SAHEL Design is about people and products. We make beautiful, unique accessories that can’t be found elsewhere. Then we sell them and reinvest the profits into the communities that made them. We don’t accept charity or ‘pity purchases’ and we don’t want to impose our own ideas on how these communities should develop. They, not…
This summer we are undergoing a significant transition. I am leaving Burkina Faso and moving back to London, where I will carry on the business and work on finding retailers for SAHEL Design products in Europe and around the world. Here in Ouagadougou the business has been going well and sales of bags have rocketed….
Since the launch of SAHEL Design in 2012 we have been dreaming of installing water pumps in the villages of the artisans. Last week, thanks to Friends In Action and the help of some willing friends, this dream became a reality. The first village was where Ussman, the cotton weaver and his family live –…
A far flung hamlet in the outback of Burkina Faso is a hive of activity. It is the home of traditional leather workers, a group of women weaving strands of leather into horse reins. The reins are being reinvented as beautiful handbag straps, the unique feature of SAHEL Design bags. Salamata and Fatimata are the…
Last weekend my family and I drove up north to the annual horse festival here in Burkina Faso. We’ve been before but this was the first time in five years and with two small children in tow. Traditional horse reins are the inspiration for SAHEL Design bags so it was the perfect place for a…
Designing bags isn’t all about pinterest and doodling (although they both play a part). Our men’s messenger bag was the result of a collaboration between SAHEL Design in Burkina Faso and eHaberdasher in London. Getting the right shape, size and details took four months and five prototypes to get right. We’re pleased to say that…
One of the perks of living in a climate where the sun shines most of the time is that so much more happens outdoors. In the small towns and villages, old people and children can pass the time in the open air, socialising instead of being cooped up behind walls and gates. Washing clothes, drying…
I went a bit mad for mudcloth last year and have two armchairs, curtains, cushions and a lampshade all covered with it. I love the striking effect of white motifs on a black background, which is what I have so far focussed on for SAHEL products; cushion covers, scarves and bags. Here is some living…
Luxury menswear online retailer eHaberdasher has collaborated with SAHEL Design to make this leather bag exclusively for them. Made in chestnut brown antique effect sheep leather, it is a practical shoulder bag with removable straps so it can also be used like a briefcase. It’s big enough for a laptop and has inside pockets for…
Hardware – clunky fastenings, chains, studs, that kind of thing – is something I’ve tried to avoid using on SAHEL bags. Mainly because the only ready made ones available here in Burkina Faso are cheap imported ones that would spoil the look and the ethos of the label. If I have to use a zip,…