Things didn’t go to plan on my last visit to Burkina Faso, where I’d intended to document the ancient technique of indigo dyeing. I found out that to follow the whole process I would need to spend several days, if not weeks, in a remote village where the dyeing takes place in pits dug…
Tag: African traditional craft
Fashion Revolution Day 2015
This Friday, 24th April, is Fashion Revolution Day. It is an annual event to commemorate the tragic collapse of the Rana Plaza factory in Bangladesh 2 years ago. Fashion Revolution is a campaign to change the fashion industry into a ‘force for good’, which means that clothes and accessories are made by people who are…
The Reversible leather & bogolan shopper
‘It’s more important to be pretty on the inside’ is what we keep telling our 5 year old daughter. As for bags, it’s just as important, which is why we use hand-woven mudcloth dyed cotton to line many of our styles. But it felt a shame to keep the beautiful bogolan hidden away, so we’ve…
Community Development with SAHEL Design
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…
Weaving leather by hand
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…
Designing a messenger bag for eHaberdasher
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…
The Allure of the Tassle
Love them or not, fringe and tassels are to modern handbags as high heels are to a glamourous night out. Not essential, but we can’t leave them alone. They add swish, flamboyance and – better than heels – a skip to your step. Big tassels say carefree. A small, neat zip-pull tassel is more suitable…
How to build a Fulani style straw hut
Summer is upon us and most Europeans dream of hazy days spent enjoying the sunshine, and maybe – for the more adventurous, nights spent out under the stars too. Glamping, Mongolian yurts and wigwams make the idea of camping more appealing to the aesthetically minded. And as a seasonal garden installation to captivate the kids,…