Made by hand, in Addis Ababa.
A women-owned workshop.
Chiban Leather is a women-owned artisan workshop in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. We make bags, small leather goods and accessories from full-grain Ethiopian highland cowhide — leather with grain, strength and a character that only deepens with age.
Every piece is cut, stitched and finished in our workshop by artisans who take pride in work made to be carried for a very long time.
But Chiban is more than a place where beautiful things are made. It is a social enterprise.
Work with dignity.
Chiban empowers marginalised and vulnerable young people — particularly former street youth — to build lives of their own.
Skill-building
Hands-on training in the leather craft, taught in the workshop and learned by making.
Education
Learning alongside the workbench, because a craft is only one part of a future.
Dignified, paid employment
A real job, with a real wage, in a workshop where the work is valued.
Every piece we make carries a story of resilience, transformation, and love.
From hide to hand.
The hide
Full-grain Ethiopian highland cowhide, sourced through a network of local tanneries.
The cut
Patterns are laid out and cut with care, to make the most of every hide.
The stitch
Panels are stitched and assembled in the workshop, piece by piece.
The finish
Straps are punched, rivets set and edges finished by hand before a piece leaves for you.
