About Us
Ahlan! (hello!)
I’m Batoul, an Egyptian-Australian and the founder of Shawls and Hope.
We believe that art can unite, crossing borders and oceans to connect communities. Art tells stories of our heritage as it is passed down the generations and molded by history. It is an essential part of our culture and our identity.
In Egypt, traditional arts are dying out.
Egyptian artisans struggle to keep their business afloat as they face economic crisis and poverty. It’s harder to pass down practices that have been taught for centuries. A diaspora of Egyptians like myself have had to leave Egypt and are struggling to maintain our connection to culture.
And our art fades away…
At Shawls and Hope, we bring Egyptian culture to you.
We support artisans and businesses in Egypt by bringing their products to Australia, giving them an opportunity to keep their businesses afloat.
We also sell our own collection of handmade jewellery inspired by traditional Egyptian copper crafting. It’s our modernized take on a centuries old practice, and our attempt at continuing the legacy of all of the great artisans before us.
Our culture is rich and our art is vibrant, and they don’t deserve to be erased.
We hope you cherish them as much as we do.
25% of profits are donated to the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund to support the medical treatment of children in Gaza.