Mia Fratino is a direct translation from the international language Esperanto. The translation literally means, my sister, and is significant within the Mia community as it reflects a commitment to the environment as well as a commitment to women, both our customers and the wider community and our global awareness. This commitment can be seen through the works of the Mia Fratino Foundation.  

The foundation is a not-for-profit set up to provide a small source of income for women facing poverty and hardship. The foundation is designed to offer micro loans to women in Sri Lanka so they can set up a personal business and generate income, eventually paying back their loan so the money can go towards another woman's ventures.

If you'd like to find out more about how the foundation works, have a read of our interview with Jacinta Holmick, the foundation's volunteer administrator HERE 

But why Mia Fratino, and why Esperanto?

Esperanto is an International language and it was created in the late 1800's by L. L. Zamenhof with the intention that it would become a universal language spoken by all as a means to promote unity for all nations and reduce strain in time for learning other languages. Some might argue that English is the language that has taken that role in many ways, even the most basic words in English are recognised and often understood by people from metropolitan cities to remote villages around the world. Regardless, Esperanto is still considered a living language and it is more the nature of the global nature of the language and all that that unification of tongues can symbolise that is significant to the Mia Fratino community.

The term my sister indicates a sense of family and togetherness, something Mia Fratino continue to build and develop with every client and sale. We want each customer to understand how valued she is by the entire Mia Fratino family and that is why we support and encourage our customers to care for any of their products using the Cashmere Care Clinic service we offer.
A percentage of every sale goes straight to the foundation to help provide further funding for these women as the foundation runs with zero overheads through the people power of volunteers. From ethically sourced Cashmere to supporting MFF, Mia Fratino strives to continue growing as the go-to name for ethical Cashmere globally.