Handmade and Slow Design

Yawama Kids believe in Slow Design. Limited collections, handcrafted products with timeless design, and transparent production.

We love handcraft because it:

• Is durable and utilizes the techniques and skills that have been handed down from one generation to the next
• Creates more jobs than mass production, especially for women in Africa, who are provided with the opportunity to work from home.
• Is less damaging to the environment.
• Is not always perfect – but always unique.

Fair Trade & Sustainable Design

Yawama Kids products are produced with respect for both the environment and producers. They regularly visit their craftsmen on site in Zambia, working to create long-term partnerships based on Fair Trade principles. This means that wage rates are reasonable, that child labour and forced labour does not occur in production, the working hours are respected and that working conditions are safe.

Africa

Yawama Kids import directly from artisans across Africa. African crafts are of high quality but producers often have fewer export opportunities than in other developing countries. This is because:

• The products rarely are market ready
• The producers lack knowledge of export market
• The producer lack resources to promote itself abroad
• Production volumes are limited
• The production often takes place in remote areas with poor communications.
• High transport costs that make the products difficult to compete with cheap mass production