5 minute read
Conversations with Corinne, MWIB Co-Founder
When and how did Made by Many Hands start as a business?
MbMH is not, in itself, a ‘business’, but the online marketplace of Migrant Women in Business (www.mwib.com.au), a social enterprise providing real business support for migrant and refugee women entrepreneurs and leaders. It was established in 2020 by co-founders Luz Restreppo, herself a Colombian political refugee, and Corinne Kemp, a respected figure in Sydney’s forpurpose sector. MbMH is a unique virtual marketplace showcasing handcrafted products and the migrant/ refugee women-lead-and-owned businesses that create and sell them. It currently hosts the businesses of 60 women from 45 nationalities.
Four of these women are honoured to be new members of the AGHA, and will be exhibiting at the Sydney Gift Fair in February 2023 under the MbMH banner. They are Macarena Erbs of Bonita Shop, Naz Jebeli of JEBELI Leather, Pascale Reuter of The Space Gallery, and Satomi Yamano of Tomi Art.
Any favourite product/s or collections, and are there stories behind them?
ALL of them are our favourites. Below is just a tiny sample of the amazing life stories of the members of the MWiB/ MbMH network …
Born in Noumea, New Caledonia, Pascale has called Australia home for over a decade. Exhibiting at The Space Gallery, Pascale is a self-taught artis, sharing her love of colour and expressing her emotions using brush marks, shapes, and layers of paint to embrace internal conversations and evoke memories.
THE SPACE GALLERY: Esperance original artwork, acrylic and mixed media on canvas.
Macarena Erbs migrated from Chile in 2016. As a breast cancer survivor (she was diagnosed in 2021), Macarena has a deeply personal appreciation of the impact hair loss has on self-esteem. From this, as well as a deep need for creative expression, her brand - Bonita Shop - was born. For every purchase from the head accessories line, $1 is donated to breast cancer research.
Naz Jebeli fled Iran as a teenager in 2013. This traumatic experience was later triggered by the restrictions of Covid-19 lockdowns. As part of her healing process, Naz founded her leather goods business JEBELI in 2019. Naz specialises in luxury products expertly crafted by hand.
JEBELI: Crossbody Bag available in tan, red, forest green and brown.
Originally from Japan, Satomi Yamano grew up immersed in traditional Japanese art and culture. Arriving in Australia in 2016, Satomi founded ToMi Art, where she merges her flair for modern design concepts with a deep connection to the aesthetics of the traditional art and culture of her Japanese heritage using Mizuhiki paper cord and luxurious Japanese indigo blue silk.
TOMI ART: Gradation Japanese Indigo Hand Dyed Scarf.
What are your best sellers and most popular with your customers?
- Bonita Shop’s beautiful ‘Squiggle’ Turban in nude and black, perfect for formal occasions and special nights out.
BONITA SHOP: Turban Hat, available in various designs.
- Jebeli Leather’s signature tote bag, available in four gorgeously rich colours.
- The Space Gallery’s ‘Ripples Emotion #1’, a striking example of Pascale’s artistic talents and style.
- Tomi Art’s sumptuous ‘Gradation’ and ‘Sazanani Ripple’ hand-dyed indigo silk scarves.
JEBELI: Signature Tote Bag available in marron, caravan, ebony and shiraz.
Why should retailers stock products from these or any of the businesses at madebymanyhands.com.au?
Choosing to stock products from Bonita Shop, Jebeli Leather, The Space Gallery, Tomi Art, and any of the businesses hosted by Made By Many Hands means you will be sourcing items from an online marketplace unlike any other. Made By Many Hands provides the infrastructure to empower female entrepreneurs to interact directly with their customers and to take ownership of their profit. We give women a HAND UP, not a HAND OUT.
So, every time you choose to stock products for retail from MbMH, you will be making an immediate difference to the business and the life of a migrant woman focussed on entrepreneurial and personal success and independence in Australia. If your customers discover the ideal birthday gift or ultimate home décor item in the process, we’d call that a ‘win-win-win’!
Why is it important for retailers to attend the Sydney Gift Fair and future AGHA events?
The Sydney Gift Fair is the must-attend event for any retailer wanting exclusive, comprehensive access to the absolute premium of products offered by hundreds of new and returning exhibitors. AGHA events are also a wonderful opportunity to make and maintain cross-industry connections.
TOMI ART: Geisha earrings in Japan red and available in various designs.
Any new and exciting product or collection launches at the Sydney Gift Fair?
Currently hosting 60 businesses (an ever-increasing number), there is always something new and exciting to source from Made by Many Hands. Bonita Shop, Jebeli Leather, The Space Gallery, and Tomi Art.
How has AGHA helped your businesses?
The four MbMH businesses featured here and their migrant women founders are proud to be newly-minted AGHA members. MWiB is dedicated to empowering entrepreneurial migrant and refugee women across Australia through seeking and creating opportunities for growth, learning, connection, support and success. The AGHA has ‘gifted’ us these ‘opportunites’ and for this we are so excited and very grateful.
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