SEP hand-embroidered accessories blend hallmarks of premium Middle-Eastern craftsmanship with high style. SEP creations are one-of-a-kind accessories that are distinguished by their exceptionally intricate embroidery, geometric design inspired patterns and a sophisticated style. Every stitch tells a story where each piece is hand embroidered by a single talented artist. Women who continue the time-honored, cross-stitch technique that has been passed down from generation to generation are the artisans who are passionately making the unique pieces that make up the SEP range. SEP sources inspiration from Islamic and Moorish art, fashion trends, materials and textures. A hint of Italian flair can be felt throughout as a result of the founder’s origins influencing the design process. SEP’s creative process is collaborative and personal to ensure the highest quality of manufacture by lead artists. The SEP promise is mutual happiness. SEP provides fortunate consumers access to beautiful, bespoke and elegant fashion accessories. At the same time, SEP empowers less fortunate women who have the skills to create beautiful works of art, with professional, personal and economic stability. Recently featured on Harpers Bazaar and Marie Claire Arabia, the Alhambra Collection marries the great Palestinian textile tradition with patterns inspired by one of the most beautiful and well known monuments in Europe, the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain. The collection remains true to tradition in the use of cross stitch, yet contemporary in style.
Islamic and Moorish art (such as the Alhambra Palace in Spain), fashion trends and the materials lovingly sourced by SEP’s founder and her team. Our creative process is collaborative and personal.
ABOUT SEP’S FOUNDER
SEP IS A SOCIAL ENTERPRISE SEP is a business and not a charity. We are a fashion company with a social impact focus. Our artisans receive fair and competitive wages for their work, often for the first time in their lives. We believe that promoting entrepreneurialism and responsible business is a stronger form of empowerment than aid. We have the privileged opportunity to create sustainable paths to economic independence for hundreds of marginalized women. In recognition of SEP’s commitment and investment in social good and environmental responsibility, the business has been awarded the Butterfly Mark, powered by Positive Luxury. The award offers wordless reassurance that SEP is a brand to trust, working towards ensuring a positive future. Our business model is shared transparently, and we re-invest our profits to increase training and grow our customer base.
EACH PIECE IS UNIQUE Each piece is hand embroidered by a single talented artist, who can quickly point out her own work by the stitch. Not one item is exactly the same: every single one expresses its artist’s personality.
ARTISANS HANDCRAFT EACH PIECE Women who continue the time-honored, cross-stitch technique that has been passed down from generation to generation are the artisans passionately making the unique pieces that make up the SEP range.
TIME IS PRECIOUS… AND WE VALUE IT Every item takes weeks to be created. We use the highest quality materials and dedicate extreme attention to quality control. The SEP artist work limited hours each day in order to maintain the quality required for such fine, detailed embroidery.
ARTISANS ARE THE CORE OF OUR BUSINESS We pay artists competitive wages and the best performers receive cash bonuses at year-end. We provide training in important skills such as English and financial and time planning. We are also funding the growth of the business so we can support more artisans and roll-out the business model across the Middle East and potentially Europe. SEP’s ability to harness the skills of displaced persons with the view to their engagement in our commercial structure is central to what makes us stand apart.
DESIGNS ARE INSPIRED BY ART AND CULTURE SEP does not have one designer, but a creative team which includes lead artisans. We’re naturally inspired by
Roberta Ventura originally comes from Italy and is a portfolio manager based in Geneva, Switzerland. Her 20 years of experience in finance, passion for style and desire to make a positive impact with her business acumen aspired her to set up a fashion and home accessory company featuring stunning embroidery with ethical production values. While her roots are not Palestinian, she has connected emotionally with citizens in the refugee camps since her first visit to a camp in Lebanon in 1997. Along the way she developed a new awareness and felt that scholarships and other financial aid had a positive, but limited impact on the community on the long run. She then envisaged the creation of a new venture on the ground that had the power to shift perceptions of what was possible from the community, and equally of what retailers understood of upmarket embroidery. Connecting these groups has been an incredibly enriching experience for Roberta, who relishes the challenge everyday.
WHAT NEXT? The SEP artists live in a refugee camp in Jordan, providing the safest possible environment while they wait to return. We are looking to expand outside the camp and beyond to other camps in the Middle East. We are now considering options for Western Europe. Our ability to maintain quality control is paramount nonetheless, so our business model focuses on where we can source the right skills, and how we can establish good dialogue with our artisans to ensure a creative vision that we can work together towards. We are preparing for next season’s rollout, which entails sourcing the perfect materials to be matched with new colors and patterns that we are busily testing and refining.
WHERE CAN I BUY SEP PRODUCTS? SEP accessories are now carried in luxury department stores and boutiques across the Middle East and Europe. We receive online orders and special requests for bespoke pieces internationally.From London to Dubai, SEP crosses cultures with its customers and artisans sharing the same passion for products expressing joy and individuality.
WHERE CAN I FIND OUT MORE?
Visit www.sepjordan.com to place orders, find our stocklists and learn more about our journey. You can follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to receive our latest news.