Meet Selam + Her New Scarf.
Every fashionABLE product is named after one of the heroic women we work with. That means every product has a story behind it. We love that when you order the Mamuye tote or the Niguse scarf, you can think about what the women are now ABLE to do because of your purchase (and that you, yourself, are ABLE to create opportunity!)
One of our most beloved scarf styles since the early days was the Etanesh Stripes scarf -- a medium weight scarf with contrasting textured stripes that has become a staple in almost every season. This scarf was originally named after Etanesh, who found the motivation to own her own business & continues to want to see her son, Abel, grow in character.
It's normal and expected that not all of the women at our partners in Africa will continue working there forever. Some move on to other trades and some move to other cities. Since Etanesh is no longer working at our partner, Ellilta, and this is a style we believe is here to stay, we wanted this scarf to get a new name... Meet Selam.
Selam grew up in Gondor with her mother, father and four brothers. Due to the poverty and pressure for an arranged marriage, she fled to Addis (the city) with hopes for a better life, at only 15 years old. When she arrived in Addis she worked for about 3 years as domestic help but then at age 18 she was introduced to the life of prostitution.
For almost the next 20 years of her life, Selam was caught in that life. She had two children, whose father she will never know. But those children, Tsigest (age 16) and Abraham (age 10), are now the pride of her life.
One of the most important things in her life now is the ability to be home every night to hug her children. In her previous line of work, she almost never got to see her children due to her schedule of working at night and sleeping during the day.
The change that the opportunity at fashionABLE has provided her is something Selam has a hard time putting into words. She said, "My joy cannot be expressed, I'm confident now and even my children have changed and they are proud of me and the work I am able to do" Read more about Selam's story and see the scarf named in her honor.
We are so excited to have such a staple scarf in our collection named after Selam. Check back as new colorways launch in the Selam striped scarf this Fall -- as well as the brand new GAME DAY Collection officially launching next week!
Selam grew up in Gondor with her mother, father and four brothers. Due to the poverty and pressure for an arranged marriage, she fled to Addis (the city) with hopes for a better life, at only 15 years old. When she arrived in Addis she worked for about 3 years as domestic help but then at age 18 she was introduced to the life of prostitution.
For almost the next 20 years of her life, Selam was caught in that life. She had two children, whose father she will never know. But those children, Tsigest (age 16) and Abraham (age 10), are now the pride of her life.
One of the most important things in her life now is the ability to be home every night to hug her children. In her previous line of work, she almost never got to see her children due to her schedule of working at night and sleeping during the day.
The change that the opportunity at fashionABLE has provided her is something Selam has a hard time putting into words. She said, "My joy cannot be expressed, I'm confident now and even my children have changed and they are proud of me and the work I am able to do" Read more about Selam's story and see the scarf named in her honor.
We are so excited to have such a staple scarf in our collection named after Selam. Check back as new colorways launch in the Selam striped scarf this Fall -- as well as the brand new GAME DAY Collection officially launching next week!
