Kate Spade: Women for Women Bags and Jewelry

Last week while I was in New York for my birthday, I went to the Kate Spade New York store in Soho to view the Kate Spade collection of bags and jewelry crafted by women in Rwanda.  The bags  crafted by women in Rwanda were created using traditional skills passed down from generations in Africa.

According to the Women for Women's website, "since 2005, Kate Spade New York and Women for Women International have been working together to promote micro-enterprises for women in the still-recovering communities throughout Bosnia & Herzegovina. In the past year, nearly 400 jobs were created in Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo and Rwanda." 

I love accessories created and inspired by Africa (and other countries around the world) that are fairly traded and created.  Though most of Kate Spade's items are beyond my current spending price-point, I enjoyed viewing the collection.

 

When I first saw pictures in the bags in the March issue of Marie Claire, I immediately thought of the bags crafted in the Gullah tradition in a few southern states, which I guess makes sense, because the Gullah tradition of crafting baskets was a retention of blacks from Africa.  The photos of the bags piqued my interest, so I decided to attend the viewing at Kate Spade which was very nice.  The store was brightly colorful and there was champagne for guests. 

Some of the woven bags were in the bright colors which are expected from Kate Spade accessories and can be worn with a variety of looks from casual to dressy occasions.   Check out Kate Spade's website to see more from the collection.

Sources: Kate Spade, Women for Women International