Women in the World: Tilburg
By Joanna Francis This month in "Women of the World", I wanted to learn more about what it takes to have a business which works collaboratively with women in developing countries to create and sell beautiful and ethically made products.
Recently I bought a gorgeous bag for my mum (that's her modelling it above!) and was fascinated by the story and ethics behind the label. Leanne Mutsaers is the woman behind Tilburg, a boutique fashion accessories purveyor based in Melbourne, and today she shares her story with us.
Can you tell us a little bit about the history and philosophy of Tilburg?
Tilburg’s story is woven with a rich tapestry of family history and years of memorable travel, which has inspired and unraveled this journey of passion to present beautifully designed pieces to consumers with a social and eco conscience.
Bags & accessories in the collection are individually handcrafted using talent and skill from artisans from around the globe and in Australia and feature natural materials such as hand woven hemp and organic cotton.
It’s all about moving away from mass production & appreciating well made products.
I had been an Art & Design teacher for a few years before I quit full time work – I was tired of teaching design and just wanted to do it myself! I knew it would be centered around handbags as I could never find one I liked and hated the ‘bling’ look. When I lived in London for a few years, I used to keep a book of future business ideas. This was one of them. Making the transition though has been endless hard work, sleepless nights and a lot of sacrifice and money. I have a lot of family members running their own business, so inevitably it was in my blood too. I didn’t want to be one of those people in 20 years saying “If only I had….” So I did.
What drew you to wanting to work with women artists in developing countries and how did you come to be working with these particular groups of women?
One particular trip to Thailand enabled me to have a light bulb moment – that’s where I met one of my current business partners. I came across her shop and products and fell in love with the artisan qualities and natural fibres still being used. That got me very excited and I made a decision there and then that I wanted to work as ethically and sustainably as possible – this was the direction I wanted to take with my business. Then I had to figure out how to get her onboard with me. This business relationship did not happen overnight, it took 2 years and many flights back and forth to develop trust, friendship and a business plan together. She utilises rural groups for hand woven fabrics, and employs local women to make the bags and work in her shops. They are all paid fairly and all of the women I have met at the shop just love their jobs!
How does the collaborative process work?
The collaborative process works in a few ways. My partner in Thailand creates the bags from start to finish. I have a hand in colours and styles that may work in Australia. We talk on skype often if I can’t get there and we are always talking about new designs, colours, fabrics and production issues. One of the biggest issues we face is that a thing like hand weaving is an art form that is being lost. Many of the young hilltribe people do not want to keep up the art and move to the cities. We are already thinking about what other options we have for fabrics and fibres.
I’m also currently working on 2 other collaborations with Australian artists, and we are feeling our way through that process. A meeting of minds, ideas and talent!
How does being involved improve the lives of the women who are working on these projects?
Being involved and taking an active interest allows the livelihoods of women in developing countries to quite simply earn a living. This may be through maintaining artisan skills in small villages that rely on this as their sole livelihood or working in a shop and learning English. Many of these women also get to make the bags in their own homes, which enable them to look after their family.
Tilburg also donates to charities from the communities I work from – helping women and children.
What are some of the challenges you have faced and lessons you've learned?
My biggest challenge is finding consumers with a conscience about what they are buying. I have watched many a customer pick up PVC bags thinking they were leather, buy a cheaper mass produced item over items made by an Australian business that are slightly dearer. I’d love to see consumers a bit more savvy about what they are buying. If you find something you love, spread the word! The other challenge is internet exposure and advertising. How do you compete with the big guns?!
Another hurdle has been learning how to deal with cultural differences. I work out of Indonesia and Thailand – both very different in the way they conduct business. At times completely frustrating, but the more I learn, the more patient I get. You just have to roll with the way they do things and work your business around that. Developing trust with business partners is a huge investment of travel and time. You just can’t do it over an email. The best relationships are formed in person.
Where can we find out more/ buy products/ assist?
My products are available online at www.tilburg.com.au
I only do small runs so if you see something you like, grab it! I am also stocking in small boutiques. You will not find Tilburg in a shopping centre. As I said earlier – if you find something you love become part of the tribe and spread the word. That’s the only way businesses such as Tilburg, with a different philosophy can make its mark and keep doing great things.
Joanna Francis spends most of her time hanging out with her one year old son. But she also works for a children’s foundation and has recently started her own little business making baby quilts. It goes without saying that her house is a mess. In the past, Joanna has worked as an aid worker in several developing countries, and is passionate about the rights of women and children. You can visit her and her blog at www.miettehandmade.com
Women in the World: Repressed Creativity
By Joanna Francis This here website is, well, a website. Which means that you, dear reader, could be reading this from anywhere in the world. I’m hazarding a guess though, that you are most likely in a country where the only limitations to your creative expression are the powers of your imagination, skill, time and access to resources. It's hard for us fortunate enough to be in this situation, to imagine living in a country where in addition to these limitations, are the restrictions put on people’s creativity by their own nation’s government. This is the world that unfortunately many women (and men too of course) still live in.
Photograph: © Omar Sobhani/Reuters
Recently, I read an article about a young woman in Afghanistan who is overcoming numerous obstacles to become a graffiti artist. In 2002-3, I lived and worked in Afghanistan and saw first hand what women there were and are subjected to, and just thinking about the bravery required by this woman boggles the mind. While much improvement has been made regarding the rights of women in Afghanistan, there is still a long way to go, and many of the basic freedoms that most of us take for granted are still denied. Shamsia Hassani, 24, the young Afghan artist featured in the article, is still harassed in the street and has to work surreptitiously or in abandoned buildings. Other Afghan female artists have faced persecution, including assassination, just for trying to widen the role of women in the arts, for example by appearing on television.
