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| Messenger-style weekend bag - geometric, 100% barkweave cotton with hand designed batik patterns, and African leather, $50 |
Shona weekend bag - geometric, 100% barkweave cotton with hand designed batik patterns, and African leather, $50 |
Shona weekend bag - ndoro, 100% barkweave cotton with hand designed batik patterns, and African leather, $50 |
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| 1. | My only comment is that if you are selling these bags in the United States you should charge more for them. I think USA customers woudl be happy to pay between 50-100 for a bag that is handmade and supports a good cause and you would make more money to help those people you want to support. Your prices are maybe too low? - ts from WA, February 24, 2008. | | 2. | You're bags are beautiful. I agree with TS. You can get and do so much more if you charge more. - Kelly from CA, February 28, 2008. | | 3. | Thanks for your feed back, please continue to make comments. Pricing is always a challenge but I will certainly take your comments into consideration. Please keep watching for new bags! - Tashanda from NY, USA, March 01, 2008. | | 4. | very interesting and love what you are doing!! - Jane and Fortune from MA, USA, March 02, 2008. | | 5. | I have to agree, you should really be charging more. With the prices where they are at now it feels like I'd be getting it for a steal. - Becca from CA, USA, March 02, 2008. | | 6. | Hey Tashada What are doing is fabulous and agian i do agree they need to be more expensive for a US market. I'm in London and currently writing a book about the Art of Accessorisation. One of my chapters touches on how to incorporate Ethnic inspired Accessories into your everyday wardrobe. The Shona weekend bag does that very well. I had a look at some more of your batiks on tashanda.com and I think that keeping classic and modern shapes in leather for your handbags and adding the panels of fabric is the way to go. Id love to see a large tote or weekens bag in rich leather with your elephant or tall warrior batik prints as the side panels.Yummy Wishes Gigi - Gigi Morley from Ldn, March 03, 2008. | | 7. | Gigi, send me an e-mail from my website & we can chat offline! - Tashanda from USA, March 04, 2008. | | 8. | Hey Tashanda am amazed with your bags, I see so much potential here. I must agree with everyone else , western customers will pay a premium for your bags!Funny enough I went the Zoo recently in Blackpool,UK. The shops all have African style Assessories. May I suggest as a future market get in touch with Zoo's in the West and offer your products. Dont forget visitors will have seen all these African animals and what better than to get an African made souvenir in the Exit shops?? Well done I will refer people to your site! - Tawanda from Manchester, UK. 5th March 08 from UK, March 05, 2008. | | 9. | Weldone Tashanda, i had no idea. the bags are stunning, workmanship is first class. keep it exclusive, don't go into 'mass production' i think, especially if you're going to increase the price. Get creative! look at handbags already being designed and made and see what you can change and improve, DON'T SLEEP, it's time to get creative! i want to see handbags i could never have thought of. i'm so proud of you! - Catherine Katala from Tanzania, March 27, 2008. |
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The name of my handbag line is Afrobag. I come up with the designs and employ small scale artisans in Zimbabwe to sew them. My debut range comprises a combination of 100% barkweave cotton and recycled leather. My website is www.tashanda.com and our motto is "sustainable, eithical and contemporary..." My business is a social enterprise aimed at developing the economy of Zimbabwe through support of grassroots level businesses. My target audience is women between the ages of 21-55 who are well educated and culturally aware.
Zimbabwean artisans use a fabric design technique called "sadza batik". I have ALWAYS loved these batiks, even as a child I would always take a moment to look at them. More recently I needed a bag and I purchased a batik bag. All I could every find was a tote style, so I decided to step it up a notch with my own designs. Each bag is unique because the fabric is hand painted and the leather used is from an assorted range of leather off cuts from furniture businesses. Your bag will always be truly yours.
My biggest nightmare to date is that I had no bag patterns and had to describe what I wanted by drawing pictures. I am not an artist so one style came out quite badly & ended up being a waste of expensive materials. However, the social benefits of my line make me proud. For every bag sold I donate 10% to 2 organizations: one childrens home and one dirt poor nursery school. Additionally this bag making venture is creating employment for two brothers who are family men. Their kids will have food, good health and education all because their fathers can provide for them. I believe that bigger things are in store for Afrobag.
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What is your name? |
Tashanda |
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Where are you from? |
Zimbabwe, Africa |
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Where do you live now? |
NYC |
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How old are you? |
31 |
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Do you have a design background? |
No. |
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Do you still have a day job? |
Yes. |
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What year were your bags born? |
2006 |
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Bag brand name: |
Afrobag |
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What is their retail price range? |
$30 - $50 |
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Where can a shopper buy your bags? |
www.tashanda.com |
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For more information, contact: |
www.tashanda.com |
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