| About the Artists |
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Hanan Yanny An Egyptian designer. Her love of designer gifts began when she discovered antique African beads in the ancient market of Omdurman whilst working with the United Nations refugee programme in Sudan.Her fabulous Paper Jewellery Range was selected as part of the craft showcase at the World Summit for Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002. It has been sold at Printemps Design in the George Pompidou Centre, Paris, and the Museum of Decorative Arts in the Louvre, Paris. Kunye They are made by production teams in African townships - including church groups, HIV and Aids support programmes, rural groups and many individuals - most of whom have never had formal employment before. These groups are trained by Kunye (the Xhosa word for ‘forward together’). Luna Designs Each of these photo frames is handcrafted from reclaimed driftwood and timber and is therefore unique. Although outside dimensions, weight and thickness varies, window sizes are consistent. The frames you will receive will therefore not look exactly the same as in these pictutes, but will be very similar. Products are finished with wax or waterbased glazecoat as appropriate and then fumigated using a combination of Boron gas and heat. They come in three window sizes small (12cm X 16cm), A4 (29cm X 21cm) and A5 (21cm X 15cm). Material sourced by men and women on the streets of Cape Town for Luna Designs. Olly Molly When you purchase one of the funky handbags you are also buying a totally unique piece of African fashionware … no two handbags are the same, made as they are from recycled paper and then fashioned into different colour schemes. Get yourself an original piece of African art! These bags are made by Olly Molly, a team of South African ladies, who are committed to providing empowerment to the women of the Western Cape. Rosecraft The workshop where these scarves are made is high up in the Makungutjcha mountains in Swaziland and enthralls visitors with breathtaking views. Mohair and other natural fibres including wool, cotton, silk and bamboo are processed by hand on looms unchanged since Biblical times. The colours are fabulous and the fine fabrics are individually handcrafted works of art. Made by Rosecraft of Swaziland. Rain Africa With these products we aim to bring the aromas of the diverse African continent into your home. Here the warm ocean runs into the deep jungle ravines, wild vanilla vines twist up cinnamon bark trees and the old market place is filled with the scent of saffron, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. Herbal plants prescribed by traditional healers are used to fragrance this range and the indigenous African Honey Bush tea is used as a gentle exfoliate. In the soap making process we could use second hand oils or animal tallow, both are cheap and abundant. Instead we hunt for the highest grade, untainted, fresh and more expensive ingredients that nature has to offer. Made by Rain Africa. Streetwires No-one is exactly certain how wire art came about. The most likely origins of this art form are the tranquil hills of Maputoland and Zululand in rural Northern Kwazulu-Natal, in the North-East corner of South Africa. For many years, due to a lack of resources to buy proper toys, the young herdboys of these regions have been fashioning their own out of discarded coathanger wire, tin cans and whatever else they can get their hands on. Their ingenuity is quite amazing, and it is not an uncommon sight to see one of these boys steering a fully functional, made-to-scale model car crafted solely from discarded materials. It wasn't long before older inhabitants of the area, recognising the uniqueness and marketability of these wire toys, began making their own wire creations and selling them to visitors to the region, and the vibrant medium of wire art was born. Tamarind Beautifully hand stitched, starburst bead design on silk. Hand printed designs onto linen. Their designs are from indigenous plants and flowers like the acacia leaf and veldt flowers. |