Ethiopia has indigenous raw cotton and the means to produce other natural fibres in addition to an integrated textile supply chain. For generations, Ethiopian weavers, mainly in the Dorze and Chencha areas of southwest Ethiopia, have woven netelas and gabbies on traditional looms using centuries-old patterns and designs. The fine cotton used for these garments is the base material for most Ethiopian textiles, whether shawls, pillow covers or table linens. Weaving is done by hand on wooden or metal looms and cotton is mixed with silk and other fabrics to create amazing patterns and rich designs.

Ethiopia's textile manufacturing industry embraces both medium and large public and private enterprises. Main activities include spinning, fabric formulation, dyeing, finishing and sewing. Global preferences for environmentally friendly, organic production processes dictates Ethiopian hand woven cotton textiles are bound to be in international demand. The world is going back to nature. In Ethiopia, clothing is hand made with no chemicals. With these characteristics the global market should add considerable value to Ethiopia's textile products.

The Ethiopian textile sector mainly produces 100% cotton textiles. Each enterprise produces one product range, such as cotton yarn, cotton fabrics, bed sheets, blankets or knitwear. All cotton yarn in the Ethiopian raw goods market is supplied to local artisans for crafting on handlooms. It is estimated that the annual hand-loomed fabric production is around 95 million square meters. The output of major items in the textile sector are shown here:

Cotton fabric
Cotton Yarn
Blankets (wool)
Blankets (cotton waste)
Bed Sheets
Carpets
Scarves
Towels
Gunny Sacks
Nylon fabric
Acrylic fiber yarn
Sewing thread
Embroider thread
Jano thread

Please contact for all your Ethiopian textile needs.