GAIA Empowered Women

GAIA Empowered Women Global textiles transformed into fashion & home accessories by refugee women rebuilding their lives

Cuteness alert! 😍 Sweetheart Dolls from handcrafted by Buthayna! Head to their site to shop 💕🌈 💖
14/01/2023

Cuteness alert! 😍 Sweetheart Dolls from handcrafted by Buthayna! Head to their site to shop 💕🌈 💖

Weekend inspo courtesy of with pillows hand stitched by Buthayna! 💘🌈🦄
15/10/2022

Weekend inspo courtesy of with pillows hand stitched by Buthayna! 💘🌈🦄

We’re excited to share some heartwarming news: This past summer, Buthayna was able to visit her former home in Syria, f...
13/09/2022

We’re excited to share some heartwarming news: This past summer, Buthayna was able to visit her former home in Syria, for the first time in 10 years!! ❤️
After fleeing the Syrian conflict in 2012, Buthayna wasn’t sure if she would ever have the opportunity to return to her country. She didn’t know if she would step foot again in her hometown that had been so devastated by violence, or to stroll around neighborhoods she once knew so well. She wondered if she would ever again enter her former family home, where she and her husband had to make the agonizing decision to flee for the safety of their family, and then choose the few possessions they could take along with them. But after becoming an American citizen last January and acquiring her U.S. passport, Buthayna was finally able to plan her long-awaited trip, bringing her two children along for the journey as well! She joyfully reunited with her sister, aunts, uncles, cousins, and dear friends from college; The kids were able to reconnect with their cousins...and her son even visited his childhood bedroom, still bearing Buthayna’s mural art on the wall (swipe to last pic)! The trip was so bittersweet, and brought back a flood of emotions for Buthayna: “I never realized how much I associated each place in my hometown with a particular perfume-like smell! Although there is still a lot of pain and hard times for the people there, you can feel their love and compassion all the time.”

Prettiest pillows crafted by Buthayna for the newly launched collab with !😍💗🌈
13/05/2022

Prettiest pillows crafted by Buthayna for the newly launched collab with !😍💗🌈

Today and EVERY day, may the world lift up women. 💪🌎🙌The IRC reports that women and children fleeing Ukraine, and other ...
09/03/2022

Today and EVERY day, may the world lift up women. 💪🌎🙌

The IRC reports that women and children fleeing Ukraine, and other crises around the globe, are at increased risk of exploitation and abuse. Please visit the link in our bio to learn more about how you can support these courageous women.

Humanity at its finest. 😭❤️❤️Repost
07/03/2022

Humanity at its finest. 😭❤️❤️

Repost

Repost 💛 A reminder at this critical time. Refugees are human beings. Human beings forced to flee. And they should alwa...
01/03/2022

Repost 💛 A reminder at this critical time. Refugees are human beings. Human beings forced to flee. And they should always be welcomed.

Say hello to our new CITIZEN of the United States! 🎉🇺🇸🥳As most of you know, Buthayna joined the GAIA team in early 2016...
12/01/2022

Say hello to our new CITIZEN of the United States! 🎉🇺🇸🥳

As most of you know, Buthayna joined the GAIA team in early 2016 after fleeing the conflict in Syria with her family -- a journey that was fraught with uncertainty and sadly a less-than-warm welcome from the state of Texas. We welcomed her with open arms into our GAIA family, and then had the privilege to witness her resilience, strength, and grace as she rebuilt her life here in the U.S.
It hasn’t been easy —an uncertain political climate, a global pandemic, living a world away from her mother and sisters — but Buthayna and her family have flourished in spite of it all. She is truly an inspiration, and I could not be more excited to congratulate her on this milestone!
“Becoming a U.S. citizen is an honor, and I look forward to traveling, practicing my right to vote, and visiting my family abroad after all these years.” - Buthayna ❤️

Click the link in profile to learn more about Buthayna’s journey to the U.S.!

The GAIA baton has been passed! 🎉💗🎉So thrilled to announce the beginning of a new chapter of GAIA, with our very own But...
03/08/2021

The GAIA baton has been passed! 🎉💗🎉
So thrilled to announce the beginning of a new chapter of GAIA, with our very own Buthayna at the helm.

A little background: Closing our doors in May of 2019 was bittersweet… but as that decision was made, we became aware of the need for sewing & assembly services at a smaller scale for other ethically-minded small businesses. The possibility of a new iteration of GAIA started to take shape -- only to be derailed by the onset of a pandemic a few months later!
So we shifted gears and several of the GAIA artisans began making masks to be donated to healthcare workers (over 2000!). Slowly but surely we also began taking on additional work for other designers, like and .official. Buthayna handled the majority of the workload, while continuously taking on more initiative and responsibility along the way.

And now, the time has come to OFFICIALLY pass the GAIA baton to this incredibly talented, inspiring, and deserving woman who will carry GAIA into it’s next chapter, now to be known as “GAIA Mishwar”.
The Arabic word ‘Mishwar' translates to ‘Journey' in English… it was Buthayna’s idea, and I cannot think of a more apt word to encompass the journey of GAIA, the journey of Buthayna and all the other artisans we employed throughout the years, and the journey of women all over the world.

If you are a designer, maker, or brand in need of supplemental sewing, jewelry assembly, light packaging, please feel free to reach out directly to Buthayna at [email protected]. She will be starting out slowly, taking on projects on a case-by-case basis.
My family and I recently moved out of state, so I will be supporting Buthayna from afar — mostly posting here on Instagram now and then, and just cheering her on in general! I hope you’ll join me in cheering her on as well, and congratulating her on this incredible new endeavor. 🙌

Reunited and it feels so good. ❤️
03/08/2021

Reunited and it feels so good. ❤️

Extra-special batch headed to , a nonprofit organization close to my heart! EFS’ mission is to expand access to early-ch...
14/05/2020

Extra-special batch headed to , a nonprofit organization close to my heart! EFS’ mission is to expand access to early-childhood education by transforming daycares in under-resourced areas into accredited learning centers. We’re donated 656 masks to be worn by the staffs of these centers, who are currently serving the children of essential personnel. 💙 More reasons these masks are extra special: They were crafted by GAIA Artisans, with funds provided by all YOU, using beautiful blockprint fabric donated to us by in Portland! 🙌 So grateful for everyone’s generous hearts. Thank you!! ❤️❤️❤️

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