Join the movement.
New drops, no spam. And £5 from every order funds clean water in Ethiopia, the country the name comes from.
Lisa Hill, founder
About us
Every order sends £5 to Ethiopia.
Clean water, funded through charity: water. They run a 100% model, so the whole amount reaches the field instead of the overheads, and they send back the coordinates and a photograph of the water point so it can be checked. Around every six tees funds clean water for one person, for life.
That is what these clothes are for.
The name explains why. Mandefro is Amharic, from Ethiopia, and it means who is courageous. I chose it. I didn't inherit it, and I didn't put my own surname on the label, which is what most people do.
“I wanted a brand name that would resonate with both myself and others. Something people could feel proud to wear.”
But the word isn't mine. I took it from a language and a country I have no claim on. Sending £5 back from every order is not a marketing line. It is rent.
So the clothes are made properly: heavyweight organic cotton, cut in small batches, and priced honestly, because that is what makes the £5 possible. Buy one because you like it. It funds a water point either way.
Lisa Hill
Founder, Mandefro Clothing · United Kingdom
The name
ማንደፍሮ
Man · def · ro
Mand
“Who”
Defr
“Courageous”
Mandefro means courageous.
It is an Amharic word, from Ethiopia, and it was chosen rather than inherited. Most labels are named after the person who founded them. This one is named after what the clothes are meant to do: build confidence, individuality, and the courage to be yourself.
- A British label
- An Amharic name
- Small batches
Mandefro
£5 from every order funds clean water in Ethiopia.
We took our name from Amharic. This is how we pay rent on it. Every order sends £5 to charity: water, who send back the coordinates and a photograph of the water point it helped build.
Shop the collection- £5 per order
- 100% to the field
- Photographed and GPS-tagged
Why water
696 million people lack basic access to clean and safe drinking water.
Figure published by charity: water
8,851
water projects funded in Ethiopia
2,542,827
people served in Ethiopia
That record belongs to charity: water, not to us. We haven't funded a water point yet. The next one starts with your order.
Thanks to generous private donors who fund their operational expenses, 100% of your donation directly funds clean water projects.