NETWORKS OF PRODUCTION: ANGELA URIYO, TANZANIA

This April Adèle Dejak launched the Afri-Love Spring/Summer 2013 collection. The collection was produced for the Italian department store La Rinascente. Production of the collection spread across three countries with Fabric from Uganda, production in Kiambu Kenya and pattern and grading in Tanzania by Angela Uriyo.

Sheba dress available in our outlets in Kenya

Adèle Dejak would like to thank the talented Angela Uriyo who produced the patterns and grading for this collection.

Angela is a member for the International Textile & Apparel Association (ITAA) and trained in apparel product design and analysis at Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University in the U.S.  Although working freelance now Angela has experience working in Africa and the States.

Angela has been a great help for this project and it has been an adventure to produce this collection from across three countries in East Africa.

Thank you Angela!

Nikki Dress, available in our Outlets in Kenya

AFRI-LOVE COLLECTION SPRING/SUMMER 2013

In 2012 Adèle Dejak was lucky enough to meet the Italian Vogue editor Franca Sozzani. Since spending time with Franca in Kampala and Nairobi the brand has been on an incredible journey working closely with Italy and creating awareness for the brand through exhibiting at Vogue talents during Milan fashion week and collaborating with Salvatore Ferragamo on BAGS FOR AFRICA. The latest stage of our journey sees the launch of our first clothing line with one of the best department stores in the world, La Rinascente, Italy.

Founded in 1865 La Rinascente has been a market leader in the fashion world changing the way in which consumers shop. Launching the first clothes line which was ready to wear their innovative approach has placed the store at the forefront of the fashion market. In the 1950s La Rinascente established itself as a catalyst for encouraging international cultural trends and continues to work in this way in 2013.

http://www.rinascente.it

James working on Natasha Dress

Working with international partners is so important to our brand and to African designers more broadly. Part of the challenge facing products and design from Africa is gaining recognition in the international fashion market and showing that beautiful, high quality products can be made in Africa. The majority of our products are hand made in Kiambu on the outskirts of Nairobi by our team of talented artisans including our dresses for La Rinascente. We are proud to know that from April 2013 our products will be seen and worn by international clients.

The capsule collection for spring/summer 2013 is inspired by classic dress design and uses kitenge fabric from Kampala, Uganda. For our first collection we wanted to continue to blend African and European influences as we took designs that originated in Europe and re-styled them using materials and inspiration from East Africa. The production of the collection has crossed borders and nationalities as we worked with people in Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya. As with all our products the complex network of production is an important part of the final design and product. Dresses will be available in La Rinascente Milan in April 2013. Dresses will also be stocked in our outlets in Village Market, Nairobi, Westgate, Nairobi and Lamu, Kenya.

George working on Sheba dress

Douglas working on Grace dress

Produced in the run-up to the 2013 Kenyan elections, the collection for La Rinascente comes with its own unique history as we worked long and hard all the time hoping for a peaceful election to restore faith in Kenya and celebrate the success and potential of the country. As the final buttons were being sewn on, the labels attached and the boxes were packed we closed down the workshop. Sitting and waiting to be sent with love from Kenya to Italy our dresses neatly packed in their boxes for La Rinascente waited while the country voted. Many Kenyans waited for hours in the sun to cast their vote and hope for an outcome which would move the country forward. After days of waiting for votes to be counted, machines to be fixed and disputes to be resolved the country heard on Saturday 9th March that Uhuru Kenyatta would be the next president of Kenya, 5 days after the votes had been cast. Business started moving slowly again and the roads began to weigh heavy with the mass of cars, matatus and lorries which make up the permanent rush hour in Nairobi. And the clothes were sent.

James, Fred and George sewing buttons onto Njeri dresses

Key players in this collection, from left to right: Grace, Fred, Esther, George, Morine and James

Words by Emma Cavendish

For more information please contact info@Adèledejak.com

In the interests of being conscious of the impact our business has on our environment, the Adele Dejak brand now works primarily with reclaimed Ankole cow horn (as well as hide, brass, ostrich egg shells, Teak wood, Mugavu wood and Bakuba cloth). We use only the best horn and each piece goes through strict quality control assessing attributes such as strength, colour and pattern.

Image above: The Ankole cow horn arrives at the workshop in its raw form.

It is then transformed by the artisans.

The process can be quite labour intensive and requires specialist knowledge regarding operating machinery.

The final products include cuffs and bracelets …

… rings

(who doesn’t love a touch of embellishment?)

… necklaces (as well as earrings and bag fittings).

Each piece is made by hand and the care and attention involved is evident in the final beauty of the products.

Apart from our own fantastic team, we work with a wide network of artisans outside our workshop who create parts of our products which are then assembled in-house. The evolution of the Adele Dejak style has been facilitated by a team that adjusts quickly to new materials, collections and challenges. Adele herself works closely with all the artisans to master her knowledge of the limits and flexibility of horn and the other materials that we use.

What are your favourite pieces incorporating horn?

