IN AN INDUSTRY built on relationships, trust, and shared purpose, collaboration can be a pathway for meaningful growth. March 2026 marked an exciting milestone for the artisan-made sector as Mbare’s acquired the Creative Women brand. This partnership brings together two deeply aligned organizations with nearly 50 years of combined experience working alongside artisan communities around the world, reinforcing what’s possible when brand values and visions align.

For decades, both Mbare and Creative Women have championed a model of trade that centers around people and preserving cultural heritage while creating sustainable income for artisans. Mbare, founded nearly 30 years ago, began with a simple but powerful idea: to connect traditional African crafts with global markets in a way that sustains livelihoods and honors cultural identity. Creative Women, known for its crafted textiles and longstanding partnerships with women artisans in Ethiopia, has built its reputation on similar principles: uplifting makers and ensuring their work reaches a broader audience. Bringing these two together is not about reinvention, but amplification. As Mbare founder Robbie Stewart shared, the partnership reinforces “the power of collaboration and working together…sharing a common vision and a common set of values.”

This acquisition is particularly exciting because of how naturally the two organizations fit together. Creative Women expands Mbare’s offering into textiles, adding depth without redundancy, while also introducing a strong marketing voice at a pivotal moment of growth. With Creative Women founder Maura Kroh Lall stepping into a marketing leadership role, the partnership allows each individual to focus on creating space for more thoughtful storytelling, stronger brand positioning, and deeper connection with customers. As Maria Machado described, it’s a dynamic where “we kind of feed off each other,” blending operational expertise with creative vision in a way that feels both natural and energizing.

At its core, this partnership remains deeply rooted in relationships. Many of the artisans work and live in regions where craft is more than an art form, it’s a vital source of income and cultural continuity. Without consistent access to markets, these traditions risk being lost over generations. By coming together, Mbare and Creative Women are strengthening the systems that sustain these communities, expanding reach while staying grounded in long-term, trust-based partnerships. As Machado shared, their approach continues to prioritize direct connection: “we go to the source ourselves…we know the people that we work with really well. It’s a relationship.”

This acquisition reflects a shift in how mission-driven businesses can evolve. Rather than competing for space, Mbare and Creative Women are demonstrating the value of collaboration as a means of building resilience, sharing expertise, and creating more sustainable pathways to scale. It challenges the notion that growth must exist in competition, instead showing that when approached thoughtfully, they can strengthen one another. As new channels and opportunities continue to emerge, partnerships like this help ensure that handmade is not positioned as niche or inaccessible, but as something that can exist and thrive within the broader retail landscape.

At Powered by People, we believe in this kind of ecosystem thinking: where collaboration expands access, strengthens communities, and creates more equitable opportunities for independent brands and artisans around the world. This partnership is a powerful reminder that when we work together with intention, we can grow impact across communities. 

You can read the official press release here.