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TORAJAMELOTORAJAMELO ends the cycle of poverty and violence suffered by indigenous women in Indonesia by creating a market for their exquisite traditional weaving. TORAJAMELO creates high-quality, fun and functional fashion and gifts made from hand-woven textiles produced by indigenous women weavers and put together by skilled poor women in towns. Since 2008 TORAJAMELO has transformed the lives of over 1,000 women weavers and over 100 women artisans.
You can buy TORAJAMELO products at their flagship store in Jakarta and online at www.torajamelo.com. |
The Story |
 Dinny Yusuf watches a skilled weaver at work.
Dinny Jusuf married a man from the region of Toraja on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. She learnt two things when she visited his home: first, that the women there depend on selling exquisite hand-woven textiles using traditional 'back-strap' weaving techniques; and second, that they were unable to sell their products. Many women had to leave home to work as domestic helpers overseas; many returned pregnant or abused in other ways.
Dinny saw a way to preserve the women's beautiful weaving skills and provide them with a steady income. Working with her fashion designer sister, she created TORAJAMELO. They design attractive, fun and functional fashion lines and gift products which the weavers create. The products are put together by poor women who are skilled artisans in the Indonesian cities of Jakarta, Yogyakarta and Bandung. Dinny and her team are on a quest for a better life for women. To do so, TORJAMELO buys textiles at a fair price that ensures women can keep weaving and new weavers are attracted to the profession. TORAJAMELO also gives access to micro-finance and welfare programs, to make sure that the community is educated and healthy. And they run capacity-building workshops so that weavers can learn about modern fashion trends and textile designs, and that weaving techniques are passed on to the younger generations too.
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The Impact |
Since its foundation in 2008, TORAJAMELO is now working with over 1,000 weavers and over 100 women in cities. The weavers have gone from earning between nothing and 500k rupiah - that's around US$40 - per month, to having a regular income [from weaving] of 2-3 million rupiah per month - that's US$150-230.
TORAJAMELO has expanded from Toraja to Mamasa in West Sulawesi, and the Adonara & Lembata islands, in East Flores. Its products range from fashionable bags and clothes, to home furnishings like table runners and place mats, to gifts including soft toys and notebooks. The team's goal is by 2025 to be THE shopping destination of Indonesia, which sells high quality fashion line and gift products, all made of Indonesian hand-woven textiles, in collaboration with at least 5,000 weavers across rural Indonesia and at least 1000 urban poor women who produce the finished items. Flores has transformed the communities in which it works. You can be part of its future success. 
One of Torajamelo's weavers at work on a traditional back-strap loom.
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