Nakambe Atelier
Artisanal Carpets
Social Impact
Where you find not only carpets but a journey of empowerment
What's the meaning of Nakambe?
Nakambe means ‘again’ in Xangana, a language native to southern Mozambique.
Because in crochet you repeat the same stitch thousands of times, and because in life we all need to start over.
Nakambe collaborates with seven women in a Maputo correctional facility, supported by our technical supervisor Aurora and myself, who oversee production and foster a positive, encouraging environment for the artisans.
Our facility-based workshop offers more than just skill-building; it provides a structured environment for teamwork and community. By working together on production, the artisans establish a network of mutual support and professional respect. This space allows them to overcome the challenge of isolation through constructive daily collaboration and shared achievements.
A big carpet with a big story
Buying a Nakambe carpet means bringing a distinctive design piece into your home while supporting a project with real social impact.
Our carpets are handcrafted from 100% cotton African wax fabrics. The wax patterns and colors mix into an original and unique composition.
Each carpet is 100% handcrafted by women inmates at the special women's prison in Maputo, Mozambique. Through this work, they find more than an income, as one artisan put it: "This work has a special meaning in my life. Here I find a purpose, an occupation that does me good and keeps me focused".
Nakambe carpets are made for those who appreciate authentic craftsmanship, value meaningful initiatives, and want to create warm, welcoming spaces with purpose.
Specialized Technical Training: Every artisan is trained in advanced crochet and textile techniques, learning precision and attention to details.
Fair Compensation & Independence: Fair pay is the foundation of lasting autonomy. For many of these women, who are also mothers, it means covering their needs, saving for their future, and supporting their families from within the facility, reinforcing their pride and agency.
Purpose & Well-being: Crochet is slow and meditative, offering a therapeutic outlet. As Veronica puts it: "When I don't come to work, I feel the difference right away."
The Ethical Approach to Privacy: True empowerment means respect and protection. To honor our artisans' privacy, you won't see their faces on our website or social media, instead, we let their skill speak for itself, focusing on their hands, their stitches, and the geometry of each carpet.
Beyond the carpet
My name is Patrizia, I'm the founder of Nakambe.
I was born into a family of textile artisans in a small town in northern Italy.
As a child, I grew up surrounded by spools, colourful threads and knots. My early work in our little family business consisted of arranging colors, unspooling and knotting threads.
When my father’s business closed due to the decline of the small scale textile industry, I finished my studies in international cooperation and began working in the humanitarian sector in Sub-Saharan Africa. There I discovered the bewildering array of wax prints, pagnes and capulanas: that represent places, people, and lives.
Whilst working in the Central African Republic, I asked to a woman to teach me how to make carpets with African wax, inspired by those in her shop. I started by making a few for myself, then for my sisters, and soon for friends. Slowly, the pieces became more balanced, more beautiful, less uneven.
While living in Mozambique, a question took shape: what if this became my work?
I presented the project to the National Prison Service of Mozambique, where women inmates in Maputo began weaving carpets, the same craft a woman once taught me, now passed on to give others the chance to build something of their own, stitch by stitch.
That is how Nakambe was born.
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