DANNIJO
I stumbled upon the blog Out and About Africa where I came across some colourful creations from trendy New York-based jewellery and accessories label; DANNIJO. Working with an eclectic mix of materials, beads and inspiration sourced from around the world; DANNIJO was founded by sisters Danielle and Jodie Snyder in 2008; and sees their handmade designs mixing Danielle’s bohemian, rocker vibe with Jodie’s preference for timeless sophistication. The initial inspiration for DANNIJO came about through a visit to Kenya by Danielle, who upon graduating college sought ways to affect positive change within the communities she encountered and co-founded a project called L.W.A.L.A - 'Live With A Lifelong Ambition'; a youth based initiative that fundraises for grass-roots projects in Africa utilising the skills and passions of members. United by their passion for jewellery Danielle and her sister Jodie joined forces and designed a capsule collection to help fund the initiative and its initial success persuaded them to launch DANNIJO. 'Lwala' is also the name of the Kenyan village Danielle spent time visiting and money raised from the project has gone towards financing a community health facility in Lwala village.

Tapping into African influences; from the 'Bohemian' and 'Vintage' ranges come some eye-catching necklaces, that include a mix of African antique beads and vintage trade beads and sees some striking pieces like the 'Gavina'; a DANNIJO signature style bib necklace, constructed using rows of carved bone beads and strands of antique African coins wrapped in suede; the intertwining strands of 'Zula Trade Beads' that uses vintage trade beads dating back to the 1800s; beads that can also be seen in the colourful single strand 'Mara' necklace which makes a statement when several are worn together. 

Introduced to Africa, predominately West Africa, round about the 15th Century; African Trade beads have had a checkered history; linked to both royalty and the slave trade, and are said to have played an important role in forming Africa and Europe’s early trade networks. As the name suggests the original trade, or ‘aggry’ beads, as they are also known by, were made in European factories and brought to Africa by early European traders. Trade beads were particularly sought after and valued in West Africa where they were used to create high status decorative objects. Today trade beads are very popular amongst vintage bead collectors, and are used to make some unique colourful jewellery creations laden with history. Such is their popularity you will also find local artisan’s working on creating modern versions of the beads, painted with the old style patterns. 
 

Villa Monticello
Whether you're a frequent traveller to Ghana or just looking for a stylish cityscape, Villa Monticello is an exclusive boutique hotel positioned to tempt the discerning traveller in search of 'something a little bit different' without having to compromise on luxury and quality. Situated in the capital, Accra Villa Monticello combines luxury with the rich culture of Ghana and is a very chic city retreat comprising just fourteen suites, a defining feature that allows the hotel to extend a highly attentive and personalised service to each guest who comes to stay. What sets Villa Monticello apart is that each suite is custom designed making each completely different from the next; a departure from look-a-like hotel rooms that allows guests a totally different experience each time they stay should you opt to choose a different suite; or depending on the length of your stay you could potentially switch things up every few nights. 

Exuding its own personality each luxury suite was designed with a theme in mind, the designers drawing inspiration from famous people and well-known places from across the globe; and sees the presidential suites named after and inspired by revered Statesmen; Kwame Nkrumah and Nelson Mandela to the iconic Coco Chanel and Ghana’s legendary Gold Coast. The executive suites take inspiration from exciting and mysterious cities including Morocco’s Marrakesh, France’s Provence, New York’s Soho and Italy’s Lake Como. The junior suites take you on a trip with The Orient Express and to the plains of Africa with Londolozi and Out of Africa.

To help maximise your stay guests can take advantage of a dedicated Concierge service that provides assistance including itineraries, personal shopping, sightseeing, and chauffeur services. Hotel must-haves, swimming pool, fitness centre and an onsite luxury spa are available exclusively for guests only. Vila Monticello boasts an award-winning chef whose gastronomic creations are made using fresh local and regional ingredients, all served to guests in an elegantly appointed restaurant that seats just 28 and is also exclusively for guests only, who can then move onto the intimate cocktail lounge to unwind. However if you have a function in mind, the hotel can be reserved for private events.

...a chic haven in the city

Luke Irwin
I came across some beautifully patterned, richly hued rugs by Luke Irwin; a London-based designer and manufacturer of custom-made hand knotted rugs. Believing that a rug should be a foundation upon which various elements of an interior’s décor are brought together, Luke Irwin works closely with clients to create the desired piece and the portfolio on the website offers a glimpse into some of the design possibilities, and was the place where I found a few rugs that I like to think of as being 'African Inspired' given the names and themes; ‘Botswana’ and ‘African Crescent’.  

Luke Irwin was established in 2003 and is a specialist in wool and silk rugs that are hand knotted using traditional methods by highly skilled craftsmen in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal and Jaipur, India. Handmade to order production lead times average 12 to 14 weeks, but are dependant on the season.

