Printed cotton canvas shopper tote, designed and produced in Collingwood, Naarm/Melbourne by The Social Studio.
This style was made as part of our Work2Learn program, where students of The Social Studio gain valuable industry experience through a paid 12-week internship program within our Ethical Clothing Australia-accredited manufacturing team. Thank you for supporting the creatives of the future!
- 100% cotton canvas
- Front patch pocket
- 55cm w x 27cm h, 48.5cm long straps, pocket 21.5cm w x 18cm h
This style features the work of Muhubo Sulieman, a graduate of The Social Studio and master of traditional Somali finger weaving.
Weaving has played a central role in Muhubo’s life and culture from childhood. Growing up, her family were nomadic farmers who would walk their cattle, goat and sheep herds across the Ethiopian border and back to the Somali coastline depending on the weather. By necessity, they needed to be self- sufficient and from age 5 Muhubo joined the women of her family in weaving everything, from the saddle bags for the camels to the mats and baskets used to construct their portable huts, so that their community could safely travel, eat and survive.
Today, Muhubo lives in Naarm/Melbourne and is celebrated for bringing her traditional Somali craft into the space of contemporary art. Her weavings are an expression of her history and heritage, each row telling a story and an increasingly rare example of an art form that is now fading even within the nomadic communities within which she grew up.
The Social Studio digitised the original weaving and printed it onto fabric at Next State in Thornbury.