On 28 October in Berlin, social enterprise Abury, and creator of the first global contest in search of the best accessories design talent worldwide, the ABURY Design Experience, unveiled the first collection of handmade handbags - A Non Existent Tribe Collection - made by artisans in Ecuador and designed by the winner of the 2015 contest, Zimbabwean designer, Pam Samasuwo-Nyawiri, founder of Vanhu Vamwe.
The ABURY Design Experience gave the 2015 contest winner, Pam Samasuwo-Nyawiri, the opportunity to spend an unforgettable two months in Ecuador creating an amazing handbag collection with local artisan communities. The ABURY Design Experience is the first global contest that is in search of the best accessories design talents worldwide. The winner is awarded a grant for 2 to 3 months that facilitates their work with local artisans for ABURY. ABURY then re-invests 50% of the profits in education projects in the respective countries. The first edition received applications from 35 nationalities with Pam emerging as the winner of the public voting. The Zimbabwean designer, and mother of two girls, took on the adventure to travel to Ecuador for two months, at the end of July. Pam, who had no previous knowledge of Spanish, said the first few days were an enormous challenge 'but that the warmth of the people and our joint passion for preservation of their beautiful crafts quickly enabled a bond”.
Read Pam's startup story here.
Read more about A Non Existent Tribe Collection - by Pam Samasuwo-Nyawiri.