Clothing Design and Production

In Senegal, women and girls dress in colorful, custom clothing, handcrafted by talented tailors (men and women).   Men wear elegant boubous, in addition to more typical Western wear. An individual with a sewing machine and the necessary skills can have his or her own sustainable business.  An industrial sewing machine costs about $500 and provides income for an extended family.  OWEN Project has provided funding to one man, and two women, to have their own businesses designing, sewing and selling clothing.  

I was interested to learn that the bales of Western clothing which arrive in Africa spawn off their own businesses.   Individuals buy a bale or two and then sell the clothing on the street or in small shops, forming a whole network of local, money-making businesses.  Women generally do not wear this clothing; men and children do, while also still wearing traditional Senegalese clothing made in the local tailor shops.  Sometimes we hear stories from a Western perspective which do not reflect the reality in the street!