When we first conceived the idea to start a line of accessories to help move our bakery projects in Rwanda forward, we knew that the main priority was to give steady work to the many women in rural communities who lack opportunity for meaningful, dignified work otherwise. Believing that a simple, handmade bracelet could be one way to get this mission started and connect the sisterhood, I embarked, as chief creative, to design the most labor-intensive – yet relatively simple -– bracelet imaginable. Stringing beads onto filament is easy; it takes just a few minutes to string a stretchy bracelet. I knew that stringing manufactured beads onto the filament would not give these women the labor hours that they needed. They needed labor-intensive work. They needed to make the actual beads. I came up with the idea of using colored artist clay; the palette is varied and aligns beautifully with our colorful fabricated bags, which we had already begun producing on site.
Working with differently pigmented clays into a single bead takes time. In addition to hand-sculpting each bead, they are then hand-rolled into the most perfect sphere possible. We purchased a special oven for bead baking and built out a work room. It is light filled, with large windows allowing for fresh air. The artisans work cheerfully. Her fingerprints in the clay connect maker with receiver. We believe that our handmade bracelets help raise the collective consciousness about women everywhere.
