Devi Arts Collective
Connecting artisans around the world, the Devi Arts Collective is an ethical fashion
brand featuring handmade nature-inspired jewelry, accessories, and home décor by
designer Bayoush Mengesha. The idea for the collective came from a deep recognition that she needed to start being accountable for where the raw materials she was using in her pieces had come from. Bayoush's desire to bring the concept of 'slow fashion', the fashion movement that allows consumers to be more environmentally and ethically conscious, to a mainstream audience began in 2013.
In 2014, Bayoush spent several months traveling around India, Guatemala, and Bali looking for ethical co-operatives to work with and purchase from. On her travels she found the co-operatives she was looking for and also connected deeply with the female artisans she met, who enthusiastically took her into their spaces and shared their work with pride.
The fabric used at Devi Arts Collective comes from fabric weavers of the Lake Atitlan Women’s Weaving Cooperative in Guatemala. They spin cotton by hand, dye the thread using natural dyes and weave fabric using a traditional backstrap loom. The natural beauty that surrounds the women inspires the motifs used in the fabric and scarves. The motifs and patterns represent the waves of the lake, the mountains, the volcanoes and the change in seasons.
The gems used in the jewelry come from the Khan family in Jaipur. In the heart of the Pink City, the family has been working and mastering the skill of gem cutting for three generations. The current generation consists of ten siblings; seven brothers and three sisters, all who work in the family business. All stones are cut in safe working conditions and there is no child labour being used. All stones are cut ethically.
Based: Vancouver, Canada
Ships to: All countries
Products: Handmade jewelry, home decor and handbags.
Mission: To seek out ethical and sustainable businesses who empower the craft/skills of the artisans they employ.
Vision: Devi Arts Collective has a vision and passion to empower, connect and collaborate with creative artists creating beautiful products out of beautiful raw materials from around the globe.