…beautifully inspired rugs to accentuate your interior

Aiyda
Loving these stylish clutch bags by London-based accessories label, Aiyda. Chic and elegant, the ‘Addis’ clutch is made from supple leather and is secured with a long strip of leather that winds around the side of bag, which makes for eye-catching detailing.

Aiyda is an accessories brand that was founded by London-based Raku Sile. Hailing from Ethiopia, - a place to where Raku goes when the need to escape the hectic pace of London life arises - Raku is continually inspired by the rich cultural and artistic heritage of the country and sought a way to help talented Ethiopian artists struggling to make a living, reach a wider audience. The result was Aiyda; an exclusive line of limited edition fashion accessories that include handbags, custom-made jewellery and traditionally handwoven cotton and silk scarves. All products are handmade in Ethiopia and Aiyda is the vehicle that works to shine the spotlight on Ethiopian craftsmanship and artistry, introducing the beautiful products created to an international audience. Working with artisan workshops around the country and bringing together talented and highly skilled artisans, Raku is helping to provide much needed employment. 

...simply stylish arm candy

Malée
It is getting chillier and chillier as the days go by and more important than ever to protect your skin from the harsh drying effects of winter; makes for a good excuse (not that your really need one!) to indulge in some luxurious pampering sessions with products that care for and soothe mind, body and soul. A premium range of bath and body products made using natural active ingredients; I first stumbled across the Malée skincare line when I followed a link from the Timbuktu Chronicles blog. Based in South Africa, Malée was named after founder Zeze Oriaikhi’s great grandmother who was affectionately known as ‘Malée’; a term of endearment amongst a tribe from the Edo Kingdom of Nigeria, one that refers to a gracious learned woman; and of her grandmother Zeze describes a woman who exuded personal style, drive and a love for her community qualities of which Zeze has instilled into the philosophy of her business.

Malée offers quality, luxury and affordability in a range of products created to be gentle on the skin; for Zeze this means excluding parabens, animal originated substances or mineral oils. Instead the products are 100% natural utilising ingredients that are scientifically proven to have benefits in the form of vitamins and moisture boosting agents that work to hydrate, soothe, nourish and rejuvenate; helping counter the aging process. The product range includes body crèmes, gels, soaps, shampoos and conditioners in addition to candles and a room mist to help with creating a therapeutic ambience at home.

Beautifully packaged, Malée taps into Africa’s ancient wisdom for its branding using the ancient Ghanaian symbol form of communication known as Adinkra. The distinctive circular icon used is the ‘Adinkrahene’; the primary Adinkra symbol and is one, which refers to ‘Africa’s earth wisdom’; apt as Zeze is inspired by the scents of Africa’s natural landscape and its therapeutic powers. The packaging itself is clean and simple and as an environmentally conscious company Zeze has ensured only recyclable and biodegradable packaging is used, encouraging customers to recycle.

…just browsing through the site I can’t help feeling a sense of calm

Lesley Lokko
I’ve just finished reading a book called ‘Saffron Skies’ by author Lesley Lokko; whom I came to know of the by chance when I happened to catch a fairly old rerun of the lifestyle show Studio 53, featuring an interview with her. As an avid reader I can’t understand why Lesley Lokko hadn’t crossed my radar before, but a couple of clicks on Google brought me quickly up to speed and having got my hands on a couple of her books I’m definitely making up for lost time! Sweeping tales, offering escapism to some of the world’s most glamorous and intriguing locations, Lesley’ novels are good old-fashioned blockbusters, the type you want to read in an entire sitting if it was possible; at the same time willing it not to end as you get caught up in the lives and loves of the characters. Lesley’s novels are also reflections of her dual Ghanaian/Scottish heritage and include settings in a number of Africa’s cities; presented to the reader as real, vibrant and progressive places. 

Reading Lesley’s profile I found out that before carving out a career as a writer she was a practising architect. The idea for writing began in the form a diary Lesley kept while working as an architect in South Africa; recording the impact of a time of great change in the 1990s. Lesley then moved to the US for a three-year teaching stint before giving it all up to concentrate on writing full time. Well travelled, Lesley divides her time between Accra, Edinburgh, Johannesburg and London; and it was in Accra that she embarked on the challenge that many architects dream of; building her own home, a six month build that was not without it challenges. 

Purchasing two plots of land, the plan was to build two houses facing each other across a pool on a large strip of land inbetween; a main house for herself and her partner, the other a guesthouse for family and friends. Blending a bit of European and a bit of African design aesthetics, a key feature of the design is that each structure consists of one single seamless living space; relying on strategically placed furniture like bookcases to demarcate the different living areas; with the addition of architectural African sculptures and artefacts giving the space character. Fittings for areas such as the bathroom and kitchen were bought in the UK and shipped over. It is a highly personailsed space and understandably a single living space doesn’t work for everyone as Lesley acknowledges the challenge she faced of winning her partner round to the idea of living in a home that literally has no interior walls or doors to separate the bedroom, living room and kitchen. The design is meant to echo the traditional African way of living, where homes often see the incorporation of extend families, and in doing so contrasts the Western interior influences of having separate rooms with a focus on privacy. 

