we sourced our up-cycled silk, ensuring that the environmental impact of your garments is as low as possible.
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Jewellery Making With The Mayamiko Team
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After exploring how we can use all of our scrap fabric and stick to our zero waste commitment we have identified a potentially new opportunity for our artisans by providing jewellery making training. Using up-cycled scrap fabric from the Mayamiko collections our trainees have been learning to make bangles, earrings and necklaces, fusing contemporary techniques with our traditional African fabrics. Our team is taught by Artisan jewellery maker Gaia and is influenced by her traditional design and aesthetic. Each artisan is developing their own small and unique range of jewellery which we hope to make available in the coming months.
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