Welcome to Thirteen Months!
We are Leah, Simone and Sophia, three sisters with Ethiopian heritage and born and raised in London. We are the founders of Thirteen Months, an ethical homeware company bringing traditional Ethiopian craft to our customers.
So, what’s the name all about?
The phrase “Thirteen Months of Sunshine”, relates to Ethiopia’s thirteen month calendar, made up of twelve months of thirty days, and one final month of five days (six in a leap year).
Being of Ethiopian heritage ourselves (our mother was born and raised there) it was important to us to embody its unique culture and identity within our brand. Hence, Thirteen Months was born!
All of our products are handmade on beautiful traditional wooden looms in the Ethiopian capital, in Addis Ababa. We have an expert team of women and men- our Master Weavers - who intricately curate each of the beautiful pieces you see on our website.
Many of our weavers bring to our team this heritage skill, whilst others are trained in different parts of the weaving process. This means all of our products are made from scratch- literally right there in Addis: From cleaning and purifying the cotton to the spinning, fabric formation, dying and finally, weaving.
Cotton production has been key to the Ethiopian economy and agricultural sector for centuries. Traditional clothing has always been made using locally cultivated cotton, which is often grown and spun in the family home. With excellent growing conditions for cotton throughout the country, our products are built with comfort that lasts.
What’s really important to us is that we grow a truly sustainable business. This is reflected in the materials we use, the packaging that your goods will arrive in, and the way that our weavers are looked after for their skilled work.
We want to take you all on a journey with us as we launch this home grown outfit. Get in touch to tell us what you love, want to see more of, or what you think is missing. In the meantime, we hope to bring some of that sunshine into your home!