From the Fields, we followed the cotton to the next stage of the process. Cotton Ginning is the process of separating the cotton fibers from the cotton seeds that they protect.
The 'Gin' is a massive complex where the the freshly picked cotton is taken by the sack for processing. As we approached the Gin, trucks and ox carts lined the road. Bulging and overflowing with cotton. 

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In November 2019 we set out to India to document the whakapapa and the journey of our cotton from seed to product. This is the story of the seed and the farmers and whānau where the journey begins.  Continue reading

A little about us, me, and how although I'd love to leave myself out of the AHO narrative, the journey and the fabric itself is interwoven and inextricable from my journey and the whakapapa of our whānau.  Here's a little about how we came to be where we are. Continue reading

This is the first in our series about the whakapapa of our products. From whakapapa to concept. Concept to seed. Seed to fabric. Fabric to product. Product to home.

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It's Boxing day!  And we're not having a sale. But you'd probably already guessed that. So we thought we'd explain why.
See this hapu, they're the collective who provide our cotton. It's hard physical work. Growing a crop, harvesting it, fertilising it with homemade compost and depending on the seasonal rains to water it. There's no pesticide, irrigation or machinery here.

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As a whānau with young tamariki we've been discussing what we want Christmas to look like in our Kāinga.
Our kids don't yet have any expectations or exposure to what's 'normal' in our culture (aka pine trees, mountains of gifts, santa etc) , and so we're trying to be deliberate, to learn about where traditions have come from, and to decide if we want to participate in them. Continue reading

While visiting the team who cut and sew our wraps in India, we spotted traces of Aho scattered around their workroom. Providing dust covers to piles of incomplete work, on iron presses and more.  Continue reading

We talk about whakapapa often as it relates to us as people, but all things have whakapapa.
This is cotton, ready to harvest. Like us, it too is defined by the whenua on which it stands, by which it is nourished. It is intertwined in the lives and whānau of the community who sow, grow, harvest and depend on it for their whanau's livelihood. Continue reading

Some whakaaro on consumption, pricing and economic growth, and why we're attempting to build our business on kaupapa values, rather than mainstream business models. Continue reading

One of our Aho Pēpi wraps wrapped around the most precious taonga 💚 It's pics like these that remind us of the core reason we set out to create our wraps. One of the most eye opening things for us since starting Aho is the cost of doing business! Aho was born from our values and ideals- that we wanted to be be able to create, wear and use pieces that reflected our whakapapa and aesthetic in Aotearoa, and embody, in their whakapapa-their materials & ethics, our worldview informed by our kaupapa Māori values. They should be high quality, beautiful, sustainable, and importantly to us, accessible and affordable. We believe that living out your values shouldn't just be realistic/accessible for the wealthy. Doing stuff the transparent (fair trade) & environmentally conscious (organic) way, surprisingly, doesn't cost a crazy amount more than taking short cuts. But once we get our pieces through NZ borders, things start adding up quickly. We have been exploring the possibility of sharing our wraps in shops nearer to you, we'd love you to be able to shop locally. But what we've found, is that margins in shops push our costs beyond where we think the price point can be affordable. It feels like we've missed the point if we can make beautiful sustainable, whakapapa inspired things, and our whānui couldn't dream of affording them. All to say, that's why we're selling online. If you've got any suggestions or thoughts around this kaupapa, we'd love to hear them! . Thanks @mudz29 for the whakaahua ātaahua 👌 #ahocreative #ahopepi #whakapapa#piripoho #Kaupapa #smallbusinesschallenges Continue reading