Beautiful in its simplicity, Lesley's home takes advantage of letting air circulate freely given the hot climate and allowing for maximum light. It does look like the ideal place to get immersed in the writing process letting ideas flow with minimum distractions. 

...a modern tranquil looking home, one that adds its voice to the debate on designing suitable contemporary homes for Africa's burgeoning cities, and challenging the ways we live

Cobra Society
The latest print issue of Vogue UK has an interesting article on the rise of a new breed of entrepreneur that they’ve called ‘globalists’; trend-setters who combine fair trade principles with business savvy whilst scouring the world for exciting new products that celebrate craft and heritage and marrying them with contemporary styling to create a fresh, modern and exciting product. Amongst the featured profiles was that of Cobra Society’s Alex Davis, whose debut Autumn/Winter 2011 collection of Western style boots with a North African twist was snapped up by Net-a-Porter.

Based in Los Angeles, Alex is inspired by cultures of the world after a time spent ravelling North Africa, Europe and Asia and brings this global outlook to Cobra Society. Alex studied in France, the UK and Morocco and her fashion credentials include an internship at Stella MacCartney. Cobra Society is about bringing beauty, functionalism and heritage together in products for modern stylish women reflecting the continuing impact of diverse global cultures on fashion. Taking an American classic in the Cowboy boot Alex set about feminising it, reshaping the heel and toe. Using Italian vegetable tanned leathers the boots are made in Spain using a special technique called the ‘Good Year Welt’ that is recognised as a high standard of footwear construction, employing the technique of sewing the sole by hand, which allows it to mould to the foot for greater comfort. Along the shaft of each boot are Kilim fabric panels from Morocco, distinctive in pattern, colour and texture. Alex employs 30 women, highly skilled rug artisans from a village high up in the Atlas Mountains. The traditional hand woven fabric means that no two pairs of boots are alike. Perfect with jeans, long skirts or short dresses styles range from bootie to over the knee and Alex is looking to expand Cobra Society's offerings with  a men's line and accessories such as handbags planned for the next collection.

…ancient and classic heritages combined for a modern global style

Ronél Jordaan
Last week a cousin of mine was visiting London from South Africa, and I got to spend some time albeit brief showing him around London’s famous landmarks, taking pleasure in being a tourist for the day; we walked so much taking about 5 hours to cover the centre of the city in a circle. Making our way down Regent Street we passed the National Geographic Store and fascinated he wanted to go in have look around. As we crossed the threshold I noticed this large greyish rock in the window display, that I instantly recognised as one of Ronél Jordaan’s amazing felt creations.

I have been a fan of Ronél’s work since before I started African Daydreams, coming across her creations every now and then through my web wanderings. Looking so life-like, rocks and pebbles are handmade using felt, a material that belies the hard unyielding texture one associates with rock forms and one which adds to the appeal of the products. So why would you choose to have rock boulders in your home… well I remember a few years ago when miniature pebble gardens that you could keep on your desk or coffee table were at the height of popularity as people sort to bring some sense of harmony and Zen-like calm to their interior spaces as an anecdote to increasingly hectic lifestyles and information overload, obvious factors such as the possibility of hurting yourself restricted the size of the sanctuary you could create hence the need to keep it small. Things haven’t changed much, the desire to bring the beauty and tranquillity of nature is still as great as ever and these soft felted creations allow for even greater flexibility when incorporating nature-inspired elements in the home; for example make an interior statement with striking rock cushions that would be sure to make your visitors do a double take when being invited to rest their backs on a rock! Even the humble beanbag gets a stylish nature inspired makeover with beautiful coils in a graduating muted colour palette, as seen in the felt chair.

A textile designer for 26 years, in 2004 Ronél began experimenting and researching the capabilities of using felt as a creative medium, creating felted forms through trial and error. From a workshop in South Africa’s Gauteng province Ronél works with and has trained local women in the community, building up a range of products that in addition to her signature rocks and pebbles span a luxurious furnishings and fashion accessories such as cushions, throws, carpets and shawls. 

Ronél takes care to ensure her products not only look good, but also are good for overall wellbeing and uses 100% South African Merino wool that is free of harmful irritating acids commonly used in wool treating processes. The wool is dyed with natural dyes free that are certified as lead free. Felting is a very skilled craft one that sees threads of pure wool rubbed together to build up the layers, a process that interlocks the follicles of the individual strands enabling them to become matted and dense, giving felt its distinctive texture. Looks like it could be quite soothing when immersed in the process.

