About Our Products

Here at Lionheart Imports we’re always looking to discover and deliver products that are of the highest quality and where their character embodies the unique and diverse countries and cultures from which they originate.  It’s also important to us that anything we import, will in turn help to empower and improve the lives of the local artisans and their communities.
 

We are proud to be a U.S. seller for Barefoot®, a Sri Lankan company founded by Barbara Sansoni in 1964.  Woven within the history and culture of Barefoot® is a deep respect for its workers and the craft of weaving.  Barbara Sansoni first began creating her designs in a weaving center that was started by Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, a Roman Catholic religious order that provided employment and income for women who had found refuge with the order.  Ms. Sansoni’s artistic and inspirational designs were translated into unique and vibrant handwoven fabrics that grew in their demand and created opportunities for the opening of new weaving centers by the Good Shepherd order.

Still today, the company holds true to these values and works almost exclusively with underprivileged women in small workshops located throughout the countryside where everything is made by hand and never in mass scale or in large factories.  They have opened up opportunities for these women to be trained in the art and craft of weaving and stitching as well as work under fair and ethical working conditions that seek to empower and not limit the worker’s growth.

One of the things that stands out the most in Barefoot® products is the vibrant colors and fabric designs used within each of their products.  They take their inspiration from the beauty within Sri Lanka – from its land and seascapes to its nature and animals.  Sri Lanka is a tropical oasis with a varied terrain which has been translated beautifully into the Barefoot® textiles.

All of the cotton, silk, and wool yarns that they make are dyed and woven by hand.  The weaving process dates back to an ancient Sri Lankan weaving tradition that was revived after their independence to the British and continues to be used only within a very niche market today.  All of the materials used in their products are all-natural, including the eco-friendly dyes and the kapok stuffing within the pillows and toys.

As you explore the Barefoot® product line, we hope that the beauty of their colors and fabrics draws you in as much as it drew us in when we first discovered them.