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We’re The Good Loom Company — or simply, Loom.

Each of our products tells an inspiring story. Here, we share the rambunctious joy and adventurous spirit of those who dare to do things differently.

We showcase the people and places behind our products — and the spirit of making things well, with integrity, curiosity, and a sense of joyful adventure.

 Entry 1: 03/06/2026

Sabahar: Another Way

Walking into Sabahar’s Addis Ababa HQ embodies the spirit of why I started Loom.

There is a feeling of tranquility, possibility, and quiet adventure. As you enter the yellow gate, you are greeted by towering trees and the lush gardens of Sabahar Addis Ababa production oasis. 

Sabahar is a testament to doing something well, and trusting that people will come. Located in Mekanisa, some distance from Addis Ababa’s central and fashionable business district, Bole, Sabahar draws locals and travellers alike to its production facilities and flagship retail store.

In March of this year, I had a meeting with Sophie. I sat down in the warmth of Addis Ababa’s afternoon sun, cooled by the shade of the garden’s towering trees. The brightness of the day lightened the uncertainty and disheartenment I had been feeling after lacklustre sales.

The excitement I felt when starting Loom six months earlier had been hampered by the decade’s realities of retail: buyers’ most pressing considerations were cost and stock risk. Cheaply made and quickly delivered products offered more buying security and better margins. It left me wondering whether there was room for Loom in this, or any other, B2B segment.

I walked into Sabahar’s yellow gates feeling uncertain. I left my conversation with Sophie inspired.

The spirit and belief behind why I started, and continue to run, Loom had been

reignited. Sabahar — and Loom — are about creating the world you believe in and want to live in. My conversation with Sophie was a much-needed reminder that Loom is not about the path of least resistance, but the path of conviction, possibility, adventure, challenge, faith, and the joy of trying to create the world we want to live in.

Sabahar is a philosophy

My first question to Sophie was: “What is Sabahar?”

Her answer put words to the feeling of what it is like to walk into Sabahar’s production site: a feeling of warmth, wonder, community, and possibility.

"Sabahar is a philosophy that counters the mainstream capitalist paradigm. It is a reminder of what is important, what is beautiful. The ‘why’ of why we exist. The textiles are just the product of this entire philosophy. How can we make products slowly, responsibly and sustainably, so that they bring beauty into the world in an ethical way?"

She continued:

"What is ethical is so complicated, and I think that I really enjoy teasing that out to try to figure out how we can make a business that is ethical."

For Sophie, this means production that is made lovingly and meticulously, with care, attention, and intention. It means making things that last longer, so that people do not have to keep buying more.

"Whatever you have in your house, number one, lasts longer. You don’t have to buy a bunch, so we don’t have to feed into that system. We can buy well and keep it, but they’re beautiful. I can actually guarantee that I have people who come up to me all the time and say, ‘I’ve had this towel for 15 years, and it looks exactly the same as when I bought it”

Sabahar has developed this philosophy into textile products that are universal. Sophie explains:

"Our goal is to actually make them beautiful for all households, so we really tried to stay away from being ‘ethnically’ labelled. It’s just about how this can fit into any home in Sweden, or in the US, or in Japan."

Celebrating community 

Sabahar is also about preserving communal art and celebrating the sense of community that is part of Ethiopia’s cultural fabric.

Sophie spoke about the importance of supporting a weaving tradition that could otherwise disappear. In Ethiopia, it is remarkable that an entire country wears handwoven products for celebrations. But because it is so ingrained, it can also be taken for granted.

As Sophie put it, people often think, “that’s just what it is,” rather than realising that this is art — something intangibly beautiful.

Sabahar’s work is partly about honouring that beauty and putting intention towards preserving it.

"We get a lot of Western buyers who want us to write the name of the weaver on there. Like, we need to know who’s done it. But it’s not the weaver that creates this. It’s 20 people. And they all contribute, and every part of it is as important."

