Adorned with a lively floral and chequerboard pattern inspired by tapestries from the Wissa Wassef Art Centre, these stylish placemats, made by social enterprise Malaika in Egypt, will bring joy to your table. With a bold colour variation on either side, they are undeniably playful and versatile.

Crafted from natural Egyptian cotton and silk screen printed by hand, our double-sided placemats are machine washable.

•  42cm x 33cm

• 100% Cotton

The impact

At the heart of its business model, Malaika focuses on teaching hand embroidery to local women giving them a chance to learn a valuable skill and improve their economic standing. This model grew from a simple idea: many women, regardless of age, background or literacy, can learn to sew. Today, dozens of underprivileged Egyptian women and refugees, travel to Malaika's embroidery school to learn embroidery techniques. Once proficient, the women leave the school and return to work from home, making way for more women to be trained there. Most have never held a needle before. They can generate an income - and make a difference - without disrupting traditional family patterns and cultural expectations.