Hello from Addis Ababa!
What an incredible way to spend the week before our big launch of the new Purse & Clutch than at a kick off dinner later tonight in Addis Ababa on the Ethiopian New Year - happy 2018!
According to a quick Google search, the AI overviews explains that “the Ethiopian year is different because its calendar is rooted in an ancient calculation of Jesus Christ’s brith that places it seven or eight years later than the Gregorian calendar”
The timing feels significant: stepping into a new year here while we launch a new chapter at Purse & Clutch next week.
They talk about TIA - This is Africa - and I plan to fully embrace the mentality of being present, not rushing & prioritizing relationships while I’m here with an incredible group of women.
I’ve actually never shared this story with anyone before, but when I was in college studying Chemistry & trying to discern what I wanted to do with my life I had a profound experience at the campus library.
I knew I had a pull towards Community Development and at the time I’d made multiple trips to Mexico, spent a summer in Bolivia and was planning on moving to Honduras upon graduating. I definitely felt drawn to Central America and the beauty of the hispanic culture.
My dad was born & raised in Nigeria and I grew up with stories of my uncle who lived there and a home life that celebrated international beauty. In the back of my mind, I wondered (even hoped!) if this would be a connection I would follow up with one day.
So back to me in college, sitting in the library daydreaming about how I would invest my life & I looked over at the bookshelf and saw a book titled simply Ethiopia that seemed to stand out on the shelf.
It felt like one of those moments of deep meaning, but I remember distinctly thinking, that it couldn’t be right as I was probably going to follow a path to Central America or Nigeria.
And now here I sit, on the balcony of a beautiful hotel in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, after working with our artisan partners for 10 years. Now I get to share this beautiful experience with you. What an honor it is.
You can follow along on the trip here on my Instagram. It’s truly my joy to share the incredible work that goes into each one of our handmade handbags & the bigger impact of why Purse & Clutch exists
The new Purse & Clutch will officially launch on Thursday, September 18th at 8:00am CST.
With the tannery here being closed due to tariffs & an inability to source needed supplies to prepare the leather, our inventory levels are much smaller than usual for a big launch, which means I anticipate styles to sell out quickly!!
So set an alarm & my next email to you will have the link to shop & explore the new incredible collection!
Sending love your way from Addis.
P.S. Should you find yourself wishing you were here, go ahead & sign up to be on the waitlist to join me on our next trip!