Linking ethical fashion enterprises in Myanmar to global markets
54%
46%
Partner contribution
$ 172,046
DFAT contribution
$ 150,000
Total Value
$ 322,046
Start: January 2016 - End: December 2017
Actionaid
ActionAid is an international anti-poverty agency, fighting poverty for over 30 years. Today, ActionAid reaches 25 million people in over 40 countries worldwide.
The Fabric Social
TFS is an ethical fashion social enterprise and design label working with conflict-affected women to end their economic isolation. TFS generates income and opportunity by selling clothing to the international market, but primarily to Australia.
MBoutik
MBoutik is the brand developed by the women craft producers’ network in Myanmar’s DryZone with the support of ActionAid Myanmar and the LIFT innovation fund. The network has developed a commercial operation linking tourist consumers to partnerships with Myanmar tourism authorities and hotels.
This partnership targets women’s economic empowerment by improving livelihoods of women in dry zones areas of Myanmar. The partnership works with women producers of textiles, handicrafts and accessories, build their capacity and organise them in an association of craft producers (WCPA), link them to export markets and facilitate other opportunities within the value chain. The partnership builds on work of ActionAid Myanmar through the LIFT program since 2013. It supports women from ethnic minorities whose capacity to produce traditional textiles is limited by isolation, lack of capital for inputs, storage and transportation and capacity to negotiate fair prices.
By providing training to women in bringing their handicraft skills to wider markets, this partnership creates increased income opportunities for women in regional Myanmar. The Fabric Social (TFS) buys and exports these products and benefit by gaining a reliable and high quality production source, while imparting new skills to the women producers, new export markets and income-generating prospects.
