Refugees face many constraints that limit their ability to sell their products to external markets. Legal restrictions, isolation, limited design knowledge and a lack of access to basic business support services are major obstacles. As a resuIt, refugees are often left out of the global artisan economy.
MADE51 has been created as a global collaborative initiative that relies on the support of Strategic Partners. UNHCR is calling for industry leaders to join as Strategic Partners in MADE51.
UNHCR is calling for Retail and Brand Partners to invest in designing, developing and sourcing refugee-made product lines, in collaboration with refugee artisans and local social enterprises.
Retail Partners:
The introduction of fresh design is essential for MADE51. Designers leverage the traditional skills of refugees and overlay with a modern aesthetic, so that refugee artisans can craft products that are attractive in a contemporary, global home. Recognizing design and production go hand-in-hand, designers will ensure all processes align, from production to packaging.
Designers can now apply to join the MADE51 Designer Engagement programme. Please click here to apply.
Additionally, UNHCR is seeking a partner to organize the design process:
Technology can serve as an indispensable tool for refugee artisans, allowing them to transcend infrastructural and geographical challenges to reach business solutions. A strong MADE51 digital marketing platform can correctly position the products in the marketplace.
UNHCR is seeking a partner to:
Through each order placed with refugee artisans, brand partners contribute to improving lives, which often extends to the entire community. MADE51 will develop a system to monitor and track impact of artisan production, and will share this information with buyers and partners.
UNHCR is seeking a partner to:
The selected social enterprises receive business coaching, marketing opportunities and seed funding so that they can sustainably incorporate a refugee-made product line into their operations, manage order fulfillment and build artisan capacity. Initial seed funding is needed for artisan training, product development and production infrastructure.
UNHCR is seeking a partner to:
For small artisan enterprises in developing countries, high logistical costs make it difficult to ensure cost-effective transport and delivery for export orders, which can make products uncompetitive. A small enterprise needs technical logistical guidance and perhaps cooperative arrangements to solve these issues.
UNHCR is seeking a partner to:
Recognizing that MADE51 is comprised of refugee-made product lines sourced from many countries worldwide, UNHCR is seeking a global partner to make the entire MADE51 collection readily available for wholesalers, retailers, and the end customer.
UNHCR is seeking a partner to:
In addition to seed funding, LSEs will need access to financing and capital investment in order to pre-finance orders and scale. Ensuring scalability is central to the success of MADE51.
UNHCR is seeking a partner to: