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Our Story

 At The Green Giraffe, we believe in fair trade practices focusing on highlighting local talent from Freetown, Sierra Leone (West Africa).

We partner with local communities to pave the way toward social and economic self-sufficiency.

Our products not only provide the artisans a steady stream of work at above-market wages in good working conditions, but they are also broadening their skillset by applying methods and techniques which are new to them while working on less familiar garments.

Locally sourced materials and local artisans mean that each product we sell provides a valuable contribution to the supply chain.

Our products are crafted by a team of talented weavers and tailors selected through equal opportunity practices.

Most of our products are up-cycled from discarded clothing or scrap fabrics, making them sustainable and environmentally friendly!

Our mission is to continually grow & create influential goods, promoting compassion & respect while impacting the communities in which we work. 

The Green Giraffe works alongside Compassionate Paws International by donating a portion of its proceeds and providing handmade dog collars for the free-roaming dogs in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Goods purchased from The Green Giraffe, in their small way, make a difference in communities throughout Sierra Leone.

Click here for more good feels!

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Sea Ramanat

Founder

I launched The Green Giraffe (TGG) in 2010; my original vision was to have a boutique and online shop offering unique, high-quality, eco-friendly

kids products.

My connection to Freetown goes back to 2011. My husband, then-boyfriend, worked in the region for some time and would regularly fly between Canada and West Africa; I would visit as often as I could.

In 2017, we married, had three young kids and decided to relocate to Freetown to reduce our time apart.

 

What initially caught my attention was the vast array of fabrics and the range of work done by local tailors and weavers in Freetown, which inspired me to find a way to integrate this with TGG.

I am a big advocate of fair trade. Working with local artisans to create our products has been a natural evolution of TGG since being a socially responsible company has always been a part of our framework. 

Our handmade products all began with joggers for kids, and once we started making them, our inspirations were endless!

We continually try new products and designs, and once we find something we think works, we hone in and perfect it. 

The artisans I work with are resourceful and creative; items like sweaters donated from North America are unravelled and turned into cloth

that we use in some of our products.

These threads have a long life, and they genuinely go full circle!

I am also the Co-founder and Executive Director at Compassionate Paws International (CPI), a not-for-profit organization that funds and supports resource-limited animal welfare organizations worldwide.

I have always had a passion for animals; it has been ingrained in me and passed down through my family.

With Sierra Leone having one of the highest stray dog populations in Africa and my seeing first-hand the conditions they have to endure,

I knew that I had to act.

As a mother of 3, I feel that compassion for humans and animals comes hand-in-hand. I try to lead by example, ensuring that my children grow to have love and compassion for humans and animals alike.

Kontri Cloth Process- TGG
Meet Tailor Alusine

What People Say

Absolutely love the style, the prints are gorgeous!

AH - Alberta, Canada

My sister absolutely LOVES her cushions - thank you so much!!

Just got our new shipment  - of course we love it!

RR - UK

KJ - Just One - Ontario, Canada

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