SOCIAL ENTERPRISES
Lumeyo
Lumeyo is a social project and weaving fashion brand started in 2011 by Dutch designer and artist Sandra Jelly. This enterprise trains and employs Bedouin women who come from remote and underdeveloped towns or neighbourhoods of the Petra area in Jordan.
By providing capacity building trainings, which are even recognized in the country as the official weaving training standard, and by revitalizing an ancient weaving tradition passed down from generation to generation, Lumeyo hopes to inspire, empower and give precious independence to the women in its local community.
There is a huge illiteracy issue in the region which makes it difficult for many people to find a job, especially for women. Lumeyo makes sure these women are taught the valuable skills that are a part of their heritage, to allow them to not just dream of, but to actually have an empowered future, where they do not have to be dependent on a man to survive.
Lumeyo is more than just an ethnic fashion brand. It is a piece of Bedouin art, it is a source of economic freedom for talented workers, and it is an eco-friendly and social enterprise that puts local impact before profit. All the BedouBag, BedouHome and BedouYoga products Lumeyo offers are handmade with recycled sweater fibers or other sustainable raw materials, and born from unique patterns inspired by Bedouin tradition. What’s not to like?
- Reviving Bedouin heritage among young generations & transmitting ancestral weaving techniques
- Giving work opportunities to local women to enable them to sustain themselves
- Acting as ambassador of the Bedouin culture by offering a beautiful collection of authentic Bedouin crafts to an international clientele
- Preferring quality, sustainability and use of recyled materials over mass production
Petra,
Jordan
More about the Bedouins
The word Bedouin comes from the word badawī (بدوي) which means “desert dweller” in Arab. The Bedouins are nomadic Arabs who historically inhabited the deserts in North Africa & the Middle East. They are often considered to be the original people of Jordan and backbone of the Jordanian culture. Today, there are over 1,300,000 Bedouins still living in Jordan, many in a situation of poverty. Although a majority of them have abandoned their nomadic and tribal ways for a modern urban lifestyle, they retain their Bedouin culture and rites, which is reflected for instance in their clothing. A Bedouin woman will wear the traditional madraga, a long black dress sometimes embroidered. She will also cover her head with a usaba which is a black hair band. If she is married, she will hide her forehead with the band as well as her hair.
Do you love this cause? Support it with a gift!
When you buy a bag, rug, mat, pillowcover or any other craft from Lumeyo, not only do you get to enjoy a beautiful, colourful, ethical and high-quality product, you also contribute to the livelihoods of tens of women in Jordan, and help to keep ancestral Bedouin know-how alive and kicking. Please get in touch with the weaving ladies directly for more information about prices and shipment. Thank you for them!
