Kazi Goods | Handmade African Art Decor

KAZI Goods is a fair trade company cofounded by Alicia Wallace that's focused on artisan development — one of only five who hold the Nest Seal for ethical production of artisanal treasure.

KAZI provide contemporary handcrafted goods for inspired living. They help alleviate poverty by empowering thousands of women weavers in Rwanda, Ghana, Uganda and Tanzania. Master artisans who create intricate and colorful designs for handmade woven fair trade baskets, wine coasters, planters, catch alls, decorative toys and woven wall decor. All crafted from natural fibers. Ready to take pride of place above your bed or sofa in your living room.

KAZI's mix of treasure is all handmade via an artisan network using a traditional weaving process and techniques. Designs brought to life using sweet grass and other natural fibers. Infused with rich colors from a palette of vegetable dyes.

Alicia Wallace ensures that KAZI's business model spreads joy through amazing fair trade baskets and other treasures. Making a difference in the lives of those they work with through artisan development programs, which offer sustainable income flow that truly values the artisan network of women weavers.

Alicia Wallace founded KAZI with the belief everyone deserves a beautiful home, regardless of their economic situation. The business model is laser focused on ways to alleviate poverty. Providing sustainable income flow and fair working conditions for their women weavers, as well as supporting artisan development with sweet grass weaving skills + other natural fibers.

In addition, KAZI Goods strives to create amazing products that provide beauty and functionality, while also being affordable. As a result, KAZI Goods can offer a unique selection of handmade home decor that will add a touch of beauty and style to any room in your house.

Alicia Wallace also believes in eco-friendly practices, and all of KAZI's products are made from natural fibers and organic dyes. The KAZI business model puts eco-friendly practices at the center. They're essential to protecting our planet, and KAZI's always looking for new ways to reduce their carbon footprint.

So make your next statement piece a fair trade treasure from KAZI. We offer free shipping on all orders, so the choice is even easier. And if you're buying a gift for someone else, try our gift cards and give the gift of choice.

KAZI is committed to using sustainable, naturally sourced materials like sweet grass in all their handmade home decor. The company works with artisans in developing countries, teaching them how to grow and harvest their own materials. To alleviate poverty through independence. So they can then go on to employ people in their communities.

KAZI only uses responsibly harvested local materials like raffia, elephant grass, sweet grass and sisal. Every color you see is drawn from organic natural dyes. And this eco-protective process brings organic living into your home. Along with peace of mind, knowing KAZI is taking all these steps to protect the environment.

KAZI statement pieces are beautiful and unique. And buying from the company supports a good cause, so what's not to love?

Sisal

A sisal statement piece in your home will add a touch of inspired living with its silky shine and bold color. KAZI's sisal treasures range from wall decor that hangs above your bed to floor baskets that rise up to your waist. Sisal is a type of agave plant, and the fiber from this plant is very strong and durable.

KAZI use sisal to create high contrast, vibrant, and sharp colors. And all of KAZI's dyes are organic, so you can be confident in their brilliance. Adding a touch of bold and daring whimsy to your living room, hallway or anywhere else that needs a dash of inspiration.

Raffia

KAZI is proud to work with artisans in Uganda and Tanzania who hand weave our beautiful Raffia products. Raffia, a product of the palm-like Busso plant, is naturally tan and ribbon-like and adds a warming base and texture to KAZI pieces. Their artisans use organic dyeing methods to add color and interest to these already special pieces. When earthy, “powdery” or raw trends are present in the home decorating world, Raffia is their go-to to meet the trend. When brought into a living room, for example, KAZI's Raffia pieces and collections add a comfortable, hygge mood to the space, pairing well with most other design textiles.

Elephant Grass

KAZI is proud to source their handmade Elephant Grass baskets from artisans in Ghana. Growing exceptionally tall in dense groupings, this straw-like, yet flexible material is used in KAZI's most rustic and raw pieces, or elements of a piece where artisans look to add contrasting texture.

Growing more popular, elephant grass brings nature indoors to your bedroom or living room by twisting and weaving the wildness of nature into beautifully imperfect pieces that feel at home in rustic, farm and cozy-casual decor settings.

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KAZI Goods is committed to using sustainable, naturally sourced materials in all of their handmade home decor. The company works with artisans in developing countries, teaching them how to grow and harvest their own materials so that they can be independent and employ people in their communities.

