Maya Antoun
Fluid, sculptural forms interlaced with segments of fine filigree work defines the stunning jewellery creations by Sudanese designer Maya Antoun. Based in the UK, Maya seeks to combine traditional with contemporary to create a new vision for African jewellery, and indeed the wider context of her work, which is influenced by the diversity of cultures, reflected in her own culturally diverse upbringing and exploring the ways in which individuals from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds might interpret their traditional jewellery, and in the process creating something new, fresh and exciting.

Drawn to traditional techniques like filigree, a craft that is slowly disappearing, Maya's work has led to collaborations with master filigree artisans in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo and in doing so Maya hopes to pave the way for further collaborations between design and craft practitioners, and open up viable markets for the jewellery and skills across Africa and beyond. In the UK, Maya also collaborates with fashion designer Omer Asim, a fellow Sudanese, in a partnership that sees Maya's work beautifully complementing Omer's sculptural design aesthetic. Maya was also awarded Accessories Designer of the Year 2011 at the Africa Fashion International Awards.

Additional details:
For further information about Maya Antoun and purchase enquiries visit: http://mayantoun.com 

A Senegalese Holiday Home
An explosion of clashing colour and pattern characterises an idyllic holiday home in Senegal that I came across on the blog, African Moto. Located in the popular resort town of Saly, simple outdoor living is the order of the day conveyed in a mix of local, regional and Parisian influences.

Exterior walls in shades of salmon pink become feature points providing the backdrop to a generous seating area constructed out of stonework, and covered with a myriad of plump Dutch wax cloth cushions, arranged around wrought iron coffee tables that were created by local Senegalese artisans and spray painted in a local body shop; whilst a shaded terrace for entertaining guests features a dining table and benches carved by a local carpenter and accessorised with more vibrant fabrics that include an 'Obama' oilcloth from South African company, Shine Shine. The house has no glass panes, instead shutters are used and apple green coloured gates on some of the window spaces provide another excuse to add even more splashes of colour. 

Indoors, English sofas and armchairs are covered with vibrant Dutch Wax and solid bold colour, set off against a backdrop of calming vanilla walls, and in the bathrooms bright purple is the colour of choice. In the kitchen, complementing the stonework base units is a cabinet by Senegalese furniture designer Ousmane Mbaye, adding a focal point of patchwork colour. 

Colourfully eclectic, this home is alive with carefree, playfulness.

Okapi
May/June this year saw South African luxury concept boutique, Merchants on Long pop up in London at The Shop at Bluebird. I was away during that time and just missed it, however those who visited were treated to some of the African continent's established and emerging fashion brands including: Lalesso, SAWA, MaxHosa by Laduma, Bantu and Okapi. Okapi is a luxury handbag line produced in South Africa by Hanneli Rupert, the founder of Merchants on Long.

Launched in 2012, Okapi is named after the Central African Antelope; a solitary, elusive creature once believed to be mythical, and is often referred to as the 'African Unicorn'. This air of mystery and the thrill of discovery is what defines the Okapi brand. Placing an emphasis on artisanal craftsmanship, Okapi produces handcrafted handbag and accessories collections made with leathers including suede and ostrich, and come in evocatively named colours like cocoa and cognac. Okapi's creations also feature detailing like 18 carat gold hardware and Springbok horns for a unique touch. I, however was taken with the combination of traditional basket weaving in vivid colours and red ostrich leather to create a gorgeously stylish pouch bag; just the thing for the weekend chic.  
 

Pepper & Stew
Sky Living TV channel in the UK is currently running a series called Cooks to Market. The concept of the show is to get budding cooks and food brands onto retail shelves, and see two different brands going up against each other and selling their product in food market and win the chance to pitch their idea to a panel of leading food UK experts. Of the two episodes I have managed to catch, both featured African food brands who  both outsold their rivals to go on and make impassioned pitches, which has landed both brands shelf space in Partridges, one of the UK's most prestigious food retailers who have the honour of being the Queen's grocers. Pepper & Stew was one of the brands featured, introducing their range of African cooking sauces to a new audience.

Pepper & Stew was founded by Zimbabwean Racquel Mafura, and Araba Jane who wanted to create a quick and simple way of cooking African food and bringing it mainstream. The product range is comprised of four sauces in the following flavours: Cape Malay Curry from South Africa; and Egusi Stew, Jollof and Palm Nut from West Africa. In the first stage of the programme the brands go through a consultation stage on what they need to do to prepare for the market challenge and although advised not to Pepper & Stew chose to go ahead with rebranding their products, I am glad they did. The end result is simple yet stylish contemporary packaging, with a single solid colour highlighting each sauce and a band of geometric pattern to reflect the African heritage. The duo will be launching some African Spices Kits, which will come with step-by-step recipes, a shopping list of ingredients needed and the spices which are sourced from the different parts of the Continent. Going from strength to strength since filming the series, Pepper & Stew's sauces are now stocked in four deli's across the UK, and the Egusi Sauce recently won a Great Taste Gold Star award.

Additional information:
Sauces on the website are priced at: £4
For further information about Pepper & Stew visit: www.pepperandstew.co.uk
For further information about Cooks to Market visit: http://skyliving.sky.com

Pepper & Stew will be retailing their products from Maltby Street Food Market in Bermondsey, London, which is open on Saturdays 9am-2pm    

Yinka Ilori
Dismantling discarded pieces of furniture and reassembling to create entirely new designs has resulted in a unique and innovative range of one-off and made to order furniture pieces, created by Yinka Ilori, a London-based furniture designer.

Yinka specialises in sustainable design by upcycling discarded and found furniture pieces, and founded his eponymous label in April 2011; fuelled by an interest in finding creative solutions to challenge the unnecessary waste in modern consumer societies in the West, and through the products he recreates works towards helping to affect positive change.

The designs are quirky, colourful and distinctive; featuring Yinka's signature style of brightly painted wood, paired with vibrant patterns and fabrics that bring to life the once unloved furniture pieces. Yinka also 'happily accepts unwanted or damaged furniture from private individuals'.