More than 20 years in the making
In the late 1990s, in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, my mother set out to start her own business. With a sewing machine, fabric dye, and a few metres of cotton, she began making summer dresses.
She taught at the local junior school in the mornings and sewed at night. In the afternoons, she collected me from kindergarten, and together we laid out her small collection at a street market.
Within a year, she had hired her first employee and opened a boutique on Main Street, next to the National Gallery.
Real community ties
Every weekend, I begged my mother to take me with her to the boutique. I spent countless hours watching her tailors cut, sew, and embroider, and many more visiting local artists in their workshops.
As the boutique grew, so did our world. We travelled through South Africa, Tanzania, Botswana, and Zambia, exploring markets together and building relationships with artisans along the way.
More than 20 years later, the boutique still stands. When I moved to Norway in 2021, I carried a piece of it with me and named it Karivarah. Today, I run Karivarah with my husband, and my mother helps us source our pieces.
Built on craft
Karivarah brings handmade pieces from Africa into homes in Norway.
We prioritise sourcing directly from the people who make the pieces: independent artisans, cooperatives, and small workshops.
Our roots are in Zimbabwe. That’s where I’m from, where Karivarah began, and where many of the relationships behind our collection were first built.
Handcrafted. Sourced directly.
By the numbers
- 3 African countries
- 23 Artisan partners
- 30 Products in stock
From our home, to yours
Today, we collaborate with artisans in Ghana, Ethiopia, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.
Connect with us
We share photos from our trips, behind the scenes as we grow Karivarah, and post updates and new arrivals.
This is us
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Panashe
Co-founder
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Martin
Co-founder
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Lydia
Co-founder
