PENZI: Handwoven Orange, Blue & Black Wool Tote Bag

Meet colourful PENZI: a one-of-a-kind Orange, Blue & Black basket bag, made from recycled woolly jumpers. This woven basket bag is a truly Kenyan celebration of sustainable style. The basket room is proud to partner with women working within several weaving cooperatives in Eastern Kenya and Nairobi to produce these baskets.

This colourful and versatile basket bag takes its inspiration from the Kenyan kiondo (kee-yon/-doh) basket – a type of storage basket that mothers would weave for their daughters as wedding gifts. Kiondo weaving was a dying art in Kenya until very recently, and in 2004 only four elders from this cooperative had the skills to produce kiondos. Today, however, around fifty members work on these unique basket bags.

To purchase one of the basket room's woollen baskets is to support the revival of kiondo weaving, and in doing so you help the basket room to support these skilled weavers. Basket weaving has become a sustainable line of additional income for the weavers, whose main earnings come from farming – an industry that’s increasingly vulnerable to drought.

• Material: SISAL & RECYCLED WOOL (NATURAL & SYNTHETIC) LEATHER STRAPS

• Dimensions: 40-50 cm Bottom Dia x 30-36 cm H / 17-20.5'' Top Dia x 12-14'' H (width is measured at the widest part of the bag)

• Strap Length: 29 cm / 11.5" approx

Please note: As all of the basket room's baskets are handmade, the dimensions and colour may vary from those shown in the photographs, adding to their charm.

HANDMADE IN KENYA