WORDS Malibongwe Tyilo IMAGES Justin Polkey, Richard Keppel-Smith, David Crookes, Adriaan Louw, Karl Rogers and Jac De Villiers
The international design community is sitting up and taking notice of Africa’s design talent.
Maison & Objet, the trade fair held twice a year in Paris, is where trend-spotters go to see what the key names are doing in design. At the September 2016 fair, the work of 11 African brands was showcased by Design Network Africa, a programme funded by the Danish Centre for Culture and Development and coordinated by Source, a local agency that promotes African design internationally. A number of countries were represented, including Kenya, Ghana, Mali and Zimbabwe, and the works spanned disciplines.
AAKS
Founded by Akosua Afriyie-Kumi, AAKS produces luxurious raffia bags handmade by a women’s cooperative in Bolgatanga, northern Ghana, using age-old craft traditions seldom seen beyond Ghana’s borders.
DIALLO DESIGNS
Malian Cheick Diallo trained as an architect and designer in France before establishing a studio in his home city of Bamako. His team of artisans manufacture products from everyday detritus such as bottle tops, fishing nets and old tyres.
DJIGUIYASO COOPERATIVE
This Bamako-based cooperative provides work for more than 100 women in Mali’s textile industry. They use traditional bogolan cloth tie-dyed with indigo and produce cushions, bedspreads, curtains, dresses, handbags, tablecloths, throws and scarves.
ADÈLE DEJAK
Adèle Dejak is a Kenyan fashion designer known for her focus on the strong contemporary African woman, a design aesthetic that is reflected in her sculptural fashion accessories in gold, bone, ostrich shell and traditional cloth. She has collaborated on projects with Italian design house Ferragamo.
MUTAPO POTTERY
Marjorie Wallace is a ceramicist who graduated from UCT’s Michaelis School of Fine Art and is based in Zimbabwe. She produces fine porcelain objects inspired by traditional basket-making.
STUDIO HAMED OUATTARA
Founded by designer Hamed Ouattara and based in Burkina Faso, a country where power outages are the norm and equipment is difficult to procure, this furniture-design studio makes all hinges, nails and tools necessary for each piece.
NDOMO
Founded by designer Boubacar Doumbia, the Ndomo textile workshop specialises in natural fabric-staining and -dyeing techniques such as bogolan mud cloth.
NULANGEE
Senegal-based Nulangee’s sculpted designs come in various forms, including tables with fragile bowed legs and moulded, plaited leather chairs, with a mysterious West African sensuality.
TEKURA
This Ghanaian brand, founded by Kweku and Josephine Forson, is known for contemporary interpretations of legendary Ashanti and Fanti cultural artistry.
SKY DÉCOR
Founded by childhood friends Khan Key and Samuel Omondi, Sky Decor focuses on handcrafted high-quality household and office furniture, art and decor. They use specialised metal- and wood-working techniques, and incorporate aircraft parts in their work.
UGANDA CRAFTS
Run by Lillian Semigga, Uganda Crafts works with women’s groups throughout the country to produce baskets woven with sustainable banana and raffia fibres.
