I truthfully describe myself as a translator by profession and a hand bag and jewelry designer by accident. I literally stumbled my way into both.  I didn’t study fashion design or anything even close but years ago I discovered a certain creativity inside me that was begging to be set free. I initially started with jewelry and when that still didn’t satisfy my creative spirit, I ventured into designing hand bags. Being African, I’ve always been exposed to African fabric and textiles and had always wondered why these beautiful pieces of artwork had remained so under-utilized in the fashion world, although things are changing. So, I decided to experiment by making a bag using African fabric and Italian leather which was a combination that I felt had potential. I made one sample and put it on Etsy. I really didn’t know what I was doing. I just figured I’d give it a try and see what responses I would get. I wasn’t at all expecting the bag to sell. I think I was more focused on actually working through the process of coming up with an idea, transforming it into a tangible product and getting it onto my website to test how people would respond to it. Well, to my utter amazement one of the Etsy staff contacted me asking for precise measurements of the bag and more details. It never even occurred to me to include the bag measurements and other relevant info. She ended up buying that bag which sold for $135.  She sent me a follow up email after she received it saying that not only did she love the bag but that people had been asking her where she had bought it. But what made me truly happy was her comment on quality and how well-made it was. This marked a turning point for me and from then on I decided to just go for it.

I’ve always liked the idea of using fabric to make hand bags. I’m a big fan of hand-woven African textiles. I also wanted to move away from the norm and stereotypes which meant that though I do like leather, I wanted something a little different but still in line with my focus which is African Couture and the quality traditionally associated with Italian leather.  My background as to how I started working in this endeavour is quite industry.  I lived in Poland at the time and when I realized that I actually had a product that people would buy, I contacted a former model turned fashion designer whom I knew (actually she too was an accident as I stumbled my way into meeting her, as well) and asked her to make a few more sample bags for me. I kept one for myself and carried it every single day for a year exposing it to daily wear and tear because I wanted to test its durability and also listen for feedback. Everyone I spoke to commented on how well-made the bag was. One or two who are as fanatical about quality as I am did point out an area or two where the finishing could be improved though they did conclude by saying that the bag passed their quality test quite well. Quality and finishing are more important to me than the visual appeal of the bag, although that too is very important.

I don’t consider myself a fashion designer but I love artwork. The bags and jewelry that I design are the fruit of my interpretation of both the art and the fashion that I see. I don’t actively follow any particular designer nor am I particularly interested in drawing inspiration from fashion trends or the latest outfits that people are wearing. I prefer instead to reflect on what I perceive as art or fashion and to come up with designs that are a consequence of my interpretation, reflection and perspective. For this reason, though I do categorize my work as African Couture, I define it as African Hand Couture Art as my creations rarely line up with the latest trends: actually the opposite.

Years ago when I was still tinkering with the idea of bags, I decided to take what I felt was a bold step to produce a bag based on an actual pattern. My goal was to have a good pattern maker prepare a pattern and then make the sample bag based on her pattern. Thinking I was in good hands, I went to an area that was well-known for catering to the fashion industry. I didn’t know anything about patterns and sample-making but when I saw the finished product and how much I had paid for it (which was quite a lot), I didn’t need anyone to tell me that I had been ripped off. To this day I am still very wary of pattern and sample makers, though I know there are many reputable ones out there. My greatest achievement is that through perseverance, tons of research, hard work, many setbacks and buckets of frustration, I have finally gotten to the point where people are not just complimenting me on my bags and jewelry but actually approaching me and wanting to both buy and promote them. It seems that innate creativity I mentioned earlier has been set free and not only can I breathe easier but now I also feel the sky is the limit.