Growing up in Ethiopia, I always dreamed of having a doll that looked like me and my sisters. This dream stayed tucked away until one day — decades later, my sister surprised me with a handmade doll dressed in traditional Ethiopian clothes. It literally blew the doors of my memories wide open. It brought me right back to my childhood and made me feel beautiful and whole in ways I didn’t expect. 

From that moment on, I was determined to share this feeling with others by creating Lela. In Amharic, one of the 80 languages of Ethiopia, Lela, which often means different or other, is also used to connote something that is ‘out-of-this-world,’ unique, one-of-a-kind…extraordinary.

During the last few years of making this doll, it became clear to me that this is so much more than a return to childhood, but about healing and imagining a future that centers love for ourselves and others. 

Each Lela doll is made with a strong commitment to sustainability and care for the earth — carefully handcrafted using 100% natural fibers and completely free of harmful toxins and wasteful materials. 

I hope Lela inspires you to explore, create and imagine a world full of possibilities. 

With love,

Genet