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Scotch & Soda Partners With Studio 189 on Bags
● Scotch & Soda is feeling the love.
The Amsterdam- based fashion brand is partnering with Studio 189, a fashion lifestyle brand cofounded in 2013 by actress Rosario Dawson and luxury executive Abrima Erwiah, on a line of bags.
Studio 189 promotes and curates African and African-inspired fashion through the support of community-led projects, mainly in West Africa. The bags are being designed in Studio 189's product development center in Accra and handcrafted in Bolgatanga by a community of weavers led by ASIGE (Advocacy for Social Inclusion and Girls Education), a non-governmental organization focused on the empowerment of women through work and education.
Only 100 pieces of the colorful raffia bags, which are being called “Born to
Love,” are being produced. The capsule, which features the word “Love” in capital letters woven into the design across the front, is intended to celebrate unity and togetherness.
The color palette is inspired by the flowers, plants and herbs in Ghana, and the bags were created by using traditional basket weaving techniques unique to the Upper East area of Bolgatanga. They were made from locally sourced Palmyra leaf fibers, also known as raffia, and dyed using vegetal pigments created from hibiscus, millet husk and plant leaves.
The process takes three to four weeks for the preparation of the materials prior to the actual weaving, which then takes another week. The bags are packaged in a limited-edition dust bag made from leftover Studio 189 textiles. They will retail for $179 and will be sold on the Scotch & Soda web site as well as in some of its stores.
All proceeds from the sale of the bags will be donated to The Hunger Project, to support the organization's initiatives in countries like Ghana.