We want to help Alaffia spread the word about their new line of handmade accessories. Alaffia is the fair trade company that makes our West African shea and coconut butter skin care products. The Queen Alaffia line (which is available online, but not in our stores) features one-of-a-kind bags, scarves, and more, made from vibrant, hand-printed West African fabrics. The items are made by hand at the Alaffia Artisan Center in Sokode, Togo, by women who are escaping prostitution.
Olowo-n’djo Tchala of Togo and Rose Hyde founded Alaffia to better the lives of women. They began with a line of skin care products made with shea butter. They pay fair wages and offer benefits to the women who gather the shea nuts and grind them into butter. They also donate to community programs for things like schools, bicycles, and healthcare. They have also added a product line made with African coconuts.
In 2014, they converted an outgrown shea butter processing center into the Alaffia Artisan Center. Rose was skilled not only at sewing but at creating patterns and using new sewing techniques. They saw a chance to use the building and Rose’s skills to help another disadvantaged group in the community: women who’d been forced into prostitution by poverty or other circumstances. By giving these women a chance to use sewing skills to support themselves and their families, offering a stable income ad respectable environment, and welcoming them into the Alaffia family, Alaffia enables the women to change their lives.
Queen Alaffia products are not available in our stores but can be purchased online at https://www.alaffia.com/collections/queen-alaffia.