…brings a touch of soothing calm into the home

Earth Couture
With it getting chillier and darker outdoors, it is so tempting to stay in doors curled up in comfy clothes but sometimes comfy can mean 'living' in your favourite PJ’s or tracksuit when the opportunity arises… nothing wrong with that, but if you want to up the style stakes then Earth Couture’s easy-to-wear collections are perfect offering stylish yet comfortable clothes so you can still look good whilst slouching around the house.  

Blending fashion with organic ideals Earth Couture is all about glamorous loungewear with a purpose. The launch of Earth Couture was the fulfillment of a lifelong passion and dream for founder Meleni Bharwani who, as a self confessed ‘organic girl’ since the age of sixteen, sought to combine eco-friendly practices with glamorous designs. Meleni’s passion for fashion came whilst working for the family business designing jewels, born in the United States Virgin Islands Meleni studied at New York University and Central Saint Martins moving to Lagos, Nigeria in 2007 where she opened a mutli-brand designer boutique. The idea for Earth Couture came into fruition whilst she was in Nigeria. Today Earth Couture is a family owned business that uses certified organic cotton to produce comfortable loungewear that radiates a sense of calm in a muted colour palette using natural dyes in soft pinks, taupes, navy blues, and khakis amongst others. For Autumn Winter 2011 Earth Couture teamed up with South African born, British interior designer Kelly Hoppen, who brought her renowned design aesthetic to a range of stretchy dresses, leggings and t-shirts to name a few. Not just for staying at home, Earth Coutrue separates are perfect for layering, mixing and matching the colours for a relaxed look outdoors or at the gym.

Positive ethical principles are at the forefront of Earth Couture’s philosophy. Adhering to strict global certification and standards the cotton Earth Couture uses is grown without artificial fertilisers, insecticides or herbicides; and all production processes including spinning, dyeing and manufacture are strictly supervised. Earth Couture works with factories that adhere to fair working conditions, visiting each factory before working with them to ensure that this is the case. In addition to using organic and recycled materials Earth Couture also strives to recycle all unwanted materials that would other wise end up in landfills, and garments are packaged in recycled cardboard, plastic and paper. The Indigo collection is dyed locally in Nigeria and is a way of supporting traditional textile dyeing techniques. Not just about creating clothes Earth Couture is working towards helping to combat malaria and with every purchase made the Earth Couture Charity donates plant based mosquito coils to families who need them in Itako, Lagos Nigeria.

...look good at home without costing the earth

Ngwenya Glass Blowers
Ngwenya means ‘crocodile’ and encircled by mountains nestles the tiny kingdom of Swaziland, where one of the mountains is said to resemble a basking crocodile; at the summit of this mountain is an ancient iron ore mine that dates back 43 000 years and at the foot you will find the Ngwenya Village, home to the Ngwenya Glass Blowers. I mentioned Ngwenya Glass in the recent post I did on the ‘Piece’ jewellery exhibition and although they created some of the beads that were used, Ngwenya Glass’ scope is much wider. Ngwenya Glass is a factory cum studio producing some rather striking, unique glass products encompassing interior home accessories and tableware. The designs are fluid and very quirky mainly picking up on animal themes given the proximity to some of the world’s most spectacular wildlife populations, in addition to the rich cultural heritage of local Swazi life; think elegant warriors forming the stem that supports the glass to miniature glass animals that double up as candleholders and napkin rings.

Ngwenya Glass was first started in 1979 by Swedish Aid, who provided machinery and training, closing its doors in 1985 before being revived in 1987 by Richard, Alix and Chas Prettejohn; a family living in South Africa who had a penchant for collecting the glass animals produced by Ngwenya Glass, then known as Swazi Glass Craft, and were saddened when production ceased making the decision to do something about it after a chance visit to the area. Today the factory is going from strength to strength with a fully stocked studio welcoming visitors, who can take the opportunity to observe the glass blowing techniques first hand via an overhead balcony. Ngwenya Glass employs a staff of 70 including several original members, among them Sibusiso Mhlanga, one of the original glass blowers who has trained locally and in Sweden as well as working with some of the world’s leading glass blowers. Sibusiso trains all the new apprentices. 

All glass products are made from 100% recycled glass bottles collected by local people who get paid for them, the bottles are then melted down to be reformed into delicate items like drinking glasses, vases, pitchers, platters and animal ornaments. As environmentalists and conservationists, Ngwenya Glass organises clean-ups of the local area, and works with local schools to instil environmental awareness amongst students. Ngwenya Glass also strives to help protect the animals that offer so much inspiration and established the Ngwenya Rhino and Elephant Fund in 1989 to aid wildlife conservation, donating a percentage of its worldwide profits towards Mkhaya Game Reserve, a refuge for endangered species of wildlife in Swaziland.

…you can never too many glasses