Hana Getachew, creative director, Bolé Road Textiles

Her products are designed in Brooklyn and hand-made in Ethiopia, with vibrant results

Hana Getachew of Bolé Road Textiles (Photo by Steve Koepp)

In this episode of From Day One, we spoke with Hana Getachew, the creative visionary behind Brooklyn-based Bolé Road Textiles. Her modern home designs take inspiration from nature as well as traditional Ethiopian textiles, boasting vibrant colors and intricate handwoven detail. A longtime interior designer for a New York architecture firm, Getachew saw an opportunity to take her passion to a new level during a trip to visit her home country of Ethiopia. “I grew up with these textiles. [They] were a big part of my influence growing up,” she told us. “Seeing them in context–going through the shops and seeing all these beautiful scarves–was just so inspiring and exciting to me. To see all these materials and really fall in love with them and be curious about them and wanting them for my home, [that’s when] little seeds and ideas started to pop up in my head.”

She then proceeded to create a business, which The Bridge profiled last spring, that would allow her to feel more connected to her family and heritage while giving back to her home country. She feels fortunate to have achieved this through a strong bond with her vendors. Each piece in Bolé Road’s colorful collection is designed in Getachew’s Crown Heights studio before being handwoven by Ethiopian artisans through a certified, fair-trade organization. “I know you can go to IKEA and buy a cheaper pillow, but that’s not the point of this product. The point is that this is a product designed by a human being and that is made by human beings. We’re all almost a family.” Join us for the rest of Hana’s colorful, inspiring story. –By Kim Thornton

 

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