Ali Lamu This is the story of Ali Lamu. It’s a love story.
One day in 2008 a Kenyan fisherman walked into the workshop of a Swiss artist who was mending a broken heart and asked for a job. The artist didn’t have a job for the fisherman, but she did have a need for some old tanga, which means Indian dow (fishing boat) sail in Kiswahili. She regarded tanga as a piece of art created by the years spent exposed to the wind, rain, sun and salt of the Indian Ocean, and she wanted to use it as a canvas. The fisherman knew where old tanga was plentiful and returned with some a few days later. The color was magnificent, sepia tinged and sun baked, impossible to reproduce even if one tried hard…time and weather were the masters of this material.
The artist and the fisherman began to paint, at first a broken heart, then whatever the mood of the moment inspired. They painted poems, people, animals and stars, even the occasional squid. They wanted to share their message of “love, love and more love” with people all over the world so the artist and the fisherman turned the tangas into handbags, each crafted and painted by hand then set out underneath the Kenyan sun to dry.
The Ali Lamu bag you buy is truly one of a kind. Carry it with all the love you can.
Aspiga Put yourself in her shoes.
It’s 2005. You’re Lucy Macnamara and you’re on holiday in Kenya. You’ve fallen in love with the country, the people, and most of all, the stunning leather sandals and other hand crafted accessories you’ve discovered. The style. The quality. The craftsmanship. You’ve paid much more for far less in the trendiest shoppes. The intricate beadwork on a pair of sandals takes three hours; on a belt it takes an entire day. You must have them. Everyone, you reason, must have them. People should know about these remarkable artists. They should know about the sun dried leather and the commitment to the time consuming beadwork. Put yourself in Lucy’s shoes. What would you do?
You would start Aspiga, a company dedicated to sharing the authentic style and quality of Kenya with the planet. And you would be successful. So successful the Daily Telegraph in London would rave, “Every beach wardrobe needs a pair of Aspiga sandals.” Your company would grow, employ more artists, feed more families, and even help to support an orphanage just outside of Nairobi. And your line would expand from sandals and belts to jewelry, kikoys and swimwear. Before you knew it, you would be a catalyst in a movement that is helping to redefine where great fashion comes from.
So go on, put yourself in Lucy’s shoes (ok, sandals). You may just blaze a trail of your own.
Francesca Torri Soldini for Tanzania Maasai Women’s Art Leave it to the Italians to help spark a renaissance.
In 2006, designer Francesca Torri Soldini and her students at the Istituto Europeo di Design (IED) in Milan embarked on a radical journey with Swiss Conservationist Tati Oliver and the Maasai women of Mkuru. Together, with Istituto Oikos and Oikos East Africa, they initiated the Maasai Women Art project to create business and education opportunities for the talented jewelry makers of Tanzania. Two short years later, fueled by Tati’s energy and leadership, Tanzania Maasai Women Art Limited (TMWA) was registered as an independent non-profit company with its own location in a bustling shopping center in Arusha. Amazing. From humble surroundings to prime retail space in twenty-four months.
Each piece in this expressive collection is an eclectic combination of Italian elegance, traditional Maasai artistry and technical precision with the spirit of the individual artisan ingrained in the materials and design. In Tanzania, women use jewelry to make themselves beautiful, attract mates and communicate their status within the community. Now, thanks to Francesca, Tati and TMWA, they’re using jewelry to create better lives.
Sanjan Photography Ten thousand words wouldn’t do them justice.
When it comes to stunning photography, who is behind the camera is just as important as what is in front of it. Such is the case with the photography of Paul Oliver, Daniela Bateleur and Gian Schachenmann who have pooled their creative talents under the banner of Sanjan Tanzania. Sanjan means ‘sweetheart’ in Kimaa, the language of the Maasai people. This collective of skilled internationals brought together by Paul to showcase the wildlife and people of East Africa, is directly from the heart. Each artist has a wealth of experience capturing the unique moments they encounter during the wilderness camping safaris Sanjan organizes through Paul Oliver’s Safaris and Sanjan. Paul started Oliver’s Camp in Tarangire National Park in 1994 and has been at the forefront of holistic safari experiences in Tanzania since the mid eighties. These artists’ passion for image excellence is equaled only by their desire to further understand and protect the fragile cultures and environments viewed through their lenses.
Only someone with a deep respect and passion for what surrounds them could capture images like the ones you’ll find in the Ashé Collection. This is photography at its most intimate.
