Trusting the Power of Community
As part of a series of “fireside chats” sponsored by R.I.S.E. Artisan Fund, Kythzia Barrera and Rashmi Bharti spoke about the artisan-owned collective enterprises that they founded and continue to build, Colectivo 1050° and Earthcraft Self-Reliant Cooperative. Both founders define success in terms that put local stakeholders first. Rashmi Bharti spoke from Tripuradevi, in the mountain region of northern India. Barrera joined the conversation from Oaxaca, in the highlands of southern Mexico.
Rubin Foundation Awards Grant to R.I.S.E. Artisan Fund
The Marvin and Sylvia Rubin Family Foundation announced that it has awarded a grant to R.I.S.E. Artisan Fund to fund a textile project led by Maddalena Forcella and Ana Paula Fuentes, social designers based in Oaxaca in southern México.
The designers will be working with 26 indigenous weavers in San Bartolo Yautepec, a Zapotec village in the highlands of Oaxaca. Using back-strap looms that predate the arrival of Spanish colonialists, the Zapotec weavers produce fabric with intricate brocade motifs. The fabric is then used to create huipiles, traditional Mexican garments. “For us, these are some of the most beautiful huipiles in México,” Fuentes said. “But unfortunately the weaving tradition has been disappearing little by little, mainly because of the lack of markets. Many women have stopped weaving.”
Hyper-local Manufacturing on the Final Frontier
As part of our series of “fireside chats”, Amneh Shaikh-Farooqui of Polly & Other Stories and Afshan Abbas of Fuchsia Shoes conversed from opposite sides of the globe about the artisans of Pakistan, the final frontier for impact investors, how their companies managed to gain momentum during COVID, and what they need to reach their goals.