It brings me great joy to share some news – the launch of Asilia's new website! It's almost 3 years since Andrew and I decided to co-run a full-time enterprise and this new site is testament to that journey. We've learned a lot along the way and have had great supporters, collaborators, suppliers and especially, clients, who have all helped to make it possible for us to keep doing what we love.
In these few years – which have flown – we've come to appreciate, more and more, our identity as a company. We sum it up as, the best of both worlds. On one level, that reflects our physical presence – we have an office in London and in Nairobi and; our core offerings – design and digital, products and services. It also speaks to our company culture where, employees are expected to be entrepreneurial. But deeper than that, it has to do with our ethos of pooling inspiration, knowledge, skills and experience from various influences, cultures and sectors.
African Lookbook is an online space for discussions in the format of oral histories and for selling cutting edge African products. The site was co-founded by Aaron Kohn and Phil Sandick, a couple of American guys who have both lived and worked in Africa for several years. Here are a few eclectic finds from their site.
Palm House is a rental property near Shela Beach in Lamu, Kenya, whose architecture and interior design is influenced by Swahili style.
I'm yet to visit Lamu so I'm exploring the accommodation possibilities as I drool over all the beautiful applications and interpretations of Swahili design.
CREATE.TURE is an art, apparel and accessories company founded by artist, Michelle Robinson. Inspired by art and fashion, Michelle's designs often include seductive female forms and nudes, explosive color palettes and intricate patterns.
UK designer Camille Walala creates tribal pop prints in ludicrous colours. Her prints find homes on textiles, ceramics, furniture and more. I'm digging her Tribalala series of prints and cushions, inspired by Ndebele wall paintings.
Images via Darkroom, where you can purchase Camille's prints and cushions.
Dispatches from WOW 2012: Digital Tapestries – The tradition of women telling stories and communicating through the arts has gone digital. From 19th century Ndebele women using wall paintings to spread subversive messages to 21st century women around the world using social media!
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Nana Ocran is a London-based writer and editor who specialises in contemporary African culture. Under her belt is the Time Out Group's series of guides to Lagos and Abuja (Nana was Editor-in-Chief) along with consulting gigs for established publications on West African culture for the Danish Film Institute, Arts Council England and the Institute of International Visual Arts. Furthermore, Nana was nominated for CNN's African Journalist of the Year in 2011.
Since Chinua Achebe's passing last Thursday, my Facebook feed has been inundated with great quotes from the inspirational writer. There is a particular statement that I love and that resonates so perfectly with philosophy behind this blog:
"Nobody can teach me who I am. You can describe parts of me, but who I am, and what I need, is something I have to find out myself.”
Chinua Achebe's literary works inspired great book cover designs and this post showcases some of my favourites.
In celebration of the two-year anniversary of our online platform, Afriapps, Asilia gave it a new identity and website makeover! Along with the new-look and responsive and mobile-friendly website design, we've developed the offering as well.
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