Afri-love

Raiding My Mama’s Kanga and Kitenge Collection

 

My mother is from Tanzania where it is customary for women to give each other kangas (also known as lessos) as gifts, especially at events such as weddings, send-offs, births etc.

Over the years, my mother has amassed quite a number! Last year while visiting her, I took the opportunity to raid some of her collection, taking photos for inspiration’s sake. 

Kangas come in one piece consisting of two matching panels. You may have seen women along the Swahili coast using one panel as a sarong and the other to cover their head and/or shoulders. I often benefit from this when my mother splits her kangas with me. Here’s one I recently received:

 

 

Kangas traditionally feature a saying. The one above is fantastic: “We are in love, give us a chance”.

 

 

Mama's collection also includes some kitenge (wax print) pieces …

 

 

 

Mixed in with mum’s kangas, are textiles from other parts of the world such as this Indonesian beauty. Given the history of African wax print, it’s no wonder that this piece fits in pretty well.

 

 

I’m really excited about The Kanga Book. Find out more about it here.

Images: Lulu Kitololo

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Related:

 

• Inspired by Lubaina Himid’s Kanga Paintings and Collage Portraits
• Buy African: Chichia London SS14 – a celebration of kanga and cutting-edge cool
• Inspired: African Touches at the Eclectic Wedding of Zahra and Chris – including hints of manga

 

 

 

Last Week in Pictures: Lines, Stripes and Multi-colour

 

Glancing at my Instagram feed from the past couple weeks, there's a common theme emerging: lines, stripes and multi-colour! Here's how it went down …

Above: this bag is most definitely on my wishlist. Handmade in Kenya, available from Lov'edu.

 

 

Colourful cables at Whitechapel tube station.

 

 

Tanabata Fukinagashi decorations at the Southbank Centre. Check out the ongoing Festival of Love.

 

 

Window grills needn't be boring! I spotted these art deco ones in Hackney.

 

I always enjoy seeing how other makers roll so it was a delight to go to the Hackney Downs Studios open studios event last week. Here: suede that Hyun K Shin of Tiny Track turns in to intricate fashion accessories.

 

 

This chair is everything! Have a seat at the Wahaca mexican market eating branch in Waterloo.

 

As I mentioned in a recent post, about resonance across the global south – this bag is reminiscent of the one at the top of this post but, I have a feeling that this one was made across in Latin America … Or could it be from around the Europe/Asia boundary? Spotted at vintage store Blitz London.

 

Another vintage store find – these woven-back, red-seat chairs at GASP in Liverpool. 

What's been in your line of vision this week? 

Come join me on Instagram @lulukitololo.

 

* For those of you who noticed, yes, "last week" isn't strictly just last week :)
All photos by Lulu Kitololo. Some enhanced with VSCOcam. 

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Related:

• Last Week in Pictures: Tropical Hints
• Design, Music and Good Vibes at Africa Oyé 2014
• Pins of the Week: Eclectic Global Boho Chic

Giveaway link fixed!

Hello all – just a quick note to thank those of you who alerted me that the Evie Nix Jewellery Giveaway entry form link wasn't working! What a rookie mistake – apologies! I've fixed it now – you can enter here.

For more details around entry criteria and a glimpse of what you stand to win, check out the post.

Good luck!

Evie Nix Jewellery Giveaway

 

I met Yvonne Nicholson, the Zambian born UK based designer behind Evie Nix, at the African Market at Old Spitalfields in London. It’s her I have to thank for the fabulous kitenge/ankara/wax print corset that I walked away with that day. 

Evie Nix offers unique African print corsets, jewellery and accessories, all handmade with love. I asked Yvonne a few questions about what drives and inspires her work.

 

  

What's your passion? 

I've always had a passion for textiles, in particular African-inspired wax prints. I just love the vibrancy and boldness of the prints. I also take inspiration from the Hollywood screen sirens and the theatrical nature of Victorian fashion. 

 

What inspired you to become a fashion designer? 

As far as I can remember it’s always felt natural for me to express myself visually. I've always enjoyed taking on crafty projects, making clothes for my Sindy dolls (when I was a young girl), collecting bits of fabric, wallpapers – you name it, just for the sheer joy. 

 

How does Africa inspire you?

I'm inspired by the rich diverse culture of the African continent on the whole, be it the people, food, music, its landscape, the smells …! There is so much to explore and discover. 

 

Anything we should look out for in the coming weeks/months/year? 

In the months ahead you can expect more quirky, fun, colourful creations from me. I'll be exploring new shapes and forms with added texture. I'm also planning on launching an exciting line of fun clutch bags for 2015.

