Heritage

Our style is simple but bold, say makers of African-inspired jewellery

jewellery

Left, ZikoAfrika earrings made of green neon perspex and brass and right, a Poetic Trends statement necklace. PHOTOS | COURTESY | MWIKALI LATI

With so many possible interpretations of African-inspired jewellery, it is not surprising that three young hand-crafted African brands —Poetic Trends, Nawalika and ZikoAfrika— are housed together at Mofti shop at the New Muthaiga Shopping Mall.

“In this age we are all exposed to various cultures. As globe trotters, many of us have lived in different parts of the world and our styles are influenced by global trends. ‘Where cultures meet’ is what I design with an element of Africa in it.  

“The richness of African cultures inspires me and it is great to use these elements,” says Urvi Shah of Poetic Trends.

She says she started designing and making jewellery at the beginning of this year.

Meanwhile sisters Sisi King and Elle King launched ZikoAfrika in November 2013 after two years of working on the concept. They ventured into this business after designing Perspex zip pulls for their bags. The bags will be out soon.

“Africa has an incredibly rich history of jewellery craftsmanship about which little is known. Through our designs we want to showcase this heritage in a modern context, as well as challenge the prevailing view of the continent,” says Ms Sisi King.

In their first collection, they used a lot of Tuareg influences— taking the iconic Ingall Cross and Tisek rings, reworking them using unadorned brass in place of traditional etchings and adding neon Perspex.

Shapes

“Our central aesthetic is clean and modern. We focus on geometric shapes and a very deliberate colour palette to reinforce that sense of modernity and encourage consumers to view our products outside of a stereotypical African context,” explains Ms King.

Launched in April 2014, Nawalika’s mother and daughter pair – Celine Verwiel and Michelle Verwiel – says the brand is inspired mainly by the African people, their traditional dresses and by the environment.

“The style is raw, simple but bold. This is reflected directly in our beautiful surroundings. Nawalika’s core aesthetic lies in the simplicity and rawness of both the materials and design ,” says Ms Michelle Verwiel.

They have taken a different approach to the design and manufacture of the accessories, including belts, bags, bracelets, necklaces and earrings that are individual in concept and vision.

“African-inspired accessories grew from our heritage in both East Africa and from our European roots.. Our European background also pushed us towards contemporary African design. Nawalika’s style perfectly reflects this — bold, natural curves and tribal lines,” says Ms Verwiel.

“Nawalika’s vision is to be as sustainable as possible— the design process enables us to incorporate the off-cut leathers for other accessories. We also use recycled and raw materials. The current range uses aluminium and brass metals fused with different types of leathers and suede. This results in a chic yet industrial look.”

With each brand picking different elements from Africa for inspiration, the target customer is different.

Poetic Trends targets the modern woman who wants to be different and at the same time be part of a rich tradition.

Using powder glass, rough agates, brass, aluminium, silver and any other material that inspires her, Ms Shah says she is able to come up with unique and one-off statement jewellery.

“I see poetry in my work. A group of words strung together creates the most beautiful poem. A well-made necklace or bangle brings together simple items to make the most beautiful piece just as poetry does. It is a form of expression,” she says.

“We’re a very modern, accessible brand so our target are young, fashion-forward and predominantly female consumers who have a global outlook and who care about how their products are made,” says Ms King.

They use handy brass and Perspex as base materials for their products. Both are readily available and easy to work with. Currently, they are working on a high-end line that will feature gold and silver plating as well as responsibly mined semi-precious and precious stones.

As Ms Shah points out, opportunities for African jewellery are endless.

“Fashion lovers in Kenya and worldwide are ever thirsty for new concepts and trends. Consequently, this creates more of an opportunity than a threat for the contemporary African jewellery and accessories market,” says Ms Verwiel.

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