Alaffia Launches New Accessories Line – Queen Alaffia

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Women in Togo sewing items for the new Queen Alaffia accessory line with founder Rose Hyde in the background.
Women in Togo sewing items for the new Queen Alaffia accessory line with founder Rose Hyde in the background.

Alaffia, a socially committed organization working to alleviate poverty in West Africa, recently launched a new line of accessories called Queen Alaffia. Every piece in the collection is a one of a kind work of art handmade at the Alaffia Artisan Center in Sokodé, Togo, West Africa. The center rehabilitates women who fell prey to the sex trade because of extreme poverty and circumstances beyond their control. Queen Alaffia offers a stable income and respectable environment so the women will never again need to sell their bodies to provide for themselves and their families.

Kafui, a Queen Alaffia artisan, dropped out of school after the 7th grade and joined a seamstress apprentice program. She was able to open a shop, but was the victim of several break-ins and thefts. Kafui resorted to prostitution in order to support herself and her two children. She has had an extremely difficult life; most of her family is no longer alive and she became pregnant when she was just a teenager after being raped. In spite of the hardships, she is working to better her life and vows she “will never go back” to prostitution, as Queen Alaffia has given her an opportunity she never imagined.

The line features accessories made with vibrant, hand-printed West African fabrics, including purses and bags, scarves, hair accessories, a sun hat, and a wallet. The full selection can be viewed at www.QueenAlaffia.com.

The Yemi Bag is just one of the gorgeous accessories in the new Queen Alaffia line.
The Yemi Bag is just one of the gorgeous accessories in the new Queen Alaffia line.

About Alaffia: Alaffia, located in Olympia, Washington and Togo, West Africa, was founded in 2004 to alleviate poverty and empower communities in West Africa through the fair trade of indigenous resources. The raw ingredients used in their body care products are handcrafted using traditional techniques at cooperatives in Togo, which employ over 500 women. The finished products are produced in Olympia. Alaffia’s sales are reinvested into West African communities through Empowerment Projects, which aim to advance gender equality and eradicate poverty. Alaffia’s product lines include Alaffia, Authentic, Everyday Shea, Everyday Coconut, Beautiful Curls, and Queen Alaffia. Alaffia was named Whole Foods Market’s 2014 Supplier of the Year and Thurston County’s 2014 Employer of the Year.

 

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