 

  

The giveaway

Yvonne kindly offered to treat one of you wonderful readers with this vibrant earring and cuff bracelet set. 

Details:

• This contest is open to US and UK residents only
• Giveaway ends at 23:59 GMT on Tuesday, 8th July 2014
• The winner will be contacted via email and will have 7 days to respond with address details. If there is no response within 7 days, a new winner will be drawn.

 How to enter:

•  Fill in this short form (entrants will be automatically added to the Afri-love mailing list)

For extra entries (optional):

1. Tweet about this giveaway: ‘Win a set of handmade African print jewellery from @evienixfashions in this @afrilove giveaway: http://bit.ly/giveevienix' 
2. Repost the giveaway on Instagram (find the image on my feed @lulukitololo), making sure to tag @evienix1
3. Like the giveaway post on the Afri-love Facebook page

 

Good luck!

Read more about Yvonne on her Etsy profile and connect with Evie Nix on Instagram (@evienix1), Twitter and Facebook.

 

Photos by Lulu Kitololo with the exception of the portrait, courtesy of Yvonne.

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Related:

 

• Photos from the African Market at Old Spitalfields, London
• Interview with Fashion + Accessories Designer, Adele Dejak 
• Interview with Sustainable Fashion Entrepreneur, Annegret Affolderbach of Choolips
• Buy African: Beaded Jewellery from Sidai Designs
• Afri-love on Etsy – Wax Print Edition

Pins of the Week: Eclectic Global Boho Chic

 

That mouthful of a title summarises much of what visually turns me on. I think of an abundance of pattern, colour, prints – and wacky combinations of all three! Despite the diversity of traditions and design output, I think it's interesting to note the similarities when you look at Africa, Asia and Latin America. Similarities in feel and creative energy – i.e. something rather intangible – perhaps, more than anything else.

 

 

Follow me on Pinterest for more eclectic global boho chic.

 

Pins – left-right, from top: Photo by Leonce Raphael Agbodjelou; fashion from Abacaxi NYC; skirt from Abacaxi NYC; stylish dudes; prints galore; backpack; chairs; men's top from Jekkah; Asos Africa outfit.

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Related:

• African Inspiration on Pinterest
• Inspired: Photography by Leonce Raphael Agbodjelou
• African Inspiration on Pinterest: Have a Seat
• Pins of the Week: Moroccan Rugs, Pillows and Poufs

Illustrated Portraits

 

Over the past month or so, I’ve been doing lots of self-directed making. From creating fun photo ‘collages’ for Instagram to getting into a regular drawing rhythm. Funnily enough, a lot of this has then been co-opted for business purposes. For example said collages for the Creativity and Noise designs I made came out really well and had such a great response that they had to be used for promotional purposes!

 

 

It’s a somewhat similar story with the hand-drawn illustrated portraits that I make. I started making them a few years ago when Asilia needed team photos. Our team was spread across London and Nairobi and we wanted a solution that would be scalable. It was clear that photography was going to be challenging. Furthermore, we wanted the portraits to be quirky – reflecting who we are as individuals and as a company. Illustration was definitely the answer, not least because it gave me an excuse to do some more drawing and indulge in some colour, texture and pattern fun.

 

 

The great response we’ve had to our team illustrations, as well as to those I’ve created for others (e.g. Mandela, my Dad, Maya Angelou and Asilia client KP Fox), prompted us to make it easy for anybody to commission one for themselves or their loved ones. Introducing – Illustrate Me: hand-drawn custom portraits.

As time goes on, new use-case scenarios emerge. Here’s a running list of uses:

• Team bio/profile pictures
• Social media profile pictures
• Magazine articles – look out for the upcoming issue of New Internationalist Magazine where I illustrated an article about a conversation between 2 feminists. 
• Illustrations in books – we illustrated 30+ interviewees in the book Passion Pays by Genevieve de Lacaze
• Gifts for loved ones (e.g. a portrait of your kids for their grandmother)
• Album covers
• Event flyers + gig posters
• Business cards
• …

 

How would you use an illustrated portrait?

 

All illustrations by Lulu Kitololo

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Related:

• Illustration and design for the London via Lagos Theatre Festival
• Female Relations – a series of painted portraits of some of my favourite women
• Inspired by Shine Shine – the illustrative work of South African designer Heidi Chisholm
• Inspired: Robert Pruitt's Women at Studio Museum Harlem
• Inspired by Dimitra Tzanos: For the Love of Africa

Design, Music and Good Vibes at Africa Oyé 2014

I spent a wonderful weekend in Liverpool, at the UK’s largest African musical festival, Africa Oyé. This year wasn’t just about soaking up the good music and good vibes (although there was still plenty of that) as I was helping out at the Creativity and Noise + Merkato stall. 

