When refugees flee their home countries for a better life in a new land, they only bring memory, hope, and skills in embroidery, pottery, weaving, and woodworking. 

MADE51, a global brand launched by the UN Refugee Agency in 2018, selling creative high-end products made by creative and talented refugees, working as artisans around the world. The agency has selected experienced social enterprises to work and manage the order, production, and logistics for the product lines in order to create impact for refugees and stimulate local economy. The brand is also seeking strategic partners and collaborations to support inclusion of refugees in the global economy.

When global companies, particularly in the retail sector, source at scale from refugee producers,they make a significant and direct impact on refugees’ lives and their families. When they do that over and over again, they sustain the impact and create a long-term solution and that’s exactly what we’re looking for when we talk about companies making a difference in the refugee crisis,” explains Mamadou Dian Balde, Deputy Director of the Division of Resilience and Solutions at UNHCR, the United Nation Refugee Agency. 
The brand has landed international collaborations with Fast Retailing, company behind clothing apparel company UNIQLO, Finnish brand Mifuko, and French luxury fashion house, Chloé. Until today, there are 26 social firms have joined MADE51 to work with refugee artisans in 15 countries such as Kenya, Burundi, Afghanistan, Syria, Thailand, and Myanmar to make various collections from accessories, fashion, to homeware.

Some artisans from MADE51, a refugee from Congo named Kapya Kitungwa and his team, successfully made collaboration deal with Mifuko for its wood collection. Kapya with nine other refugee artisans have been carving ornamental wooden birds from local Jacaranda wood in his workshop in Nairobi. The brand is continually giving nonprofit activities, improving the welfare of women to tackle poverty and empower families in the rural areas in Kenya under Mifuko Trust. Mifuko brand is a social enterprise and fair trade, certified as World Trade Organization member. 
The French fashion house Chloé is also continuing the importance of eco-conscious and humanity as social impact in its Spring Summer 2022 collection. About 15% of the collection by Gabriela Hearst, were manufactured by World Fair Trade Organization member. Hearst also partnered with MADE51, where refugee artisans from Afghanistan are specialized in heritage embroidery. The refugee women provided the embellishment on the handbag designs in Chloe SS2022 collection.

Based on the latest report from the UNHCR, the global number of forcibly displaced people, including refugees, has doubled up since 2010, as stated in World Economic Forum. At the end of 2020, around 48 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced and under UNHCR mandate, there are about 20,7 miilion refugees. An estimated 251,000 refugees were able to to return to 30 countries of origin in 2020. In 2019, more of them also found permanent homes in a third country.