How Lemlem Provides Jobs for Women in Ethiopia

Original Story Published by: Byline, Publication, https://www.borgenmagazine.com/
Photo Source: Business Day

(Above) Photo caption (if any)

TACOMA, Washington — On August 25, 2023, Puma spotlighted supermodel Liya Kebede’s efforts to lift Ethiopian women out of poverty through its collaboration with her fashion brand Lemlem. Creating Lemlem in 2007, Kebede sought to simultaneously preserve traditional Ethiopian weaving techniques and provide stable jobs for women in Ethiopia.

Despite recent strides to increase education among women, a mere 35% of University undergraduates in Ethiopia are female, according to the United States Agency of International Development (USAID). USAID additionally reports that 80% of the population occupies rural territory, where women often end up in underpaid labor in agricultural occupations. Here is some information about Lemlem, including how it provides employment to Ethiopian women.

About Lemlem
Since 2007, the World Bank reports that the Ethiopian economy has grown an average of 10% annually due to its efforts to increase jobs and education. One variable contributing to this sustained economic growth is the emergence of companies like Lemlem.

While the rest of the fashion industry continues to find means of speeding up the process, Lemlem has focused on slow, ancestral techniques. Every piece of clothing is handmade, from start to finish, woven by Ethiopian artisans who have had these techniques passed down from generation to generation. Lemlem has preserved the ancient Ethiopian process of clothing cultivation, in addition to providing Ethiopian women with a steady, ethical wage to live on.