 

It was great to get out of the big city – I love train journeys, exploring new places and taking a breather from the hecticness of London.

 

I have enormous respect for entrepreneurs who regularly set up at markets and events. It's demanding work!

 

This is Laura Marano, the lady behind Merkato (fairly traded homeware and fashion accessories). You may remember her from a popular Afri-love interview where she talked about her other venture, Green-Safari.

 

Laura and Lusungu Chikamata of Creativity and Noise. All set up and ready to trade!

 

It was exciting to launch the new Creativity and Noise t-shirts and tote bags, designed by yours truly and hand screenprinted by Lusungu. 

 

Beautiful wares from Merkato. Most made in the Taita-Taveta district of Kenya, where my Dad is from.

 

Lusungu representing in his new 'Beat It' t-shirt. Look for it on the Creativity and Noise shop.

 

Knit iPhone cases from Merkato.

 

It was a visual treat checking out what the other vendors had to offer, such as these guords. Right: a Taita basket from Merkato (and the lady who made it!).

 

I met some fellow Kenyans, Muigai and Anto, who were selling these beaded bangles that had me feeling all patriotic. Kenya and Tanzania represented – perfect!

 

A wonderful array of colours at Dry Rain, a stall selling Moroccan wares including these leather slippers.

 

Our neighbouring stall had a massive collection of baskets and other woven goods including these coasters, bangles …

 

… and mats/rugs.

 

A funky zebra-print van belonging to a food stall selling all kinds of African game meat, including my beloved crocodile!

 

Butterfly fridge magnets made from recycled/upcycled flip-flops. From Merkato.

 

Of course, there was time for dancing.

 

Me with the Zambians, all representing with our Creativity and Noise tees.

 

It almost always rains at some point during the Africa Oyé weekend. This year, it didn't! Blue skies and sunshine throughout. What a bonus?!

 

All geared up and ready for day 2 of the festival.

 

We got to watch Joe Driscoll and Jally Kebba Susso  jamming/warming up early on the Sunday morning. The kora on reggae and hip hop tracks sounds amazing!

 

As usual, the whole experience was a welcome and wonderful assault on the senses.

One of the things I love about Africa Oyé is that there’s no heavy-handed policing. The police and security presence at this festival is surprisingly minimal – you barely notice them. No gates to walk through where every inch of you is checked, no wall of policemen to intimidate. It just goes to show that if you treat people like human beings, they will act like human beings! 

At some point on the Sunday, I found myself feeling a little bit teary. I know this is going to sound corny but, I was overwhelmed by just how beautiful the moment was. All kinds of people – ages, races, abilities; all kinds of random acts of kindness going on; people talking to strangers … real, tangible joy!

See you there next year!

 

Photos by Lulu Kitololo (and a couple courtesy of Lusungu Chikamata), most of them processed with VSCOcam. View even more photos from the weekend, on Facebook.

Afri-love is 5

 

Today, Afri-love is 5 years old. 

I started the blog just after I left the world of employment so, this milestone not only marks the anniversary of an idea but also, of a completely different way of life! That of a self-employed creative entrepreneur. 

It’s so fitting then that the mission of this blog has evolved over the years to what it is now – a platform to showcase, encourage and support creative entrepreneurship. My experiences, and in particular, the things I’ve learned as I’ve dealt with the various (and many) challenges that have come my way, have inspired content ideas. My hope is that by sharing these stories and tips, others can avoid some of the setbacks I’ve faced and focus on excellence and striving.

 

[with client and Afri-love interviewee, fashion designer, Adele Dejak]

 

Constants

The ultimate vision with which I started Afri-love remains the same …

Imagine Africans who love who they are, as they are, and so love each other and the environment that nurtures them. Confident and assertive, they are engaged in charting their growth and celebrating success as defined on their own terms.

Imagine all who are inspirited by Africa – all whose lives and hearts have been touched by the spirit of the continent – sharing their passion through collaboration, in the name of mutual empowerment.

Imagine all starting by looking inside themselves. Self-discovery, self-awareness, self-love and self-respect. And then true learning, understanding, love and respect of the other. Harnessing the power of emotion to influence great positive change.

