Traditional Tunisian Ivory Wool Throw

We met Essia in New York (of all places...) and she introduced us to the Tunisian culture and the world of craft in North Africa. A true businesswoman, Essia has created a company focused on reviving the history of Tunisia through craftwork. She collaborates with talented Tunisian craftswomen for a line of decorative products using local materials such as hayek wool and olive wood. At Pouffy Designs, they aspire to transmit a contemporary vision of Tunisian traditional craft which is rich with cultural influences inherited throughout centuries of change.

Pouffy Designs was created three years ago by Essia Chaloueh with a purpose of developing traditional textiles in a modern reinterpretation. We love working with Essia because we have a similar outlook on our world – to build a future full of traditional craft while empowering craftswomen to perfect their skillset.

Essia created this company to focus on reviving the history of Tunisia through craftwork. She collaborates with talented Tunisian craftswomen and uses local material such as sheep wool and olive wood. Her mission is to enable several struggling rural craftswomen from different regions of Tunisia to provide for their families and to keep their crafts alive.

Through this, they aim to revive a plethora of traditional Tunisian products, either in their designs, through the materials they are made of, or through their production process. This is what makes their products unique and imprinted with history and culture specific to Tunisia.

Each item sold by Department of Artisans employs an equal profit-sharing model.

Simply put, we make as much as our artisans do. The average split for each product is 40% artisan contribution, 40% DOA contribution, 20% importing + shipping fees. This means, our profits are the same as our artisans and we don't mark-up our prices like traditional retailers.

The 40% artisan contribution goes towards the cost of materials, the maker, and the project manager. The 40% DOA contribution goes towards marketing + operating expenses, and community initiatives. The 20% importing + shipping fees is paid out to each country during the exporting/importing process.

All shipments are securely packaged for safe and prompt delivery. We are happy to offer shipping worldwide. Please allow 1-2 business days for order processing.