Wildlife and Nature was the theme of the second Frame it or Wear it Exhibition by fashion brand Mia Kora as it combined luxury and shocasing loal wildlife.
This was achieved through scarves that are hand painted by artiste Priya Shah, in collaboration with renowned photographer Gurcharan Roopra and jewellery maker Shikhazuri.
The images capture the beauty of the natural flora and fauna of the Amboseli Game Reserve.
This year, says Shah, they decided to use Nature as it is a phenomena that affects the world ecosystem.
Wildlife and Nature was the theme of the second Frame it or Wear it Exhibition by fashion brand Mia Kora as it combined luxury and shocasing loal wildlife.
This was achieved through scarves that are hand painted by artiste Priya Shah, in collaboration with renowned photographer Gurcharan Roopra and jewellery maker Shikhazuri.
The images capture the beauty of the natural flora and fauna of the Amboseli Game Reserve. This year, says Shah, they decided to use Nature as it is a phenomena that affects the world ecosystem.
“We are going natural this year, there is a lot of Green. Gurcharan took the images and we sat down and selected images that we thought would make stunning wearable art. I then created a series of watercolour paintings from them which we also turned into scarves,” she adds.
“Each year we release a collection in aid of the Amboseli Trust for Elephants. The Trust invited us over and gave us a great insight into the daily lives of these stunning animals from which we got all our material from.”
The concept has always been to get Artwork out of its frame and be recognised. To make it more accessible as an accessory. And what better way that to transform it to something that women can wear to different occasions.
The splendour of Mother Nature either through herds of elephants taking a bath in the mud, or Zebra’s grazing, are just some of the images captured.
“This year started off like that for me and Mia Kora, Launching a floral collection based on emotions women go through and expressed as floral paintings. Then came the Frame It or Wear It collaboration celebrating Kenya’s natural beauty and now moving into the next trend for autumn, winter, which will be natural greens, large leaves and bold designs. Not floral, more foliage. It’s also keeping in tune with our current conservation efforts, so it works in my mind, and I am inspired to paint that way,”
Jewellery made for the exhibition by Shikhazuri also went hand in hand with the images of nature portrayed on the scarfs. These included bracelets, necklaces and earrings made by local artisans with a gold and silver finish.
“I have always been in love with nature and Kenya is one of the few places that is blessed with such beautiful scenery’s. And I am happy with the team I got to work with, we all have the same passion. The same views and the same thirst for conservation. The fact that we three are coming from different areas of creativity but sending out the same message was what made this collaboration very attractive,”
The scarves are in two different fabrics, 100 percent Poly Buttersilk and 90 percent Modal 10 percent Cashmere.
Born and brought up in Kenya, wildlife and nature has always been part of her life. After completing her degree in textiles at the University of Southampton she came back to Kenya and worked at a bronze foundry and gained experience in 3D. Her love for art and wildlife grew.
With a presence in Kenya and the UK Mia Kora scarves are luxury items that are worn as statement pieces.
So far her best-selling collection is the travel collection with scarves and shawls that feature designs and paintings from countries or cities around the world that inspire them.
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