The couple were tailors in Iran, where they made wedding dresses and suits for special occasions. Today, they work in a small workshop in Athens, transforming rubber boats and life jackets from the Greek islands into new, sustainable products like laptop cases and toiletry bags for The -able ♻️✨.
"It gives me mixed feelings to sew with this material because I arrived in Kos on a boat just like this one," says Fariba. "The journey here was traumatic, and I’d rather forget it, but it also gives me a sense of freedom and ownership over my story to transform something filled with fear into something new and meaningful."
I lived on Lesvos for a year while working in the refugee camp there. It was during this time that I saw how life jackets and boats were discarded in an area of the island known as 'The Lifejacket Graveyard'.
Fariba and Sobhan work under safe and secure conditions at the NGO ANKAA, with which I collaborate, where the profits from their sales also fund English lessons for asylum seekers 🤝.
Although the material may remind one of the harsh reality, I find it truly inspiring how Fariba and Sobhan recycle it, giving it new life and offering a far better solution than simply turning a blind eye to both the material and the incredibly skilled tailors like Fariba and Sobhan 🌿.
My former boss, Sune, saw the same value in the project and bought a case. He says it’s definitely a conversation starter when clients or collaborators ask about it during meetings. A special thanks to Sune and Is it a Bird for also purchasing corporate gifts like these for all their employees for two consecutive years 🙏.
Fariba and Sobhan’s story is a reminder of the strength it takes to rebuild your life from something that once seemed hopeless.
At The -able, I’m proud to collaborate with talented artisans like them and help them make a living from their craft. It means so much more than just the financial support.
If you, as an individual or a business, want to support, their products are available for purchase as corporate gifts or for yourself – or for someone who would appreciate the value of recycling, or perhaps just the unique design.
