I Made Your Hat - The Story of the Crochet Hat Maker Shafe Shanafe
29.08.2021
A blog article by L.W.
Our Clothes and Their Stories
Every piece of clothing we buy has a story that connects to our own history as soon as we see and wear it for the first time. The stories that happen afterwards we know or they are not written yet, but what about the story before? And by whom was it written?
In this blog article we want to introduce you to Shafe Shanafe. A hatter from Shimena with a hopeful story.
Crochet-Hats by Shafe Shanafe
Shafe Shanafe
Shafe Shanafe
Shafe was born and raised 25 km from our workshop in the mountains of Gamo and worked in agriculture for most of his youth.
Due to the lack of fertile land and work in the region, he decided to move to Arba Minch and work as a daily wage worker in the town to make ends meet. After a dramatic and impactful conflict with an employer, Shafe was sent to a correctional facility at a young age. But when one door closes, another opens – even in prison, a place where some doors remain closed forever.
Shafe’s misfortune later turned into an opportunity when he learned how to make hats in a reintegration program. During the reintegration process, Shimena also became aware of the ambitious young man, who worked hard on himself and was eager to embark on a new path. After his prison sentence was shortened through good behavior and with the prospect of a permanent job at Shimena, Shanafe was released.
Shafe Shanafe working on a hat.
Happy Ending
Shafe has been working at Shimena for several years now and his story has also found a happy ending in his personal life through a happy marriage and a child.
Shanafe’s successful re-socialization process also led to greater trust in the reintegration of offenders into society by both the Department of Corrections, prison inmates, and potential employers in the region.
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