There is such a lesson in this concept of community. That it is not about me, but about us.

Sophie reflected on how, in the US, this idea has been almost completely lost:

"It is all about me, and my achievements. But then, what about symphonies and ballets? Almost all art forms are collective and communal, and we’re losing that concept. I think there’s something really important in favouring and celebrating that concept of community and collective, and weaving as a communal art."

This idea feels central to Sabahar, and also to Loom. Behind every product is not just one maker, but a network of hands, histories, skills, materials, and relationships. The product is not only an object. It is evidence of a community at work.

From aid to ethical business

My second question to Sophie was why she came to acquire and operate  a business in Ethiopia. Her answer strongly resonated with me as a previous development sector professional.

She told me:

"I moved to Ethiopia in 2002, and I worked for Save the Children. I was doing development work, and I was in the communications division. It was a little bit uncomfortable, because you would be going to these very, very poor areas and desperate people and interviewing them to get their stories, so that you could then promote them, so that someone might give money."

She was careful not to dismiss the NGO world.

"I think there’s a lot of value in the NGO world. I want to be really careful about my criticism of that."

But something about the work did not feel authentic to her.

"I was this expat person. I got trips home, and I got good insurance, and my local colleagues had insurance that covered them in the Ethiopian medical system, which in 2002 was not great. My kids’ schooling cost way more than their salaries, and so the whole inequity of it was very uncomfortable for me."

And yet, Sophie was also clear that simply walking away was not the answer.

"There is a practical component in all of this. The answer is not to just stop, because that doesn’t solve anything either. But it just didn’t feel authentic for me, and I was privileged to have the financial means to make the decision to leave the work in development.

That is what I found powerful in her answer. It was not a neat rejection of aid, or a claim that business is automatically better. It was more nuanced, and complex understanding. It was the recognition that sometimes a framework can have value and good intentions, while still feeling broken, or misaligned with your beliefs. When faced with this intersection, there are two possible attitudes. One is to say, ‘It's too big to fix. There is nothing I can do, but simply accept it as the grim reality of the world. The other is to say, ‘It’s so big, all of us, collectively, can dream and realize another way’’. Sophie, chose the later path. That too, is  the story of Loom.   

Sabahar as one answer

For Sophie, Sabahar became one way of asking that question. 

"I was looking for another opportunity, and I stumbled across Sabahar and Kathy. At the time, it was a small company, and she needed help with marketing and sales, so I just started helping her. And then, together, we grew this."

"It got into me. I got hooked because it was so straightforward. We need to produce high quality. If we don’t, we don’t get the sales. If we do, everybody thrives. If we make more money, we can give bonuses, so that everybody makes more money."

She is clear that the reality of running the business is not simple. But the concept is.

"The business is not simple at all. But the concept is quite simple: how business done in an ethical manner can really have a massive impact on the community."

For Sophie, that impact comes through steady work, sustained over time.

"If we do it well, if I do my job well, and all of us communally do our jobs well, we can keep steady — maybe not a lot of income — but steady income coming for all our people."

It is not perfect. Sophie is the first to say that.

"What is ethical is so complicated. None of us can be comfortable saying that it’s enough, or that we’re doing it correctly. I think we always have to ask: is there another way?"

Sabahar is not a perfect answer. But it is a start. It is a way of doing something about what feels broken. A way of building a business that is more aligned with the world Sophie wants to live in.

"For me, I believe that making the world have beautiful things that are not destroying our planet, and providing income is really powerful. I really do. 

Sabahar becomes a way of asking, again and again:

"Can we do things differently? How can we do things differently? What can I do on a day-to-day basis? How can the money that I generate and spend also be building the world that I want?"

I left my interview with Sophie energised and inspired.

I was reminded that life’s joys are not always in how much, or how easy. They are often found in living our questions, challenging what is visibly broken, and creating alternatives — even imperfect ones.