KAZI Goods only uses responsibly harvested local materials like raffia, elephant grass, and sisal, and every color is drawn from organic natural dyes. This eco-protective process brings organic living into your home, and peace of mind knowing that the company is taking steps to protect the environment. KAZI Goods' wall statement pieces are beautiful and unique, and buying from the company supports a good cause. What's not to love?

Sisal

A sisal statement piece in your home will add a touch of inspired living with its silky shine and bold color. KAZI's sisal treasures range from wall decor that hangs above your bed to floor baskets that rise up to your waist. Sisal is a type of agave plant, and the fiber from this plant is very strong and durable. KAZI Goods use sisal to create high contrast, vibrant, and sharp colors. And all of KAZI's dyes are organic, so you can be confident in their brilliance.

Raffia

KAZI Goods is proud to work with artisans in Uganda and Tanzania who hand weave our beautiful Raffia products. Raffia, a product of the palm-like Busso plant, is naturally tan and ribbon-like and adds a warming base and texture to KAZI pieces. Our artisans use organic dyeing methods to add color and interest to these already special pieces. When earthy, “powdery” or raw trends are present in the home decorating world, Raffia is our go-to to meet the trend. When brought into a home KAZI's Raffia pieces and collections add a comfortable, cozy mood to any space, pairing well with most other design textiles.

Elephant Grass

KAZI Goods is proud to source their handmade Elephant Grass baskets from artisans in Ghana. Growing exceptionally tall in dense groupings, this straw-like, yet flexible material is used in KAZI's most rustic and raw pieces, or elements of a piece where artisans look to add contrasting texture. Growing more popular, elephant grass brings nature indoors by twisting and weaving the wildness of nature into beautifully imperfect pieces that feel at home in rustic, farm and cozy-casual decor settings.

KAZI is committed to artisan development of women weavers. Together with their artisan network, KAZI creates demand for expertly woven fair trade baskets and home goods made of sweet grass + other natural fibers.

By paying fair wages and working to grow communities, KAZI helps alleviate poverty and raise visibility for the meaningful and striking artistry of the people they work with. Resulting in sustainable income flow for their artisan network, which helps communities grow and thrive.

KAZI Goods' continued work with the Nest Seal ensures their wages and practices meet the highest possible standards, evolving with the global marketplace in real time.

The fair wage KAZI provides increases income ten-fold in many cases, which then filters into local economies and communities. By supporting KAZI Goods, you are supporting the growth of sustainable communities around the world. A vote for KAZI is a vote to alleviate poverty.

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KAZI's artisan network employs 3200 weavers.

KAZI source local materials native to Africa that are readily available to their artisan network, like sweet grass and sisal used to make their fair trade baskets.

KAZI reinvests their profits to further expand artisan development — helping to alleviate poverty by offering fair pay and sustainable income flow.

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Designing For A Sustainable Marketplace

Skilled African Women Weavers Make KAZI Creations and Forever Change Their Worlds

KAZI pay fair hourly wages to women weavers across a skilled artisan network. They create their original natural woven products, like fair trade baskets, in the safety of their own homes. That sustainable income flow has a 4x positive economic impact on their communities.

Fair Trade Starts With Opportunity

KAZI find skilled artisans, or a person eager to be trained in the art of weaving, facing limited or no employment options. These artisans form cooperatives with the help of KAZI, who provide training and support along the way.

Each cooperative has an opportunity for upward movement into leadership positions, supported through brand-sponsored training. This training includes fundamentals for fair election-based appointments to lead roles within the community.

Appointees are trained with a clear code of conduct to maintain a high level of transparency and accountability, and their cooperative is officially registered within the local government. 

Fair Trade Thrives By Respecting Local Culture and Norms

KAZI study the cultural context and understand the challenges of artisan’s everyday living to sustainably operationalize their supply chain. KAZI findings confidently conclude that made in the home is best, and that access to mobile phone technology, solar lighting, sustainable income and equitable relationships removes barriers + increases opportunities. 

Fair Trade Works Because of Fair Pay and Measurable Sustained Economic Change

KAZI pay weavers above board, so they can contribute to their growing economy. The KAZI business model focuses on sustainable income through regular, consistent orders that keep artisans employed long-term.

KAZI pay a fair wage that facilitates an artisan's upward movement into an economic position where they can save, invest and move on from weaving into even greater opportunities that have resulted from a stable production marketplace.

Together, KAZI weavers lay a stable and critical foundation for a long-term marketplace, which is an understandable source of community pride.