SAWA SAWA, co-founded by Anne Drane, is reshaping the fashion industry by focusing on sustainability and the empowerment of women artisans in Kenya.

Anne Drane, the Co-Founder of SAWA SAWA, is redefining the fashion landscape with a focus on sustainability and ethical practices, particularly emphasizing the impact on women in Kenya. As the industry experiences challenges associated with fast fashion and greenwashing, SAWA SAWA emerges as a solution-oriented brand that integrates ethical fashion with nonprofit initiatives.

Born in Kenya and later relocating to the United States, Drane’s journey was influenced by the societal expectations she faced during her upbringing, including the pressure to excel academically and conform to traditional gender roles. Her desire to reconnect with her cultural roots sparked the idea for her brand. “It started with a longing for home and missing certain aspects of my culture,” Drane shared regarding the inception of SAWA SAWA. She initiated the process by asking her mother to source traditional handicrafts from her home village, which led to a burgeoning network of skilled women artisans reaching out to her.

Over time, Drane envisioned transforming these individual efforts into a more cohesive operation. Initially recognizing the inherent beauty and potential of the handcrafted products, she sought to organize the artisans into a collaborative collection framework rather than leaving each to pursue their unique creations. “You can see the vision. You can see these women come together – they weave. That’s how they fellowship, that’s how they talk, that’s how they sing,” she explained.

In 2023 and 2024, Drane immersed herself in the production process in Kenya, where she witnessed firsthand the intricate, handcrafted techniques employed by women artisans, using locally sourced materials and traditional methods. The creation process involves meticulous steps, from extracting agave fibers to dyeing them using natural elements like flowers and tree bark – “Everything is handcrafted; they’re authentic, not the type of souvenirs tourists would buy,” she noted.

SAWA SAWA’s business model not only supports artisans financially by ensuring they receive direct payment for their work but also invests the brand’s profits into various community programs, addressing critical issues faced by women and their families. Drane stated, “When a woman makes a basket we buy it, so she makes the money from us buying the bag.” One of the nonprofit’s key initiatives includes a menstrual health program, which has evolved from offering disposable menstrual pads to providing reusable menstrual cups—a more sustainable alternative.

Beyond menstrual health, SAWA SAWA collaborates with organizations like Well Aware to construct wells and implement rainwater collection systems. These efforts aim to provide clean water access to entire communities; a project capable of supplying water for a village can be completed for approximately $700. Furthermore, the nonprofit has extended its outreach to food aid, inspired by a personal experience of Co-Founder Kate Wamu Mun’ara, who realized the dire hunger situation while offering a banana to a child in Kenya.

Drane emphasized the potential reach of SAWA SAWA, highlighting that every village is home to numerous skilled women artisans. She expressed her concern about the women who stand by awaiting opportunities to work and profit from their crafts, stating that broader sales would enable more artisans to participate. “Hopefully, we’ll get orders into the thousands in the future as we partner with more brands and more stores,” she conveyed.

SAWA SAWA continues to strive toward establishing a future where fashion functions as a vehicle for community upliftment and environmental stewardship. Drane’s commitment to this mission illustrates that brand building can coincide with social advocacy, turning every product sold into a narrative of empowerment, sustainability, and transformation. “It’s a poverty issue, and the big thing we do with our fashion brand is eliminate poverty,” she said, noting the gravity of the impact that SAWA SAWA aims to achieve over time.

Source: Noah Wire Services