Afia-The Perfect Pieces for Spring & Summer, Ethically Made
A couple of weeks ago I read about Afia on Ecouterre and instantly fell in love with them.
Afia is a fair trade sustainable line founded by Meghan Sebold. When I read Sebold was launching Afia at a pop-up shop in New York I knew I had to visit! So I tweeted with dear Ashley of Ashley4Emergy and off we went (more on sweet, sweet Ashley another day, PROMISE).
On a trip to Ghana in 2006 Meghan Sebold was inspired by the opportunity that lay in the fabrics that existed in the markets in Ghana and impressed by the skilled seamstresses in the community. But with an education in economics Sebold realized that these beautiful goods had a very limited market in Ghana. Afia is Sebold’s way to help change that.
I have to give Meghan a BIG virtual HIGH FIVE for a couple of fantastic developments on Afia since I saw her last.
- Afia’s Online shop is OPEN-Go shop for your summer wardrobe from Afia HERE.
- Afia was featured on Refinery 29!!- If you follow me on twitter, you might have seen my excitement for Meghan last Friday, but read the Refinery 29 piece here and then enter the giveaway by liking Afia on facebook HERE.
Such great things for Afia and I’m sure there will be many, many more.
This is Meghan Sebold wearing her line Afia.
The production behind Afia feels like a labor of love and is nothing short of brilliant. The fabric vendors are from the Makola market in Accra and these local vendors immediately feel the positive impact of Afia’s bulk purchases.
(Pictures are from Afia’s facebook page: Meghan buying fabric and zippers for Afia.)
Patterns are made by designers in New York, Chicago, and West Africa then the pieces are produced in the Dzidefo Women’s Co-Op in Ghana, West Africa. This cooperative is fantastic, not only do they pay fair trade wages but they also have a system in place for growth for these workers. These seamstresses can learn new skills to move up in the ranks of this co-op.
And all this work brings you Afia. Here are some of my favorite pieces from Afia’s S/S 11. All items are available in their shop HERE.
See those cutie little fanny packs?! Mostly made from scraps of fabrics 
, no waste fashion-LOVE!
Afia is another example of beautiful fashion being beautifully made. These pieces are just perfect for spring and summer and I love the modern and urban edge of this line with deep v necklines, paper bag waists and bold zippers.
I hope you all go to visit Afia’s new online store HERE.
I have to mention that there were 2 other incredibly talented women at Afia’s pop-up shop. Harper from Proud Mary Textiles and Julianna a stylist and also maker of J.M.V Jewelry.
Look out for the Proud Mary post coming soon, but while you wait you can take a look at some of their goods at their online store here and Proud Mary has pretty much been featured in every design blog I read, so check out their press page here.
If you’d like to see my other ethical shopping finds, they are all at the top of the page under “Links!-Ethical Shopping!” or “Shop for MORE” category in the sidebar.
Happy shopping, friends!
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