Women in Craft

A family-run business led by a mother-daughter team, Sahara has always championed women supporting women. From the artisans in our very first community workshop in Bali to the loyal customers who visit our boutiques, we are constantly inspired by the independent, free-spirited women around us. Every piece we create is designed to empower our customers to express their individuality while feeling confident and beautiful in their own skin, at any age.

Beyond the Sahara brand, we proudly support a variety of female-led brands and emerging designers from around the world. In honour of International Women’s Day, we’ve had the pleasure of speaking with our accessory artisans to celebrate the women behind the designs and share their stories with you.

Ekadori 

The story behind Ekadori began with a cultural contrast. Living in Europe made the founder more aware of the differences between Indian jewellery traditions and European design. “India is vibrant, layered and traditional, while Europe leans towards minimal and elegant design,” she explains. Over time her own aesthetic became a natural blend of both influences.

That connection is reflected in the name Ekadori itself. In Sanskrit, eka means one and dori means thread, suggesting the idea of connection between cultures, histories, and ideas.

Working with gemstones remains the most inspiring part of the process. The transformation from raw material to finished piece still feels remarkable. “Watching rough stones, still covered in dust, pass through the hands of skilled artisans and slowly transform into luminous gems is truly humbling.”

Behind every finished piece is a chain of careful work. Supporting women in craft, she says, often means recognising the women who play vital roles within that process. “The ones who sort the stones, check the settings, polish each piece and prepare it before it reaches the customer.”

As a founder still building a relatively young business, she has also faced moments of being underestimated, particularly when negotiating production or logistics. Those experiences ultimately strengthened her approach. “They pushed me to understand every part of the process deeply.”

Alexandra Tsoukala

For Greek designer Alexandra Tsoukala, creativity was simply part of growing up. “I grew up in a house of artists,” she explains. Her mother was a sculptor, her father an architect, and their studios and working processes formed the backdrop to everyday life. Watching the way they approached their work gave her an early understanding of what it means to build something thoughtfully.

“Through them, I learned what art, construction and creation truly mean,” she says. “Creation came naturally and gradually shaped my own artistic language.”

Alexandra first worked on sculptural lighting pieces before expanding into accessories and clothing. Today her work is known for its distinctive pleated fabrics, which stretch and shift in unexpected ways. The fabric itself plays an active role in the design. “I work with pleated textiles that offer elasticity and a dynamic interplay of light and shadow. Through them I’m able to give form to what I imagine.”

While inspiration begins the process, she finds equal satisfaction in the construction stage, when ideas become physical objects. “When a piece takes its final form and the result fulfils my vision, that’s when I feel the greatest satisfaction.”

Running a small craft studio comes with challenges too. Handmade work increasingly competes with mass produced goods produced at extremely low cost. Yet she remains convinced that craft still holds a lasting value. “I strongly believe in the timeless importance of handmade work and the uniqueness it offers.”

Christina Brampti

Christina Brampti, finds that making is a way of translating thoughts into form. “Creation has always been my most honest form of expression,” she says. Through the process of designing and making, she finds a way to give structure to emotions and ideas that might otherwise remain abstract.

Her pieces often explore unusual materials, sculptural forms and unexpected proportions. Rather than repeating familiar shapes, she is motivated by the possibility of discovering something entirely new. “The greatest joy lies in discovering what does not yet exist,” she explains. “I’m driven by ideas that challenge the familiar and open new mental spaces.”

That sense of exploration runs through her work. Creation, for Christina, is about expanding beyond repetition and allowing ideas to evolve through experimentation.

When asked about supporting women in craft, her answer is direct. “Solidarity among women is not symbolic. It is essential.” For her, encouragement between women working in creative fields is more than a gesture. It’s a way of strengthening voices that have historically been overlooked.

“To me, solidarity means amplifying each other’s voices and creating opportunities,” she says. “Before anything else, we are human beings. What must unite us is respect, awareness and love.”

Gevole

For the founder of Gevole, making has always felt instinctive. “As long as I can remember, I have always created,” she says. As a child she made beaded jewellery, and later began designing and sewing clothes for herself and friends.

Often the motivation was simple. If she couldn’t find something that reflected her own taste, she would make it herself. Sometimes creativity was also a practical solution. Pieces she admired were not always affordable, so she began experimenting and building them on her own terms.

Over time that curiosity developed into a business. Her jewellery is known for vibrant colours and expressive designs, pieces intended not just to decorate but to change how someone feels when they wear them.

“What brings me the most joy is seeing a woman’s expression change when she wears one of my creations,” she explains. Sometimes the shift is subtle, a moment where confidence appears almost unexpectedly.

“There’s a small moment when her face lights up and she stands a little differently,” she says. “If my work can contribute to that feeling of confidence, even in a small way, then I’ve achieved what I set out to do.”

The thread that connects them

Reading through these conversations, a few ideas appear again and again. Curiosity is often where the story begins. Many of these makers started creating simply because they were fascinated by materials or wanted to try something for themselves.

Persistence follows close behind. Creative paths rarely move in straight lines, and each of these designers has had to navigate challenges, learn new skills and build their work gradually over time.

And then there is the joy of making. The satisfaction of seeing an idea become something real, something that can be worn, held or shared with someone else.

The designers featured here are just four voices among many. But together they offer a reminder that behind every beautiful object is a person who imagined it, shaped it, and brought it to life. And often, that story begins with a woman who simply decided to roll up their sleeves and make something.