Sweet Salone is the result of a joint project of Icelandic designers and artisans in Sierra Leone organized by the charity fund Aurora.
Sierra Leone. Sweet Salone. Sounds quite similar, since the latter name derives from the former; West African country, which for more than a quarter of a century was almost constantly in the world news due to all kinds of disasters. It is enough to remember ten years of bloody civil war until 2002 and the Ebola epidemic in 2014. Sweet Salone, on the other hand, is a design project organized by the charity fund Aurora and consists of bringing together Icelandic designers and artisans in Sierra Leone - as the country is called in Icelandic.
The design project that concerns us at As We Grow is that we help the artisans out there to increase the value of their craft, guide them with procedures and other such things and then work to bring the products to market. All products created under this partnership are designed under the banner "As We Grow together with Sweet Salone". Each garment is marked with the name and history of the artisan who created the product. The philosophy behind the Sweet Salone project fits extremely well with the thinking behind As We Grow, knowing where the product comes from from an idea to a finished object. We wholeheartedly believe that by sharing our ideas, by working together and learning from each other, we can have a positive impact on our environment and improve the lives of others.
Foday, the tailor who As We Grow works with, is building a house for his family. Every time he sells a dress, he can buy a few bricks. The house is therefore a true As We Grow house that grows with each dress.
The products and ideas that have come from this bilateral collaboration have exceeded our wildest hopes. From the first steps, the quality of the products has greatly increased and our designers have successfully encouraged the artisans to step out of their comfort zone. Together we have managed to produce new products that come directly from the work of artists and craftsmen in Sierra Leone based on Icelandic design.
By participating in this project, it is our hope to be able to support design and
the craft industry in Sierra Leone and contributed to the preservation of crafts and raw materials that would otherwise be lost.
