About
Our Ethos
Many of our suppliers are small family businesses in places such as India, Ghana, Sri Lanka or Istanbul, carrying on ancient crafts including block printing, weaving, basket making and ceramics. We work closely with them to create ethical cotton nightwear and homeware, bedding, quilts, tablecloths, pyjamas, cushions, scarves, silver jewellery and a range of clothes. We also travel regularly to suppliers who find us vintage kilims, woven silk suzanis and kilim cushions from across Central Asia and the Middle East.
In addition to working with artisans to preserve craft skills we also work with social enterprises such as the Ruma Devi Foundation which produces applique products to generate funds to educate women and girls in India, we stock upcycled oil drum lights from Senegal and work with women in Cairo to convert old drinks bottles into gorgeous wine glasses.
Whatever you might find to suit you at Malabar Trading, the ideal that unites our wide and varied range of products is that each item should be decorative, useful and expertly made. We aim to provide a range of home furnishings and gifts that bring quality and beauty to everyday life. The photo shows us with the bell makers in Gujarat who create wonderful copper bell products.
About Us
Hi, I’m Marie, my husband and I own Malabar Trading.
Malabar Trading was founded in 2001 and the name originates from a game played by the founder in South Africa. The Malabar coast in India was a huge trading point from Europe to India (as important as the silk road) and the name represents the importance of interdependent communities across the world.
Over time we have built partnerships to source and create goods from India, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Japan, Kenya, Senegal etc. Trading directly with producers of artisan goods is still very much at the heart of what we do.
Whether you choose to buy online or directly from our shop in the vibrant town of Bridport on the Dorset Coast, you can be reassured that anything you buy from us will be sourced ethically and sustainably and often directly from gifted artisans from across the globe.
The Skills We Cherish
It is our mission to source handmade products where possible, to ensure skilled artisans are paid fairly for their work and to contribute to building a sustainable future for those skills that we are in danger of losing to fast fashion and disposable products.
These are just some of the skills we cherish, support and aim to understand more about each year. Click on each skill to find out more about our gifted suppliers.
- Blockprinting
- Ajrakh
- Handloom weaving
- Applique
- Kantha stitching
- Jewellery making
Our Travels To Discover Ethical Cotton Clothing and Homeware
We don’t buy our stock from warehouses or cash and carries. We visit all of our suppliers personally so that you can be assured that they are Fair Trade and that they treat their workers well. Here you can read some of the stories of our travels.