Other posts you’ll enjoy:

• Inside Our Workshop: The Making of a Fashion Accessories Collection: Horn, Part II
• Behind The Scenes At Our Rogo Collection Photoshoot (includes a video!)
• Show Your Metal With Our Aluminium Jewellery

Here are a few pieces from our collection that we think the Lady would rock:

Above: Remi horn bracelets

Kami cuff bracelet

Ro-Njeri choker paired with Ro-Samaki pendant (latter available in different sizes)

Angelina bag, available online in Kitenge or Hide

Lady Gaga photos from top: 1, 2, 3, 4

Other posts you may enjoy:

• - Freedom through Fashion: Inspiration and Tips on Liberating your Style

• - Style Icons We’d Love to Adorn: Erykah Badu

• - Back to Black: In Memory of Amy Winehouse

BAGS FOR AFRICA is a charity initiative formed by the national chamber of Italian fashion, Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, and promoted by COOPI, an Italian NGO. BAGS FOR AFRICA supports development projects that champion women’s rights and the empowerment of local communities in Africa.

In support of the third edition of the BAGS FOR AFRICA auction, we had the great honour of collaborating with the prestigious Salvatore Ferragamo brand (and its creative director Massimiliano Giornetti), to create a special limited edition of the iconic Sofia bag. Only 6 pieces were made and proceeds from sales are going to help fund a project entitled “D as in development: the future of Africa is Woman”, designed to promote property and education rights for women in Sierra Leone.

Extra off-cuts of the leather were sent from Italy. Our beaders were awestruck when the DHL package arrived – they had never seen such beautiful and extremely soft leather! They were initially apprehensive about touching it and they practiced for a week on the off-cuts to get used to working on such soft material.

The final designs:

This has to be one of our most exciting collaborations yet! Most importantly, we must thank Vogue Italia editor, Franca Sozzani, for the introduction that made all of this possible.

Check out some of the other BAGS FOR AFRICA on the Vogue Italia or COOPI site.

Other posts you may enjoy:

• Africa-Forward: Second Visit to Kakuma Refugee Camp
• Africa-Forward: Trip to Wawoto Kacel in Gulu, Uganda
• Our Collaborators: Photojournalist Damiano Rossi 

Sabahar produces beautiful, contemporary textiles for the global market while providing sustainable, respectful and fair employment to Ethiopian artisans. It is the only outfit in Ethiopia that produces its own silk. The silk works were scary but beautiful.

Adele and Kathy

View more photos on our Facebook page

Related posts:

• Trip to Rwanda
• Lamu inspiration
• Trip to Wawoto Kacel in Gulu, Uganda

Image above: Aluminium jewellery. Model: Naomi Lievens @ Models Office

Bag: Ginger Hide (available online and in different materials). Model: Zoë Buelens @ IMM

Related posts:

• Behind the Scenes at our Online Shop Photoshoot
• VIDEO: Behind the Scenes at our Rogo Collection Photoshoot
• Ggaba Fish Market: Inspiration behind the Rogo Collection Photoshoot

Here are a few of the exquisite pieces from the collection that includes jewellery, bags and our very first iPad cases. These are already available to purchase at our Nairobi outlets and will be available in our online shop from 15th December. Enjoy and let us know what you think.

Similar posts:

• A Marriage of Style and Substance – The Rogo Collection
• A Taste of What to Expect at our Afri-Love Launch
• Introducing the Adele Dejak Ready-to-Wear Collection: Afri-Love

We were really honoured to be one of 16 highly respected designers/design companies from 10 countries from East, West and Southern Africa. We spent 5 days sharing our work, plans, goals and knowledge as well as working with notable facilitators to reposition globally, our individual businesses and African design as a whole.

The Tekura Design Workshop

A piece by Marjorie Wallace

Work by Kpando Pottery (left) and Imiso (right)

Dokter and Misses

Lighting by Heath Nash

Chair by Diallo Design

Our fellow members include Nulangee Design (furniture), Le Ndomo (textiles), Diallo Design (furniture and product design), Dokter and Misses (furniture, lighting and product design), Gone Rural (décor products),  Hamed Design International (furniture), Heath Nash (lighting design), Imiso (ceramics), Kitengela Hot Glass (product design), Kpando Pottery (pottery), Marjorie Wallace (ceramics), Mutuba (fashion and home accessories), Ronel Jordaan (textiles), Sabahar (textiles) and Tekura (furniture).

Adele of course thoroughly enjoyed visiting Ghanaian markets during her trip!

Shopping!

Check out more photos from the trip on Facebook.

Top image: Furniture by Hamed Design International

Related posts:

• Good Business Through Good Design: Our Trip to Design Network Africa
• Good Company: Our Fellow African Designers at Rhythms of Africa in Milan
• Made in Africa: Gahaya Links

Our lovely team at a previous Biz Baz event

Christmas is coming! Sure it’s about 2 months away but people are getting into the festive mood already. As you plan your activities for the season, let us help you sort out your gifts (including treats for yourself!) at a couple of Nairobi’s top Christmas fairs.

XmasBoX and the Bizarre Bazaar (Biz Baz) Christmas Fair are back. This year both events will be taking place on the same weekend: Friday 16th November through to Sunday 18th. So whether Karen is more convenient for you or Karura Forest – come check out our stalls and say hello.

More information on XmasBoX here
More information on Bizarre Bazaar here