Mielie Short Handbag

Enjoy a bag that is as unique as you, handmade in South Africa with locally reclaimed fabric. Mielie fabric strips are a cotton mill byproduct purchased once a week by the kilogram from local factories. Because the shades vary weekly and seasonally, Mielie Design crafters never quite know what they're going to end up with. These reclaimed cotton jersey strips are woven into patterns drawn on jute canvas, turning them into useful folk art masterpieces. Each handcrafted piece creates the opportunity for a connection between buyer and maker. Carry a Mielie bag and help spread the love!

• Reclaimed cotton jersey fabric with leather handle
• 100% cotton polka-dot lining
• One interior pocket
• 5.5" L x 13" W (14 x 33 cm)
• Handmade in & fairly traded from South Africa

The weavers of Mielie Designs work from their homes in Khayelitsha Township in South Africa. Khayelitsha is a partially informal township located on the Cape Flats in Cape Town South Africa. It is reputed to be the largest and fastest growing township in post Apartheid South Africa. Founded in 2002, Mielie is the brainchild of designer and humanitarian Adri Schutz who started hook rugging offcut fabric strips at her dining room table. She turned her creations into a way to create sustainable employment for African women working their way out of poverty.