 

[Sculpture at the Kitengela Glass studio in Kenya]

 

I’ve always seen creativity as a powerful vehicle for these aims. My beloved continent is responsible for so much of who I am. The sun, the natural beauty, the people’s spirit, the diversity of culture, the innovation, the resilient unrelenting joyfulness. I like to think that I express this influence – this richness, dynamism and even complexity – through my work. And I recognise a similar ‘language’ in the work of the many many creatives that I’ve come across on this Afri-love journey. Whether they reside on the continent or in the diaspora. Whether they identify as Africans or are simply inspired by Africa. The creative expression that Africa inspires is phenomenal and it feels like the world is taking proper note now (once again). Fittingly, Afri-love is also about celebration.

I recall the tagline that I came up with 5 years ago: Be proud. Be inspired. Spread love. Grow.

On a personal level, this is still appropriate today:

 

 

• I am proud to be who I am – every single piece of me
• I continue to be inspired by the world, people and life in general but, as pertains to my heritage in particular
• I aim to approach every situation, thing and everybody with love. And that starts with the self. It starts with approaching myself with love.
• I am thankful of the opportunity to grow – with every experience and with every encounter (it what makes each day even better than the last – even though it can seem quite the opposite when we’re actually in the moment) 

 

[Panel at the V&A Afropolitans Friday Late in 2011. From left: Yemi Alade-Lawal of Afro-Pop Live; writer, editor and curator Hannah Pool (who is also a client); me; writer Minna Salami, aka MsAfropolitan and Afri-love interviewee; journalist, poet, photographer and fiction writer, Tolu Ogunlesi. My take on the discussion here. Photo by Barbara Muriungi/Them2k]

 

That’s why I’m so grateful to all of you who have read, commented, shared and participated in this Afri-love journey. I could never have imagined that I would get to know so many amazing people, let alone get to share prestigious stages and grace the pages of magazines, newspapers and blogs. From simply putting what I’m passionate about our there! I thought I believed in the transformative power of passion back then but, now, I’ve actually experienced it.

 

Changes

In life’s funny way of bringing things full circle, it’s now challenging me to take things a step further in the pursue-your-passion department. After years of providing a graphic design service to clients, it’s becoming clearer and clearer with each day that I need to let my self-directed work assume more of the spotlight. Work is in progress (previews and sneak peeks) as I find a balance that works. Now that I’ve voiced it – I have thousands of witnesses! Sometimes it feels like I’m quitting my day job, all over again. 

 

 

Juggling these new ambitions with my existing commitments, and trying to focus on staying healthy at the same time, means that I haven’t been able to make the anniversary splash that I would have liked to make today. Thankfully, self-love mode kicked in (kicking out unrealistic-high-expectations mode), and I realised that the celebration is so much bigger than one day. And so, I will be stretching it out across several. Maybe even several months … A live event is definitely a part of it so, stay tuned.

 

Again, thank you for being here with me – now, then and later. 

Big big love!
Lulu

Last Week in Pictures: Tropical Hints

 

As the weather warms up in London, being outside becomes so much more compelling and, I have more excuses to pause and take note of the sights around me. Here are some from the past week. All the visual stimulation is motivating me to procrastinate less on making (hence the first photo above) – an extra win! 

 

 

That's Lusungu in one of his new Creativity and Noise Brazil World Cup tees. We found that tropical backdrop at Shoreditch Food Village. Below, the entrance to London's Ace Hotel – a super cool space to work and no doubt staycation in (wishlist!). Below right: beautiful mirrored patterning at the Brick Lane Jamme Masjid.

 

 

A sobering warning from the bees. I actually witnessed the graffiti artist finishing this piece in Shoreditch. It's a pretty long wall, this is probably less than a quarter of it. Below left – I love yellow and I love flowers. These were in Boxpark near the pop-up Cotton's caribbean restaurant. Below right – I kept noticing this pattern on several housing blocks in East London. 

 

 

Finally checked out the Southbank Centre roof garden. I also caught this beautiful typography at the end of the Alchemy South Asia festival. Below left – kitsch colourful ceilings in Edmonton!

Check out more pictures from my daily adventures on my Instagram feed – @lulukitololo.

Happy Monday in advance everybody! Here's to a vibrant week!

 

All photos by Lulu Kitololo

 

Beyond Making: Non-Creative Business Priorities, for Creative Professionals

 

I wanted to be a creative professional because I like to come up with ideas and to make things. I wanted to be an entrepreneur because I wanted more freedom over my ideamongering (yes, I made that up) and my making. The hard truth of the matter is that, running a creative business is still running a business. As much as I would love to spend all my time developing concepts, drawing and designing, in reality that has often only taken up half, if that, of my work time. 

