09 Mar Weaving from Ghana

Look out for a new name at Tissus d’Hélène, Boon & Up, whose fabrics are hand-made in Ghana. Jonathan Hall founded the brand after volunteering in Ghana and hearing from local Daagaba women how their traditional loom-work was becoming harder to sell to locals: climate change has seen yields fall for nearby subsistence farmers, leaving them with less cash to buy fabrics.

Hall saw the quality of their products, but knew he would need to make some tweaks to make them desirable in markets beyond Ghana. He introduced a new palette, replacing bright colours for softer ones that were inspired by the shades that the Daagaba people use to paint their huts and houses, and swapped Chinese polyester for sustainable cotton.

The results speak for themselves: pictured above are ‘Grace’s Sky’ (above left) and ‘Raindrop Forest’ (above right). A custom-colour service is available for orders over five metres.

Boon & Up gives back even more: 20% of profits are invested in creating more jobs for local people, in the community where the story began.

Tissus d’Hélène, Fourth Floor, Design Centre East