Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Who Wore What: Liya Kebede in LemLem


Liya Kebede at A Tribute To The Models Of Versailles wearing Lem Lem Poncho

The first thing that probably comes to mind when one thinks about Liya Kebede is super model - and perhaps all-round super woman comes a very close second. Following a trip back home to Ethiopia in 2007, Liya founded Lem Lem - a label of ethically-produced pieces that keep the tradition of weaving alive in Ethiopia:

Supermodel / actress and World Health Organisation's Goodwill Ambassador for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, Liya Kebede discovered that traditional weavers in her native country of Ethiopia were losing their jobs due to a decline in local demand for their goods and wanted to do something about it. Recognizing the beauty, quality and historic significance of their work, Liya started Lemlem in 2007 as a way to inspire economic independence in her native country and to preserve the art of weaving...[Lem Lem]


The Handmade Process

Today, Lem Lem's handmade goodness has made its way all over the world and is stocked in several stores and online at Barneys, J.Crew, Les Nouvelles, Lem Lem and Net-a-Porter (coming soon).



At Shop Liquorice, there's a special place in our hearts reserved for brands than not only reference Africa in their work and produce their pieces in Africa, but also brands that preserve traditions and cultures unique to the continent. We're excited about Lem Lem -- are you?

XO


Photos courtesy of:

YBF
Lem Lem

2 comments:

Kunbi said...

Oh how awesome! Didn't even know she had a label.

xoliquoricexo said...

@ Kunbi - We haven't known for all that long either. Well, maybe about a year :-)

Thanks for visiting!

XO