I’m not complaining because my situation does indeed enable me to live life (a little more) on my own terms. With the wisdom of experience, I continuously make adjustments to free up more time and space to create. It’s about finding a balance. A team and a business partner can certainly help with that but in the beginning, that may not be an option.

Before you embark on your entrepreneurial journey, it’s good to know what will be in store – to appreciate the various hats you may have to wear by your lonesome. Here are ones that I can think of:


Legal matters
Registering your company or setting yourself up as a sole trader. If you have employees, you will need contracts. You will also need to think of creating company policies and ensuring that they’re in line with statutory requirements.


Finance
Perhaps the most important because, at the end of the day, if you’re a business, you need to make profit. Knowing your numbers is key, i.e. having targets and planning your activities in order to meet them. Getting paid is the main step and this involves invoicing and the thing we all hate – chasing payments. Then there’s making payments to others: suppliers; payroll for employees and; the government (corporate tax, National Insurance/Social Security contributions, VAT etc.). You need to have systems to keep track of all of this.


Procurement
This involves researching and identifying appropriate suppliers and then liaising/collaborating with them. For some businesses, this will be more involved than for others. If you’re providing a service, as opposed to creating products, this may be less demanding. 

For example, when providing graphic design services, the only procurement I really have to do is printing and oftentimes, even this isn’t necessary (e.g. on logo design projects). I did have some one-off procurement to do at the start of my business though – a computer and software – and every now and again, I need to stock up on stationery.

However, if I was, for example, a fashion designer, I would need to think about: where I’m sourcing my material; how my prototypes are getting made; production of orders; packaging for deliveries and/or purchases in-store etc.


Sales
Sales is often considered a dirty word yet, we all engage in it on some level. Even as an employee, you had to sell yourself well to secure that position and, it’s likely that you have to continue to sell yourself well to ‘move up’ or, in this day and age, to keep it! I think we need to reimagine the idea of sales. Some people have things that other people want – things that add value to their lives in some way. Sales is simply a way of identifying the people who need what you’re offering and enabling them to get it.

Whether you’re selling your goods yourself or being stocked by others, you will need to approach people, interest them, take orders and fulfil them. This will involve customer service; shipping and handling and; managing your inventory.


New business 
New business is a similar concept to sales and arguably, it’s what comes before the sale. It’s about identifying opportunities for your business by engaging and networking with people and, building and nurturing those relationships. In my line of work, it’s very common to have conversations with a prospect and then wait 6 months to a year before they’re ready to actually commission any work. A lot of people don’t have that kind of patience or, get demoralised when it seems like their efforts have been in vain. If I can sum up entrepreneurship at this moment, I may have to go with: ‘faith and persistence'.


Marketing
I saved this for last because it’s the area I enjoy the most, second to making things. There are some blurred lines between sales, new business and marketing so I’ll define what it means to me in essence: getting the word out about what you’ve got to offer (i.e. doing your work justice!).

You will have some initial collateral to create, for example: website; business cards and other stationery; signage and banners; core promotional materials (flyers, brochures, catalogs etc.). 

You will also have to consider some ongoing activity. This could be online: llist-building; email marketing; content marketing; blogging; social media; ad campaigns etc. Not forgetting the power of offline channels such as print materials; live events; advertising in print or on air. 

Then there’s PR: creating press releases; media relations; blogger outreach etc.

Ideally, you will create a strategy and plan for all of these things. 


Worth the juggle?
Phew! Tired yet? If it’s any consolation, it is possible to do all these things. If the reason why you’re setting out on this journey is big enough, you will develop the time management and focus skills necessary to master this. If you do a valuation of your time, you will also realise the benefit of outsourcing things that are beyond your core skill/competence and that includes non-work-related tasks like cleaning the house.

At the end of the day, you might decide that you just want to create for the sake of it. That you want your craft to be a hobby that’s not influenced by customer demand and the other pressures of trying to make a profit. For many, that’s the choice they have to make to keep their creative passion alive. However, there are many who are running thriving businesses as they push their creative muscles and satisfy their desires to add more beauty, intrigue and examination into the world.


PS We made a tool a few years back – Anza – a checklist for start-ups and entrepreneurs. It outlines all the things you will need to think about when setting up your business. You can download it for free (currently available for Android only).


Illustration by Lulu Kitololo

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Related:

• 6 Pieces of Advice for Starting a New Business in the Afri-Sphere
• A Success Reading List for Creative Entrepreneurs
• 5 Reasons to Have a Business Partner
• 5 Reasons to Have a Team