 |
| Queen Amina and Ibu Atelier: Hausa embroidered tunics and cushions. Photos: Provided by Ibu Atelier and Queen Amina Embroidery |
By Egungwu Chukwuka Benjamin
In the city of Zaria, northern Nigeria, 40 women sit side by side. Spread before them is plain cloth. In their hands are needles and thread. Slowly, patterns begin to appear. This is not fast work. It is careful work. It is the same kind of work that has been done here for hundreds of years.
This is Queen Amina Embroidery, a women’s cooperative named after Queen Amina, the Hausa ruler remembered for her strength. Today, the women in the workshop are showing that same strength by turning tradition into a business that feeds families.
As the cooperative has grown, so has the responsibility of its manager, Hassana Yusuf. A mother of four, she took over when the group had 25 women. Today there are 40, and more women are asking to join.
Her role goes beyond the workshop. She speaks to buyers overseas, handles orders, and makes sure the women are paid on time. She also makes sure there will be work for them the following month.
According to the cooperative, “Queen Amina is a strong example for young girls. Our women work every day to produce pieces that show the beauty of Nigerian embroidery.” What drives the work is not fashion. It is identity. “Cultural identity is the heart of what we do,” the team says. “It is not an extra part of the product. It is the base of it.”
For centuries, Hausa embroidery has marked important moments. Weddings, title ceremonies, and celebrations all carry designs that mean something. Every stitch reflects skill and patience passed down through generations. “We are not just making clothes or decoration,” they explain. “We are keeping alive a cultural language. It speaks through thread, through technique, through art.” Today, that language is traveling beyond Nigeria.
The path to the global market opened through a partnership with Ibu Atelier and its founder, Susan Hull Walker. It did not begin with a big business deal. It began with a simple need. The women needed to work after dark, so the Ibu Foundation first provided solar lights. With light, they could work longer hours.
In 2021, the foundation went further. It supported the group to build a new workspace, buy new sewing machines, and pay the workshop rent. The goal was never to treat the artisans as outsiders. The goal was to work with them as partners.
That is why Ibu says it wants African craft to be “at the center of the global conversation on luxury and sustainability, not pushed to the side.”
As the world pays more attention to African design, another question is becoming important. Who owns the work? Who profits from it?
For Queen Amina and Ibu, the answer must be built into how the business runs.
“Ethical work with artisans must start with fairness and respect,” they say. “That means proper pay. Clear agreements. Giving credit where it is due. And treating artisans as partners, not hidden workers.”
They add that telling cultural stories is not enough. You must also invest in the people behind those stories. “Real sustainability means long-term relationships, training, and shared growth, so that both the community and the business benefit.”
The women have big plans, but they are not asking for charity. “Success, for us, means artisan work is seen as a real economic and creative industry, not just a small project or a charity effort,” they say.
Over the next 10 years, they hope to see better access to funding, bigger markets, and new tools. At the same time, they want to protect the craft itself. No cutting corners. No losing the meaning behind each pattern.
For Hassana and the women in the workshop, the future is already being built. One stitch at a time. One order at a time. One evening under the light at a time.
THE PARTNERSHIP
Queen Amina Embroidery
Based in Zaria, Nigeria, Queen Amina Embroidery is a women’s cooperative that produces hand-embroidered pieces using traditional Hausa methods. Named after the legendary Hausa queen, the cooperative started with 25 women and now has 40 artisans. The group focuses on preserving cultural identity through craft while creating sustainable income for women and their families.
Ibu Atelier and Susan Hull Walker
Ibu Atelier is a fashion label and foundation that partners with women-led artisan groups around the world. Founded by textile artist and advocate Susan Hull Walker, Ibu works to put African craft at the center of the global conversation on luxury and sustainability.
The partnership with Queen Amina began with a simple need. Ibu Foundation first provided solar lights so the women could work after dark. In 2021, it supported the cooperative to build a new workspace, buy sewing machines, and pay workshop rent. Ibu’s approach is built on fairness and respect. Artisans are treated as business partners, not charity cases. The goal is long-term growth through proper pay, clear agreements, training, and access to international markets.