Seattle-based Fuchsia Inc. Brings International Artisan Goods to Locals

Afshan Abbas is creating a market for Pakistani artisans—and bringing unique pieces to Seattle

By Emma Franke October 8, 2019

1-_P5A8801_rt

This article originally appeared in the October 2019 issue of Seattle magazine.

This article appears in print in the October 2019 issue. Click here to subscribe.

People kept asking Afshan Abbas where she got her distinctive shoes. This happened so often that the Seattle businesswoman, who hails from Pakistan, decided it was time to introduce the footwear to the rest of the world. In 2016, after raising more than $60,000 in a Kickstarter campaign, she and a partner, Rameez Sajwani, started up Fuchsia Inc., which sells unique handmade flats, scarves, totes and other accessories created by a handful of artisans in Pakistan and Nepal.

Abbas, a former Microsoft employee whose background is in finance and data management, operates Fuchsia from a coworking space in downtown Seattle. Fuchsia’s hand-stitched shoes, scarves and totes are available through the company’s website and sell for between $50 and $350. She intends to build this business around the craftspeople who assemble the shoes and embroider the unique designs in Fuchsia’s collection.

“Perhaps we can build a sustainable model where we are creating economic opportunities for artisans who practice a dying art,” she says, noting that the artisans she employs receive a salary and benefits. Fuchsia was born out of Abbas’ desire to make more handmade artisan goods available to the western market. She’d spent years traveling to different countries, collecting unique souvenirs along the way, and when people asked her where to get her shoes or other accessories, she had no direction in which to point them.

“There are 125 million artisans in developing countries making one-ofa-kind crafts,” says Abbas. “That’s what we envision we are going to scale in a way that has never been done before.”

Vital Stats

Eye for detail
Abbas wants to allow Fuchsia’s craftspeople to focus on shoe assembly and the distinctive embroidery that makes them unique, so she plans to partner with factories that will produce parts for the artisans.

Each piece tells a story
Fuchsia is developing a scannable code unique to each batch of shoes that will give a detailed history of the product customers purchase, down to the payment receipt for the artisan who stitched each item together.

Mission possible
Fuchsia was recently accepted to Fledge, an organization that provides mentorship and a network of investment funds to mission-driven, for-profit companies.

Follow Us

She's the Boss

She’s the Boss

Nina Christofilis created her business-oriented podcast, Ladyboss, in high school

Nina Christofilis launched her Ladyboss podcast while still in high school. Ladyboss is focused on interviewing women in business about their path to success, with the goal of empowering younger women. Photo by Katie M. Simmons

The Youth Debt Crisis

The Youth Debt Crisis

How parents can help

As Gen Z seeks to gain stronger financial footing, parents or caregivers can help by understanding that Gen Z’s experiences are vastly different from their own...

Come Here Often?

Come Here Often?

The Seattle Book of Dates is a fun romp through the region

Eden Dawn and Ashod Simonian are married, but dating is very much on their minds...

What I’ve Learned from 50 First Dates

What I’ve Learned from 50 First Dates

Some lessons are obvious, but you'd be surprised

I’ve tried to think long and hard about what makes one date good and another terrible, or why I went out with one guy three times and another guy only once...