Each month, The Studio loans money to artisans in need in order to help them advance their business and livelihood. You can read more about this project here.
In May, The Studio supported a knitter and a handmade fan maker in buying the supplies they need to grow their businesses.
Şermin is a skilled knitter and mother who has been creating handmade vests, sweaters, and slippers since 2014 to help support her family. The Studio is helping support her with funds to purchase additional knitting materials so she can produce more items, reach more customers, and continue growing her business.
Vasiti is a mother and traditional craftswoman who makes beautiful handmade fans, kiekie, mats, and other crafts valued by her local community. The Studio is supporting her with funds to buy hibiscus leaves, pandanus leaves, and other raw materials so she can fulfill more orders and provide for her children's education and family needs.
In April, The Studio supported two artisans who work with fabric to create products for their local communities.
Ana is a 26-year-old entrepreneur in Sololá who sells traditional Mayan clothing and is building her own shop to better showcase her products. The Studio is supporting her with funds to purchase additional traditional clothing inventory and construction materials like cinder blocks and cement to complete her shop. With her new space and growing business skills, Ana is working toward a thriving, well-stocked store that celebrates and preserves her Mayan k'iche culture.
Saltanat is a talented embroidery artisan from Panjakent who has spent three years perfecting her craft, hand-stitching intricate patterns with care and artistry. The Studio is supporting her with funds to purchase an embroidery machine and high-quality fabrics so she can grow her work and turn her passion into a thriving livelihood. With these tools, Saltanat hopes to one day open her own small workshop and share her beautiful creations far beyond her hometown.
In March, The Studio supported two artisans who make traditionally embroidered items for wearable and decorative pieces.
Matlubakhon is a talented embroidery artisan and mother of four who uses her skills to help support her children. She makes each piece by hand, and needs a sewing machine to increase her production and meet the demand of her community while providing needed income for her growing family. The Studio is helping support her with funds for buying an embroidery machine!
Shamim is a hand embroidery artist and mother who creates traditionally embroidered clothing. The Studio is supporting her with funds to buy threads, fabrics, and needles she needs to increase her production and support her children's education.
This month, we are supporting two textile artists who create hand woven items that they sell in their local communities.
Ferozan is a mother of four and an hand embroidery artist who has been sewing and embroidering traditional items for years. The Studio is helping her purchase thread, beads, and sequins so she can sell larger batches of her creations at local markets.
Delia is a hammock maker who weaves silk and polysilk hammocks for her local community members. She struggles to buy the materials she needs to scale her business so The Studio is helping her purchase large amounts of materials so accelerate her production.
This month The Studio is helping two artisans who work with fabric, thread, and beads to create highly sought after traditional items sold in their local communities.
Munira is a Tajik seamstress and craftswoman who is highly skilled in embroidery that reflect the traditions and culture of her community. The Studio is helping her purchase a large batch of high quality fabrics that will allow her to sell products in a higher price range and provide more educational opportunities for her four children.
Nazia has practiced hand embroidery for years, and is well known in her community for using beads, pearls, and thread to create intricate items. The Studio is helping her purchase thread, sequins, and pearls in large quantities to meet the increasing demand for her work. Her goal is to provide more stability for her family of six by selling more items at a time at local markets.
In December, The Studio is supporting a palm weaver and a group of women who work together on large scale painted and textile-based projects for their local communities.
Lionela is a palm weaver and mother of five children who creates traditional woven handbags, baskets, and hats that she sells in outdoor markets. The Studio is helping her purchase a large batch of materials so she can increase her production and make more profit from her upcoming markets.
Dulce Genesis is a group of women who create colorful murals, paintings, and hand crafted textiles for their local communities. Their skills are in high demand in their area but they struggle to purchase the volume of materials they need to create their projects to meet the current demand. The Studio is helping them purchase paints, threads, and fabrics so they can increase their production for the upcoming busy season.
In November The Studio is supporting two artisans who create traditional outfits for their local community and use their profits to support their families.
Maria is a weaver of traditional Guatemalan dresses called guipiles which she sells in her local village. She uses her profits to help support her two children's education and provide stability for her family. Her goals is to invest in a large batch of threads and fabrics so she can increase her production and meet the demand of her local community, and The Studio is supporting her with a loan for materials as she plans for her largest production cycle ever.
Miliseni is a mother and wife who creates and sells traditional Tongan skirts called kiekie made of coconut leaves and embellishments. She faces challenges with purchasing enough raw materials to participate in local markets, so The Studio is helping her purchase large batches of palm leaves and thread so she can produce larger batches of products to help support her family.
This month The Studio is supporting an embroidery artist and a palm weaver who need materials to continue building their local businesses.
María is a mother and wife who creates hats and brooms made of woven palm leaves and The Studio is helping her purchase large batches of palm leaves so she can produce more products to sell at each weekly market. Her dream is to be able to pay for much needed renovations on her home to provide more comfort and safety for her family. Increasing her production and inventory helps her save more each month as she works toward her dream.
Eva Maria is a wife and mother who runs a business with three employees who together create huilpes, which are traditional Mayan blouses. Her goal is to enlarge her business to earn additional support for her daughter's education. Eva herself was only able to attend school for six years, so she works with a local program that is helping her learn business skills to help her better develop her business as she works toward her goal of giving her daughter the education she never had. The Studio is helping her purchase thread and beads that her team uses to decorate huilpes before they are sold at local markets.
This month we are supporting two textile artists who create traditional cloths and rugs for their local communities.
Ozodamo is an embroidery artist who creates detailed wearable and decorative cloths for her local community. The Studio is helping her purchase fabric and threads so she can expand her product range and increase her output.
