These bright, graphic bags are handwoven by women who work from their homes in Khayelitsha Township outside of Cape Town, South Africa. Khayelitsha is a partially informal township located on the Cape Flats in Cape Town South Africa. It is reputed to be the largest and fastest growing township in post Apartheid South Africa. Founded in 2002, Mielie (which means corn - the women's common food source in South Africa) is the brainchild of designer and humanitarian Adri Schutz who started hook rugging offcut fabric strips at her dining room table. She turned her creations into a way to create sustainable employment for African women working their way out of poverty. All of the fabric used is reclaimed, and locally produced in South Africa. Mielie fabric strips are a by product from cotton mills and once a week they purchase them by the kilogram from local factories. Because the shades vary every week and seasonally they never quite know what they're going to end up with. Strips of reclaimed cotton jersey are woven into patterns drawn on jute canvas which turn into useful folk art masterpieces. Each handcrafted piece creates the opportunity for a connection between buyer and maker. Carry a Mielie bag from Among Women Collection and help spread the love!
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