Thin Ray Basket

There’s something satisfying about a circle that refuses to just be a circle.

here’s something satisfying about a circle that refuses to just be a circle.”Maadili Collective’s Thin Ray Basket is woven by hand in Uganda from sustainably sourced raffia wrapped around coils of banana fiber, creating a graphic pattern of slender black rays against the fiber’s natural tone. The design is restrained enough to feel almost modernist, which becomes considerably more interesting when you realize it was made using a weaving tradition that requires days, and sometimes weeks, of patient handwork. Each basket is woven at home by a woman artisan balancing her craft with the rest of daily life, typically working a few hours at a time. It works as a centerpiece on a table or hangs from the loop on the back as a piece of woven wall art. And because every one is made by hand, slight differences in the fibers, color, and weave aren't defects to be engineered away. The pattern may repeat. The basket doesn't.

The Details

• Handwoven decorative basket
• Natural + black ray design
• Sustainably sourced raffia + banana fibers
• Synthetic dyes are AZO free
• Approx. 13" diameter × 3.5" deep
• Built-in loop for hanging
• Use as wall decor or a tabletop centerpiece
• Individually woven by hand
• Natural variations in size, color + weave are expected
• Handmade in Uganda

About the Brand:  Maadili Collective

Maadili Collective makes the kind of objects that become considerably more interesting once you know whose hands were involved. The fair-trade company partners with small-scale artisan communities where economic opportunities can be limited, creating long-term relationships built around skilled craft and sustainable income. In Uganda, Maadili works with a cooperative of women basket weavers, including women from marginalized communities, who weave from their homes while balancing work, family, and other responsibilities. Natural raffia is wrapped around coils of banana fiber to build each basket slowly by hand, preserving traditional skills while creating access to a broader market for the work. Maadili is a verified member of the Fair Trade Federation, and its approach is less about turning handmade objects into charity and more about recognizing skilled craft as exactly what it is:  work worth paying for, made by people worth knowing about.