Olori’s new handbag collection was introduced with the purpose of offering premium products that provide economic empowerment for young girls in Africa. Founded by Tomide Awe, Olori strives to promote social justice through the sale of its African-inspired handbags in an industry dominated by Western inspiration.

With every bag sold, the company pays for one month of a Nigerian girl’s tuition, with the aim of inspiring the girls of today to become the female leaders of tomorrow. What’s more, all items are hand-made using the highest quality materials.

Tomide grew up in Nigeria where 73% of the female population is unable to afford to go to school. She was constantly surrounded by traditional prints and textiles and got to wear them to weddings of family members as well as other ceremonial functions. To her, these textiles are symbolic of tribal roots so deep and stories so dear to the people of these regions, and she considered handbags to be the one thing that she and her female friends could not do without, so history was made.

Presently, her initiative has launched which aims to shapes the lives of prospective Nigerian students who would otherwise not be able to attend school in their country. Olori hopes to bring social change using the female fashion industry, valued at $621 billion globally, to one of the most deprived areas of the world — sub-Saharan Africa. A colossal 13.2 million children do not attend school in Nigeria, most of whom are girls, and roughly 75% of children not in school have never stepped foot in a classroom.

Olori seeks to change this by raising funds through the sale of its new line of handbags. With these bags, she’s trying to raise people’s awareness of African and African craftsmanship up in the world.

“I studied in the U.K. and the U.S., and if you look at the handbag market in general, it’s very European or Western-inspired,” Awe said. “People would travel to Africa and come back with African goods, but they would spoil. You have either very low quality or very, very high quality that is inaccessible. I wanted to put Africa on the map in a way that everyone can afford and appreciate.”

In order to do that, Awe incorporated a traditional type of treasured African textile used by the Yoruba people in Nigeria in the lining and outside of the bags. “The textiles we use are Aso-oke,” Awe said. Beyond just focusing on girls education in Africa, Awe makes a concerted effort to work with women in Africa for the resources needed to produce Olori’s goods as well.

Olori means ‘queen’ and it’s very reflective of our brand,” Awe said. “There are women-related issues we are all aware of, but it takes women to solve the challenges that we face.

Source: MIC, Shine My Crown