Bracelets
Want to know how the LOVE Bracelet came to be? It all started when our Co-Founder & CEO, Zane Wilemon, went to live with a nearby community of Maasai for a week. Read all about the decades-long partnership with the Maasai and how the LOVE bracelet has evolved. Read more HERE.
323 products
Sale
Quick view
Sale
Quick view
Sale
Quick view
Sale
Quick view
Sale
Quick view
Sale
Quick view
Sale
Quick view
Sale
Quick view
From Which Materials are Ubuntu Life’s Handmade Bracelets Made?
Ubuntu Life’s handmade bracelets are all made from high-quality materials in a sustainable manufacturing community. All bracelets feature designs using glass beads in dozens of colors and patterns, from metallic to striped. The woven bracelets have a beaded base design and use nylon cords to form the sliding knot closure. These new collections of handmade woven bracelets are now vegan, not using any animal-based materials in their latest models. The woven bracelets are also durable and made from materials suited for any lifestyle, including waterproof designs for children. Ubuntu Life makes a variety of styles with beaded fronts on a genuine leather backing. The handmade leather bracelets feature a thick, sturdy leather backing bound by an adjustable cord for a perfect fit.
Ubuntu Life's products are handmade in the Ngong Hills area of Kenya by skilled Maasai Maker Mums. The Maasi Maker Mums individually create the bracelets using centuries old hand-beading techniques. All of Ubuntu Life's products are of the highest quality available, using long-lasting materials. No matter the style you choose, you can be sure that your purchase will make an excellent fit for your wardrobe and contribute to a sustainable and supportable cause.
What are the Different Types of Bracelets for Sale?
Ubuntu has four different styles of handmade beaded bracelets for sale, all of which feature unique designs. These collections are the LOVE, tribal, woven, and (RED) bracelets.
LOVE
The LOVE bracelets are a two-color design with “love” printed on the bracelet on a colored background. These bracelets are available in either woven or handmade leather bracelets.
Tribal
The tribal bracelets feature intricate beadwork and traditional tribal patterns in six different styles. The design names come from the Swahili words used to describe their designs.
Piramidi, the Swahili word for "pyramid," is a design with multicolored pyramid shapes on colorful backgrounds. The piramidi design ranges from simple, two-color motifs to five different colors. The piramidi bracelets come in five-row patterns, with five rows of beads.
Mstari, which means "line" or "row" in Swahili, features diagonal sections of beads in a striped pattern with a thin line at the top. The mstari design is available in multiple colors, from simple motifs to ones including striped beads. They are also available in a "skinny," three-row version.
Nija means "the way to." This bracelet is an intricate pattern of three colors of beads in the skinny three-row type. The middle row has lines in an alternating color pattern, surrounded on top and bottom by rows of a different color.
Uzuri has multiple meanings, from beauty to tidiness. These meanings show in the small, intricate designs of the uzuri bracelets. They are similar to the piramidi, with smaller pyramids and an alternating patterned row at the bracelet's top.
Msalaba means “cross” in Swahili. These bracelets have a two-color design with crosses on a colorful background.
Sherehe means “festival” or “party,” which is reflected by one of Ubuntu Life’s most complex bracelet designs. These feature small pyramids of alternating colors on a colorful background under rows of striped beads.
Woven
The woven bracelets are glass beads and nylon. They come in dozens of styles, from intricate beaded patterns to simple two-color styles with words or short phrases on them. The words and phrases are messages of hope and daily reminders for the wearer, including to dream, believe, and strive for peace, reinforcing the company’s positive, community-centered background.
(RED)
Ubuntu partnered with Product (RED) to create the (RED) line of bracelets. 20% of the proceeds from these handmade bracelets from Africa support HIV/AIDS programs in the sub-Saharan region. The (RED) bracelets come in two styles, the standard five-row design or the three-row "skinny" design. They both feature the word love written in white on a red background.
What Makes Ubuntu Life’s Bracelets Unique?
What makes Ubuntu Life's bracelets and products unique is the business model that Ubuntu Life has implemented. They not only design high-quality products for their customers, but they also support the quality of life of their employees. This model is supported by the name Ubuntu, which means “I am because we are,” and represents the company’s central ideology of creating meaningful additions to a community by helping to uplift its members. The company grew out of the friendship of two pastors, Jeremiah Kuria and Zane Wilemon. The two wanted to create empowering solutions for people in Kenya. With this goal, they built a center to help children with disabilities. With the help from this center, these children's mothers were excited to devote more time to new causes, which is how Ubuntu Life was born in 2011. Nine Maker Mums, the women who create these products, began with a few products, eventually growing into the company today.
Proceeds from Ubuntu Life's products have allowed them to create meaningful and sustainable income for the Maker Mums who create all of the bracelets. They also help support the Ubuntu Life Foundation, which provides special needs education and pediatric healthcare in Kenya. Ubuntu Life has grown to include the Ubuntu Life Cafe in conjunction with Whole Foods and a water bottling plant.
With the sale of these products, Ubuntu Life is supporting and empowering people in the region. These products give them above-market wages, healthcare, and the opportunity to help fund community initiatives.
