Bella Ragaza

Being a lawyer by profession working with an international agency in Tanzania, Anna says she sees first-hand the positive impact of targeted interventions to support communities in the work that they do in education, health, and economic empowerment. Through this experience she thought about her own personal contribution to the development story of my Tanzania and that is when she came up with her beautiful brand Bella Ragazza.

Anna tells us that Bella Ragazza (Beautiful Lady in Italian) was founded in May 2018, she says, “we are a socially conscious business working directly with women weavers in rural areas to economically empower them and provide an alternative and sustainable source of income”.

Anna shares that they create bespoke designs of hand-woven baskets, rugs and other woven accessories by self-selecting groups of women who live in Iringa, Njombe and Manyara regions in Tanzania. These woven products are an important cultural heritage and tradition in Tanzanian society made by skilled artisans.

Some value adding is done to the baskets by skilled leather and traditional accessory by artisans at their workshop in Dar es Salaam to make them unique, practical and relatable to a broader audience. Instagram continues to be the main form of connection to customers they have.

Anna tells Gazzetea, “Our weavers have a direct influence on setting their prices for their handwoven products and are paid 100% of the payment for their products upfront. We assist them to set prices that reflect the market to ensure that they get appropriately compensated for their skills and effort”.

Anna also shares that she loves fashion, and she has always loved weaved baskets but she took a note that the only place she could get good ones was either at the flea markets or tourists shops when she travelled. She says, “I hail from Iringa, a region in Tanzania with a long tradition of intricate basket weaving but I couldn’t easily find these baskets in town and when I did, very little had been done to make them appealing, functional and practical products. I saw an opportunity to connect these amazing artisans in my native Iringa with cosmopolitan customers by adding my personal touch to make these traditional products appeal to a wider audience”.

Through social media, they have created a brand identity and appeal for weaved products amongst Tanzanians across the country and a growing list of international customers across 10 countries. Bella Ragazza women living in remote villages across 3 regions in Tanzania now have access to a potentially global customer base giving them a sustainable additional income to supplement farming to support their families, send their kids to school and even invest.

Anna picked her top 5 favorite items and share with us details on them;

Ruaha Bag

We design this chic, yet very stylish basket for those who like to go shopping in style. This basket bag is suitable for summer, and for those who like going to the beach. It is one of our most popular items particularly with international customers that seem to like the simplicity and versatility of the bag.

Shanga bags and matching shanga belts

Pairing your outfit with these matching shanga bags and belts. They are perfect blend functionality and style all in one fashionable piece. Accessorising our products has been a gradual process of trying different items but the addition of the shanga to the bags seems to have captured a lot of our customers’ imagination.

Ifunda bag and matching leather sandals

Ifunda tops the list as the MOST popular and loved basket bag from us by our customers. The simplicity of the design coupled with the high quality, locally sourced leather makes for a great combination in this piece. The material is thick enough for those who carry laptops at work or get used as a normal daily handbag.

Zuri Set (Zuri means something beautiful)

Our mix and match basket set. A one color outfit can ensure your shoes and bag look coordinated hence the introduction of the Zuri set. We have built on the shanga concept by introducing the idea of coordination bags and sandals. We weren’t sure how this would be received by our customers but the reception has been overwhelming.

Bella Trey Set

Our Bella trey set will meet all your needs. These unique set are a must have for your dining and serving needs. Venturing into home accessory products felt like quite a departure from where we started but the craftsmanship of the wonderful ladies that weave these trays gave us confidence to give it a try. It is wonderful to see our customer seeing us  as more than just a fashion brand, more of lifestyle brand.

Credits:

Article by: Diana Elinam (@dianaeliam)