STORY
The Concept
ISHKAR has joined together with the Peace Dividend Initiative to create an innovative collection of products which support peace in Colombia. This bag is the product of a design collaboration between ISHKAR, and Bogata based peace initiative Todos Ponen, led by fashion designer Maria Luisa Ortiz. Each piece is made from reclaimed uniform material that would otherwise have been sent to landfill. The bag incorporates a discrete mola, a symbolic embroidered panel.
The Impact
This product is the result of a peace value chain which involves former FARC combatants, local entrepreneurs and civil society members. By building cooperation between these parts of society, each product aims to stitch together parts of Colombia that have been pulled apart by conflict.
Ebera Neka
Embera Katío, is an indigenous community based in Tierralta, Cordoba, a region of Colombia that is often caught in the crossfire between guerrillas and paramilitary groups. Through their cooperative, Ebera Neka, they produce traditional molas and intricate beadwork, aiming to create opportunities for indigenous families and to preserve their artisanal traditions.
Ciro Gomez
Ciro Gómez is a former combatant of the FARC and one of thousands of demobilized members now working to reintegrate into society. Struggling to find employment, Ciro decided to learn a new trade. In 2005, with the aid of the Corporación Mundial de la Mujer Colombia, he established his own manufacturing company where he now employs 17 people.
