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 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.

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