Why it belongs in ORBIS
Handmade coffa bags woven from dwarf-palm fiber in a family workshop in Palermo, Sicily, decorated with painted ceramics, pompoms and fringe in the traditional style of Sicilian farm and market totes; each bag takes about two days to make.
Sicily Bag makes coffa - traditional Sicilian hand-woven totes - in a family workshop based in Palermo. Coffa bags originated as utilitarian carriers used by Sicilian farmers and cart-drivers, woven from dwarf-palm or reed fiber into a sturdy dome-shaped basket. Sicily Bag's pieces are woven by hand using select cuts of Sicilian dwarf palm and finished with painted ceramic medallions, pompoms, ribbons and fringe. Each bag reportedly takes about two days of hand work, consistent with a family-run atelier.