Just what is it that is so threatening about women displaying their creative expression? Is it that women are likely to reveal and expose the oppression that they have suffered under regimes such as those that have existed in Afghanistan? Is it that it signifies the beginning of a rebellion against outdated modes of expression and repression and the subsequent loss of control over the people? Or is it just simply the fear of change itself?
This fear of change, is no more obvious than in the incongruously named Democratic Republic of North Korea (DPRK). My husband worked for a French NGO there for several months a few years ago, and I was fortunate enough to go and visit… getting a glimpse into a country that exists as if time came to a standstill decades ago.
Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, it is a country that values and encourages its artists, however, their creative expression is not their own but that of the now late “Dear Leader”. We visited a studio of artists, all of whom were considered the most skilled and talented in North Korea, and met a woman, Kim Sung Hui, who was painting what was required of her by the regime, but also her own works.
She was tightly controlled, and everything she produced was approved. But her paintings were identifiably her own. In a country so dedicated to eradicating individualism, originality still managed to emerge through the canvases she and the others painted. I am not suggesting that any of the artists were attempting to make any particular statements or stand against the regime. But it made us think that rebellion and insubordination can be found, not just in obvious acts of opposition, but also through the creation of art that reflects one’s own individualism and personality. In the subtle portrayal of life as seen by one person. In incremental changes from what is expected.
All movements in the history of art started like this. And all progression in the rights of women, and indeed humanity generally need to start with one little step, one brush of paint, one small act of creativity.
Joanna Francis spends most of her time hanging out with her one year old son. But she also works for a children’s foundation and has recently started her own little business making baby quilts. Her house is a mess. In the past, Joanna has worked as an aid worker in several developing countries, and is passionate about the rights of women and children. You can visit her and her blog at www.miettehandmade.com
Women in the World: East Timor
By Joanna Francis
I’ve been recently pondering on the role that creativity plays in a country’s cultural identity. Think of the countries you’ve traveled to… Many of them I’m sure, can be associated with a particular type of artistry or craft. Just think of Turkey and their kilims, Japan and woodblock printing, South American ikat weaving…
In many of these examples, these handcrafts are not just an outlet for creative expression (although that is true and important), but are also a way of holding and sharing stories and history. Many countries have little in the way of recorded written history, but have a rich culture of oral histories. And handcrafts and art play a vital role in recording these and allowing them to be shared and passed from one generation to the next.
Take East Timor (Timor-Leste as it is now known and referred to there), one of Australia’s closest neighbours and incongruously, the poorest nation in Asia and the Pacific. Timor Leste is a tiny country with a population of just over 1 million people. It faced oppressive rule until recently, and now is struggling to pull its people out of poverty.
Despite its tiny size, Timor Leste has over 35 languages spoken and fairly rough terrain, making it difficult to have a united recorded history, and making the use of traditional crafts all the more important. One of the most prevalent and important is the weaving of beautiful fabrics called ‘tais’ (pronounced ‘tie-iss’).
Between 2005 and 2007 I lived and worked in its capital Dili, and not surprisingly, I spent many an hour wandering through the markets which sold these beautiful fabrics. I also spent time with women in remote villages who were weaving them and witnessed the important role the weaving played in village life, and how the knowledge contained in its practice was being passed down from the grandmothers to the grandchildren.
I recently asked some questions to Taryn Lane, an Australian woman living in the Southern tip of East Timor and working with the Cooperative for Tais Culture and Sustainable Development (CTKDS).
Taryn writes (after several days of no electricity thanks to major storms!), “Tais weaving is the material expression of a rich living intangible cultural heritage of Timor Leste. Tais is the socio-cultural fabric of life that keeps women connected to their history, stories and ways of being”.
“Many women see weaving as a process of wellbeing and healing after many years of occupation. It is an unbroken thread over eras of rapid change and development. Creativity releases the burden of daily work for the women and connects them to a living heritage of cultural expression”.
“Many Timorese women will learn how to weave from an early age and are immersed in it as it relates to ritual and the cycles of nature. The harvesting of the cotton, the spinning, dyeing and weaving all follow the seasonal patterns of their local area. Each area has its own recipes and processes for the colouring of the cotton and there is a rich intact cultural heritage within East Timor around this".
"Tais are usually necessary for wedding dowries alongside buffalo and to become a weaver is often a rite of passage for many women prior to marriage. Each language group holds their own motifs and stories around the textiles and are a unique expression of who they are”.
The challenge now, for many countries including Timor Leste, is to ensure that these traditions are not lost and that the knowledge and skills are passed on to younger generations. Organisations such as CTKDS are assisting to do this by supporting young women as the next generation of leaders and using community co-operative enterprise models for income generation.
If you are in Australia, you can find out more through ETWA (East Timor Women Australia) and buy or sell the beautiful products that Timorese women make. You can also volunteer, assist in fundraising, take a tour to Timor and if you are really interested, apply for a long term position in Timor Leste!
Further information can be found at www.ctkds.tumblr.com or www.etwa.org.au, or email ctkds.losplaos@gmail.com.au
Joanna Francis spends most of her time hanging out with her one year old son. But she also works for a children’s foundation and has recently started her own little business making baby quilts. Her house is a mess. In the past, Joanna has worked as an aid worker in several developing countries, and is passionate about the rights of women and children. You can visit her and her blog at www.miettehandmade.com