What is Raffia?

You may have seen the new hats & beach bags we've gotten in from Madagascar & you may have heard us raving that they're hand woven raffia. 

Well, what exactly is raffia?

Raffia Hat & Beach Tote

Raffia is a type of palm tree that is native to Madagascar, the Philippines, & parts of Latin America. It is the palm tree with the longest branches that can grow up to 60 feet long.

 Raffia Palm Branch

To harvest, each pale green strand is stripped off & dried in the sun. Once it's dry, it lightens into beige & is often dyed after it's been sorted by length, width, & quality. Because raffia is all natural & the harvesting process is regulated to June through October, raffia is a very sustainable fibre.  

We source our raffia handbags & hats from a talented group called Mar Y Sol. Their video shows a bit more of the handmade process they use to produce their gorgeous products: 

You can check out our raffia products here

Sources: 
www.raffiaonline.com
wikipedia.org
Mar Y Sol

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