Tosheka Textiles

Based in Kenya and Philadelphia, Tosheka Textiles is working to set new standards in their industry and breaking new ground for textile production in Africa with a focus on sustainability.

Tosheka Textiles employs and trains Kenyan women to weave and crochet its designs using organic and recycled materials and even upcycled plastic bags. In addition to creating employment using fair labor practices, the company’s mission is to establish a broad recycling program to collect plastic bags that litter parts of Kenya and eventually the oceans.

They added cruelty-free silk to their job creation and production, using the kind of silk worms you don’t have to kill in the silk-making process. They have also added organic cotton production, which is a sea change in Kenya, where the industry uses even more chemicals in its production than we do in the US. (That’s a lot!)

In addition to funding, the Untours Foundation has worked with Tosheka Textiles throughout their pivots in the industry. Both Untours Foundation Co-CEO Elizabeth Killough and board member Lisa Mitchell have consulted on their plans. 

To help us support more progressive businesses like this, make a donation to the Untours Foundation.