Thursday, November 06, 2014

Made in Ethiopia: The leather gloves keeping the world warm and stylish

(Nov 06, (CNN))--The steady hum of sewing machines fills the air inside a large glovemaking factory on the outskirts of Addis Ababa, the bustling Ethiopian capital. Patches of leather move through an array of working stations as busy laborers work feverishly to meet the company's export quota: 5,000 gloves a day.



The operation belongs to Pittards, a UK-based company whose trading partnership with Ethiopia dates back to the early 1900s.

Here, hardy, durable cow hide is made into work gloves. These are ideal for builders and gardeners, and are mainly exported to the U.S.  And then there are the stylish designs -- created from a different type of animal skin, these are made to keep fingers warm in Tokyo, Paris and Rome.

"The fashion glove is made of sheep skin which is unique to Ethiopia," explains Tsedenia Mekbib, general manager at Pittards Products Manufacturing. "The durability, the stretch ability and the strength makes it popular for gloving leather specifically. That has been the one strength of Ethiopia and the leather sector."
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