Ethiopian traditional dresses reflect the mood of dressing and its purpose across the country, says Woinshet Mebratu, Production Manager and Designer at Genet paradise traditional clothes production Organization. Particularly, the clothes are highly preferred by a large number of customers as they are made manually, up of pure raw materials. Following this, the organization has many customers at home and abroad.
Moreover, such traditional cloths cost from Birr 5,000 up to 10,000 depending on the price of the raw material and the style of the dress. In this regard, most of the time the price is fixed while majority of the customers are above 16 years of age.
It is such a lucrative business for the owner and a good employment opportunity for job seekers. It also contributes in promoting the types of Ethiopian traditional clothes for the world.
Making traditional clothes is an ages old activity of many local communities in various parts of Ethiopian. They have been producing cloths from raw materials like cotton and decorative band using traditional weaving tools. While being such a long ingrained traditional activity, it does not mean that any ordinary person is able to make the clothes. A person needs due training to make such clothes. Those who engage in the making of clothes differ from each other in the creativity, decoration, and other requirement.
Yet starting cloths production is not an easy business; rather it needs special raw materials, skilled weavers, production and selling places. In this regard, Genet has been challenged by such type of shortage ever since beginning of production 28 years ago. But she was able to succeed through patience, diligence and commitment, she noted.
According to Genet, the organization has been producing various types of traditional clothes’ for various occasions like wedding, birth and religious holidays, among others. It has also produced modern cloths without ignoring the original cultural features. This is the reason for many customers being attracted to the organizations.
In this regard, Genet says ‘’I am always concerned about sustaining Ethiopian traditional cloths starting from my teenage up to the present. Particularly, the degree of my concern increases time to time as the traditional cloths are not adequately promoted and ensure significant benefit from it’’
In addition to supplying to the local market Genet is now exporting its produces. Genet has 30 employees including other branches in her organizations with various positions.
However, like many of the businesses, the market for the traditional clothes has also been affected by the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.
Currently, the common pandemic, COVID-19 has seriously challenged the traditional cloths production in her organizations that many clients are closed their shops. The pandemic is unexpected and flurry on her mind which does not occurred during her living time till happened COVID-19.
At this time, the organizations have shifted traditional cloths production to masks production, instead of closing the organizations and reducing the employees like that of her clients. This has much significance for helping the ongoing activities of combating the pandemic with standing together and reduced the worried of employees’ thereby providing quality masks for selling 25 Birr per mask.
Genet further stated that, government should be turned the face to small enterprise like us because, such type of organizations has means of job opportunities, culture ambassadors, and symbol of art.
Currently, the organization shifts from traditional clothes to masks production in order to fight the common pandemic COVID-19. In this regard, the organization is producing more than 250 masks per day with quality and providing by affordable price to the society. On the other hand, the owner helps the workers through various mechanisms on how to combat the pandemic thereby producing standard masks.
For example, the owner provides transport for workers from home to work place and turns it. Similarly, it was also provide pure water and sanitizer in the work place which help to cleaning the hands reputedly. However, she advised that the narrow work place is hinder to produce more. Therefore, it needs to obtain additional places in order to separate the Office and production places.
The Ethiopian herald June 6,2020
BY MESERET BEHAILU
