Wumi Tori Debuts Socially Responsible, Handcrafted Jewelry Line

Patience Olanitori can remember visiting with her grandmother in Owo, a city in the Ondo State of Nigeria. She remembers her grandmother bringing jewelry for repair to the artisans in town, but today, the landscape there is different. Artisans no longer have the customer base they once had, and overall, their quality and craftsmanship has decreased.

Olanitori set out to pay homage to the Owo artisans she remembers while also helping the artisans who are still there. Her company, Wumi Tori, creates jewelry based on designs made there in West Africa. Pieces are made in Lagos and New York, although Wumi Tori aims to increase jewelry sourced from Owo over time.

With a mission of elevating West African jewelry into the present day, Wumi Tori offers earrings, bracelets, rings, necklaces, and jewelry sets created with a blend of West African art, culture, and creativity, and each piece is made with West African roots in mind to yield authentic, unique, and handcrafted jewelry. Each piece features Owo-inspired design elements, including gold and a minimalistic design, giving wearers amazing versatility in their Wumi Tori jewelry. Whether buying for oneself or as a gift for a friend or loved one, shoppers can enjoy a growing selection of highly crafted jewelry.

Not only does Wumi Tori aim to share West African jewelry with the world, but they are highly committed to providing aid to the Owo community. Wumi Tori aims to do this in a few ways. First, Wumi Tori has plans to offer signature workshops in the future that will help equip artisans with new skills to increase their craft. Secondly, Wumi Tori wants to help provide assistance for the ailing education system in Owo. There, the education sector is chronically underfunded, and only high income earners tend to get access to quality education.

To provide assistance for local schools, when a customer purchases an OWO Signature Pendant Necklace, 20% of the profits from the piece will be donated to the education of children in Owo, including tutoring, university entrance exam fees, and career advocacy programs in the schools there.

“Every child deserves quality education,” said the team at Wumi Tori. “Our goal at Wumi Tori is to support those whose parents are unable to provide them with quality education.”

Wumi Tori jewelry is available for purchase exclusively through their website, where shoppers can also sign up to receive information on new arrivals, future blog posts, and offers via e-mail. More information can be found at https://wumitori.com.

About Wumi Tori

Wumi Tori offers sustainable, handmade jewelry that supports artisans in West Africa.