The Home Front: Handcrafted Homewares from Around the World

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Fresh off a plane from Uganda, Treana Peake sat down with Postmedia to tell us about the online brand Obakki which she founded in 2005. Obakki specializes in handcrafted products made by artisans around the world worldwide, particularly in Mexico, Africa, Italy, Japan and Australia.

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Obakki started out as a fashion brand, but Peake’s passion for development work (something she’s been doing for more than 30 years) and love of interior design quickly took over, she says.

Obakki now works with thousands of artisans from over 11 countries. One hundred percent of the profits from about half of these partnerships go back to artisan communities to fund education, healthcare, and basic amenities like fresh water.

One such project is the handmade pots of Akiliba (northern Uganda, hence the trip). The artisans who create these pots do so to support their entire community. The pots are made from locally sourced clay and stacked in a brush-covered mound for cooking.

Another recent collaboration is the collection of beautiful handmade wooden bowls and spoons, created by a master carver from the Dogon tribe in Mali, says Peake.

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International logging companies have cut down African Blackwood trees in Mali and cubed them to fit in shipping containers because they stack better. Lots of chutes are created and left in the process, she says, and that’s what locals have access to, Peake says.

“We’re concerned about logging, reforestation issues and that kind of stuff, and also that resources are being taken out of these countries with nothing left for the people who live there,” she says.

Obakki now works with Malian artisans who collect these blackwood scraps and turn them into beautifully crafted bowls and spoons.

These artisans get seventy-five percent of the profits, Peake says, and reinvest that money back into their local communities.

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“The locals are using the resources that were left to them (replanting trees, etc.) but also investing in their future, and the product itself is truly beautiful,” says Peake.

Obakki plans to work with more Canadian designers because there’s so much talent in Canada, Peake says.

In addition to selling online and doing pop-ups with Canadian fashion retailers Simons, Holt Renfrew, and a planned upcoming with Nordstrom, Obakki has a small studio in Vancouver’s Chinatown, and they love having people drop by, said Peake.

“We love for customers to come and hear the stories of our products because every product has a story,” she says.

She hopes that with people heading into the winter holiday season and gifts in mind, they will consider buying meaningful things that are made to last.

Peake says what makes Obakki unique is that it is an entirely purpose-driven brand.

“Every artist with us is part of our global family. We are directly connected to our employees and ensure that purpose takes precedence over profit,” she says.

His job is to establish an international market for these artisans.

“We’re very convinced of why we’re doing it,” Peake says.