Finding Threads of Hope and Inspiration
None of us will ever forget the first half of 2020. Now more than ever, when we feel scared and uncertain, we want to find inspiration in the stories of people who contribute to progress.
It’s easy to feel that we are too small to change anything because we can’t see the direct impact of our actions. But that did not stop the women who inspire us: women who started as a minority but over time left a mark on history. Thanks to their grit and resilience they broke through stereotypes, and weathered colonialism, scarcity, social injustice and inequality.
Over the next few weeks we will tell you their stories. We will bring you on a journey that begins with a piece of cloth and travels through segregated networks of people, across continents and centuries.
Maakola was founded with one mission in mind: to create clothes that make women feel beautiful, while standing for what they believe in.
Beauty is a choice, not an attribute.
For us, everything starts with the saleswomen at the Makola market in Ghana, who traded in Dutch Wax Print fabrics. They gave each print its own unique story, and in doing so, they created the market for Wax Print fabric in Africa. Through storytelling, they succeeded in creating systemic change by building a shared culture. Everyone benefited from the increased demand, from the fabric manufacturers to the market traders, their customers, and the tailors who made beautiful clothes from these fabrics.
Since the inception of Maakola, it has been clear to us that we owe our existence to these entrepreneurial saleswomen, and to the hundreds of women who followed: our ambassadors, sheroes, our tailors, and the women who wear our clothes — including an American presidential candidate. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing their stories.
Every piece of clothing touches many lives. We hope that our clothes create a connection to all the people who helped to create them, and remind us that every choice and action we make is a contribution to collective progress.