In the News
Something is shifting in the way the world talks about artisan craft, women's economic power, and what luxury fashion can actually look like. And we're proud to say: Ibu is part of that conversation.
Over the past few weeks, our work has been featured in some remarkable press — from a deep-dive in WWD, Sourcing Journal to coverage in Business Today Kenya to a global press release marking the launch of our newest initiative. Here's a look at what's being said, and what it means for the women at the heart of this movement.
WWD, Sourcing Journal: The Story Behind the Work
WWD, Sourcing Journal, one of the fashion industry's most respected trade publications recently took an in-depth look at how Ibu turns traditional craft into sustainable income for women around the world. The piece traces our origin, founder Susan Hull Walker's journey from a career pivot, to design school to the remote workshops where she first encountered women whose skills, she realized, surpassed anything she could achieve herself.
The article explores how Ibu's four-pillar model—marketplace, capacity building, education and artist engagement, creates not just sales, but real, lasting change. It looks at the way we work with our artisan partners through difficult seasons, how our grants have helped groups like one in Nigeria build solar-powered workspaces, and why our donors don't just write checks, they meet and build relationships with the women they're supporting.
"Our marketplace is a chance to tell the story," Susan says in the piece. "When customers can see the women making these things — and then here's the dress those women made with their own hands — it really has an impact."
Read the full WWD, Sourcing Journal feature →
Business Today Kenya: Artisan Luxury on the Global Stage
Business Today Kenya, one of Africa's leading business publications covered the launch of Ibu Atelier, our new artisan incubator backed by Bank of America. Their framing said it beautifully; the future of luxury fashion may lie in the hands of women artisans from Nigeria and India, not in traditional fashion capitals.
The article spotlights the debut collections from Queen Amina, a Nigerian collective bringing bold Hausa embroidery from Zaria City to international runways for the very first time, and LoomKatha, whose Himroo weaving tradition stretches back to the Mughal era. It also highlights the work of DWARAKA and their hand-painted kalamkari fabrics — each piece taking weeks to complete using natural dyes.
The coverage captures something we deeply believe; that this is not a niche story. It's a signal of where the fashion industry is heading—toward authenticity, traceability, and craft that carries real cultural meaning.
Read the Business Today Kenya feature →
Global Press: Ibu Atelier Is Here
Our official launch announcement for Ibu Atelier was picked up by outlets around the world, sharing the news of this new chapter in Ibu's mission. The press release tells the story of how the Atelier was born, through direct collaboration between our director of design and production, Deniz Roth, and the artisan masters themselves.
"When I sat with the kalamkari artists of DWARAKA, the Himroo weavers of LoomKatha and the embroiderers of Queen Amina, I wasn't looking at source material," Deniz said. "I was looking at masters."
The announcement also carries a message from Susan that we think says it all; "These women are not beneficiaries. They are entrepreneurs, designers and economic leaders."
Read the full Ibu Atelier announcement →
We are humbled and energized by the attention this work is receiving. But more than the press, what moves us are the women behind every piece—the weavers, embroiderers, dyers and beaders who have kept these traditions alive and are now sharing them with the world on their own terms.