Home Improvement

Behind The Material: Sweetgrass

BEHIND THE MATERIAL: SWEETGRASS

As our brand grows, so too does our investment in the sustainable and ethical production of our products. It’s not only about sustaining the earth, but residents, heritage crafts, and time-honored rules.

Sweetgrass roughly makes up 40% of our raw material usage and is a locally-grown and collected natural fiber widely utilized by female weavers across Africa. The quantity of raw sweetgrass in Rwanda has created an integral element of the long-practiced art of basket weaving and is an essential part of the country’s culture. Rwandan women are instructed how to weave baskets by their grandmothers and mothers, carrying on a tradition that has been handed down from one generation to another.

Our signature sweetgrass baskets are a celebration of traditional Rwandan weaving utilizing locally-sourced, natural materials, and a straightforward collaboration with artisans who profit from Indego’s market-driven method of women’s empowerment.

Sisal, roughly make 13% of our raw material use, is an endurable natural fiber carefully cultivated from agave plants’ long, green leaves. Understood for its durability, texture, and strength sisal is extracted, brushed, sun-dried, and baled by local farmers over Rwanda before becoming consciously crafted into handwoven bags and baskets. Because sisal groves yield mostly organic trash, leftover materials are used to help rural economies by producing animal feed, fertilizer, and electricity.

Rehearsing a time-honored Rwandan weaving process, artisans use a needle and thread to carefully cover hand-dyed strands of sisal around piles of locally-harvested sweetgrass. By dyeing sisal fibers by hand, artisan makers make precise color combinations and nuanced designs for weaving. Each basket endures three to five days of meticulous handwork for one woman to finish.

For Indego Africa, our commitment to slow production is profoundly ingrained in our mission to empower craftsperson women in Africa. We collaborate with our artisan partners to design products that support their incredible skill, showcase the beautiful craftsmanship and storied history of traditional African artistry, and honor Indego’s dedication to high-quality, modern design.

 

Indego Africa's market-driven technique to artisan empowerment aids to transform the lives of youth, women, and refugees across Africa.

 

As our brand grows, so too does our investment in the sustainable and ethical production of our products. It’s not just about nurturing the earth, but heritage crafts, local communities, and time-honored traditions. Sweetgrass roughly makes up 40% of our raw material use.

Since 2007, Indego Africa has been driving the growth, creation, and sustainability of women-owned corporations in Africa by delivering artisans with a global market for their hand-made products and investing in their education.