Bolt Neon Bolt Plateau | Handwoven Sisal & Sweetgrass Basket
This basket is proof that functional objects can be both wildly practical and symbolically overdetermined.
What It Is:
The Bolt Plateau is a 12-inch handwoven basket crafted in Rwanda, made from sisal wrapped around sweetgrass and hand-dyed in natural and yellow tones. It’s part art, part utility: hang it on a wall as a design statement, use it as a fruit bowl, or let it live in a corner like an intentionally minimalist sculpture. Every basket is handmade by Burundian and Congolese refugees in Mahama and Kigeme Refugee Camps, using weaving techniques passed down through generations.
Why You’ll Actually Use It:
Because baskets are the rare household object that double as both storage and existential metaphor. It can hold your apples, your keys, or your vague attempt at being a person with “curated interiors.” It looks equally good in an office, a kitchen, or a gallery wall. And unlike mass-produced décor from some big box store, this one carries with it a narrative of survival, skill, and actual human hands.
Key Details:
Dimensions: 12" W x 3" H
Material: Locally sourced sisal + sweetgrass
Color: Hand-dyed natural & neon yellow
Features: Built-in loop for hanging, one-of-a-kind variations
Care: Spot clean; avoid direct sunlight to preserve color
Impact:
This isn’t just a decorative vessel—it’s part of a larger movement. The artisan sector is the second-largest employer in the developing world, and by purchasing this basket, you’re supporting women artisans who otherwise lack access to export markets and business tools. Since 2007, profits from baskets like this have funded education and entrepreneurship programs for over 1,100 artisans and 250 youth in Rwanda and Ghana.
A handwoven basket that holds your fruit, your clutter, and maybe even your conscience.
About the brand: Powered by People
Powered by People is basically what happens when “shopping small” gets a global operating system. Instead of mass-produced sameness, they connect you with makers who are spinning out hand-dyed textiles, hand-thrown ceramics, and jewelry that feels like it was pulled from an alternate reality where craftsmanship never went out of style. The through-line isn’t just aesthetics—it’s the insistence that every object has both utility and a backstory, often rooted in sustainable practices, reclaimed materials, and cultural traditions that would otherwise get bulldozed by the modern marketplace. In short: they’re trying to prove that conscious consumption doesn’t have to look like homework.