Production
Mathias and Keogh work directly with the West African garment workers who produce the clothing. This allows the designers to pay their employees an equitable wage and observe high quality standards. Equitable wage means the women who make these clothes are able to send their children to school, see a doctor when they need, and have something left over to spend as they choose once ends have been met. Each seamstress is payed by the piece, constructing each garment from start to finish. This means she knows each step of the process and can make finished garments in her own time if she chooses. Unlike most factory systems that protect their designs and fragment the construction process into specialized tasks, Osei-Duro encourages the seamstresses to produce for their own gain outside of the orders they place. The seamstress negotiate prices with Osei-Duro based on their needs, the time the piece takes to complete, and relative to previous work done.
Osei-Duro’s designs use mainly natural (non-petroleum-based) materials such as hand-spun cotton and the garments are often hand-dyed. We seek out fabrics that have grown, spun, woven and printed in West Africa, making the material a completely West African product. The printing/dying is either done by the local print houses, Akosombo Textiles Limited and Ghana Textile Products being the largest and most well known, or artisan dyers who work in small batches and specialize in processes such as tie and dye, block printing, marbling and a sew and dye technique similar to shibori. We also buy handwoven cotton made by traditional weavers, and are excited to start collaborating with a small Ghanaian family business doing hand crochet pieces using light cotton rope commonly used to make fishing nets.
Dzidefo Women’s Cooperative
The Dzidefo Women’s Cooperative is a small textile cooperative of ten women from the Volta Region of Ghana. The cooperative was established in January 2008 under the guidance of volunteer Peta Hall and operates out of the Ryvanz-Mia Orphanage. The co-op structure is such that each member has a role, such as treasurer or fabric orderer, and each member also puts a percentage of her earnings back into the business. The co-op has hired an 11th woman to oversee quality of output and apportionment of the work.
Dzedifo was originally developed to give its members work by sewing toddler clothing, home accessories, and school uniforms. With the help of Osei-Duro the women are learning additional business and sewing skills, while gaining more stable employment. By working closely with the women we are able to ensure quality, teach new skills, and pay the women promptly after their garments are finished. The women at Dzidefo have recently begun designing their own line of bags and housewares, which is an exciting new step.