Maadili Collective offers a selection of high-quality products created using sustainable techniques and materials local to Uganda. Handmade by established craftsmen and women, these goods connect the user and maker, creating a physical link between people and communities in different parts of the world.
The ROOTED Collection
Stay rooted in your values. Stay rooted in your surroundings. Stay rooted in your impact.
The ROOTED Collection is a reflection of our commitment to what endures. In a fast-paced, ever-changing world, we choose to move with intention—grounded in natural dyes, heritage craft preservation, and small-batch production. This annual basket collection brings together a thoughtful assortment of handwoven pieces, designed to live throughout the home, from tabletop to wall, alongside versatile statement designs made to be used and cherished over time.
Each piece in the ROOTED Collection is handmade by a women’s cooperative in western Uganda, representing generations of skill, connection, and cultural tradition. By focusing on a single, year-round collection, we are able to offer greater consistency and stability to our weaving partners—supporting their craft in a way that is both sustainable and empowering. This approach also allows for ongoing replenishment of styles, so the pieces you love remain available throughout the year.
Woven from sustainably sourced raffia and banana fibers, and dyed using hand-gathered roots, leaves, and bark, each design carries the richness of the land it comes from. The natural dyeing process brings depth and variation to every piece, making each one truly unique while honoring the environment and the traditions behind it.
ROOTED is more than a collection—it is a commitment to preserving craft, supporting women artisans, and creating meaningful, lasting impact through thoughtful design.
ROOTED COLLECTION
MONOCHROME Collection
The simple, yet strikingly bold Monochrome Basket Collection is a timeless statement that will add depth and meaning to your unique environment. Every eye-catching basket is handwoven using sustainably sourced, hand-dyed black raffia or naturally dried banana leaf, twisted and wrapped around coils of banana stalk fibers, creating both structure and stunning designs.
From Her Hands, to Your Home
Jane Kakyo
"Since weaving my life has changed, I have gained freedom and can support my family and I thank God for this. It was a hard life before I joined the basket weaving cooperative, I was a widow supporting five children. But when I joined this group I met different women with similar lives who were working and earning money to support their families. We meet every Saturday, we sit for two hours, making these baskets, giving each other advice and much needed comfort."
Let nothing be wasted.
Give new life to descended materials. The Ankole Horn Collection brings a second generation and new form to native Ankole Watusi cow horn. Rural Ugandan cattle farmers depend on raising herds that both brings food to markets and supports their families and communities. The horn is an upcycled material that is creatively reused into truly one of a kind home decor and jewelry items. No two pieces are alike.
Block Printed Textiles
Add a new level of intention to your thoughtfully designed tablescape with these lovely and artfully crafted napkins. Hand dyed fabric is hand block printed with intricate designs and finished into these colorful table textiles.
Modern pieces with cultural significance
Barkcloth is a venerated fabric with deep significance to the cultural identity of Uganda for over 700 years. Made from the inner bark of the Mutuba tree, barkcloth is produced in a laborious process using wooden mallets to flatten the bark into supple cloth with stunning signature colors that vary from terracotta to rust to deep cognac-brown. After each harvest, the exposed trunk is wrapped in banana leaves to protect it as new bark regrows. Trees can be harvested once a year for up to 60+ years providing a sustainable commodity while preserving cultural traditions.
Ugandan Barkcloth
We are a Fair Trade Federation member
Our membership as a verified Fair Trade Federation company reflects our deep commitment to the principles of Fair Trade. We are part of a community dedicated to the highest standards of Fair Trade and the pursuit of a more just and sustainable world.