Malikamoh is an Usbek embroidery artist who uses her craft to support her children while her husband works as a laboring migrant in Russia. Her products are in high demand in her community, and her embroidery process tedious as she does it all on an outdated embroidery machine. The Studio is helping her purchase a new embroidery machine so she can speed up her process and offer more products to meet the growing demand.
In August, The Studio is supporting two artisans who create traditional woven crafts that are in high demand in their communities.
Lepolo is a mother and basket weaver who runs a thriving weaving business. Her baskets are used for special occasions, home decor, and gifts, and her biggest struggle is keeping up with demand. The Studio is helping her purchase pandanus, the plant material she uses to create her baskets, so she can produce larger quantities and meet the growing demand while producing more income for her family.
Alisi runs a weaving business where she creates kiekie, traditional wearable items for special occasions and events. She uses pandanus, shells, and ribbons to create her intricately decorated products, and each item she makes is used in community and family events that celebrate the traditions of the Tongan culture. The Studio is helping her purchase her materials and decorative items so she can product larger amounts and a time and fulfill her growing list of orders.
In July The Studio is supporting two artisans who use their embroidery skills to produce traditional products sold in local markets and directly to clients.
Gulbahor is an embroidery artist and mother of three in Tajikistan who sells her traditional clothing, blankets, scarves, and hats locally. The Studio will support her is buying a large batch of threads, fabric, and beads so she can grow her reach and sell larger quantities at markets.
Zaiban is a hand-embroidery artisan who has spent decades building up a client list of buyers, but she struggles to keep up with demand because of the cost of buying large quantities of materials. The Studio is helping her purchase beads, sequins, and stones for embellishments that will allow her to serve more of the customers who are waiting for her products.
In June, The Studio is supporting a basket weaver in Turkey, and a seamstress in Tajikistan.
Zeynep is a basket weaver in Turkey who creates handmade storage and celebration baskets for her community to help support her family of seven. The Studio is helping her purchase weaving materials so she can produce larger batches of baskets to sell at local markets.
Ziola is a Tajik seamstress who creates traditional women's clothing that she sells locally. She is a mother of two and works at home with her children by her side. The Studio is helping her purchase a new embroidery machine so she can work faster and produce more clothing each day.
In May, The Studio is supporting two textile artists who use their weaving and sewing skills to provide in-demand products for their communities.
Tilema is an artisan who creates traditional fans alongside her mother and sister. The business helps support their growing family, and provides security for the younger and older members of the family who can’t work. The women take their fans to a local market and have requested a loan for more materials. The Studio is helping them purchase a large batch of coconut husk, coconut fiber, shells, hibiscus, and leaves that they use to weave and decorate their fans so they can sell more items at the local market.
Sadia is a 22-year-old hand embroidery artisan who creates intricate patterns using thread, beads, and pearls and uses her profits to help support her family. She struggles to pay for her materials in order to produce her in-demand products, and The Studio is helping her purchase more thread, sequins, pearls, and beads so she can purchase larger batches of materials, qualifying for quantity discounts.
In April, The Studio is supporting two artisans who make beautiful handmade crafts for their communities and need a little help to get the resources they need to accelerate their businesses.
Socorro is a Colombian weaver who creates traditional woven sombreros made of palm for her local community and sells them in markets around the city. She has two children aged 22 and 3, and her hat making helps support their educational costs. The Studio is helping her purchase palm strands and supplies that she uses to create her woven hats.
Mahina is an embroidery artist from Tajikistan who designs wearable and decorative items that she sells around her city. The Studio is helping her purchase a computerized embroidery machine, which is will help her increase her output and reduce the physical toll of creating her detailed work.
In March, The Studio is supporting five women who create traditional wearable products for their local communities.
The women of the Aguas Vivas embroidery group create hand embroidered güipiles (traditional blouses) that are prized by the members of their community.
This loan will help the members of the group purchase higher quality threads, which allow them to create more valuable, long-lasting goods and better support their families.
Momakiz is a mother of three and a seamstress who has been sewing and embroidering women's clothing for over 20 years. The Studio is helping her purchase threads and sewing accessories, so she can expand her business to larger markets.
In February, The Studio is supporting two textile artisans who between them have 12 children! They use their crafts to support their families, and The Studio is helping them purchase more materials so they can produce their work at a larger scale.
Sisi is a mother of seven children who weaves kiekie (a traditional Tongan belt worn by women at special occasions) to support her family. She uses hibiscus and coconut materials to weave intricate patterns into the kiekie belts, and local women purchase her products at a market in her village.
The Studio is helping Sisi purchase a large batch of materials so she can produce more belts for the markets, enabling her to create more income for her children's education.
Mehrubon is a seamstress and mother of five who uses her embroidery business to support her family. She has been practicing the art of machine embroidery for over 10 years, and her skills are highly valued in her city, but she struggles to purchase enough materials to make the intricate and high-quality work she is capable of. The Studio is helping her purchase needles, threads, and fabrics that allow her to create higher quality products that she can sell at higher prices in order to better support her family.
In January, The Studio is supporting two artisans who support their families with their crafts and are in need of additional supplies and equipment.
Sevgi is a mother and wife who works as a wood carver creating detailed patterns on wood items for decorative wall hangings. The Studio is helping her purchase large batches of wood and supplies so she can create more volume to help support her family.
Demet is a mother and wife who uses her knitting and crochet skills to create socks, blankets, and other household items for her community. The Studio is helping her purchase more yarn and thread so she can create more products to help support her children's education costs.
