African-inspired prints are perfect for summer. Mix them all together or make a statement with one bold piece.

African-inspired prints are a trend that’s been around for a while, but we think it deserves some attention since it’s so perfect for summer. Be daring and mix your prints, there’s no such thing as too much – anything goes with this trend. You can even wear all these picks together if you want to. Support sustainable development in Africa by ensuring that you buy pieces that are made by local artisans who make a fair living wage.

ASOS Africa Bra Top in Rhino Print
A quirkier take on the print trend, this handcrafted stretch bra top features a cute hand-drawn rhino print in poppy greens and oranges. The ASOS Africa collection looks to traditional East African fabrics and prints and reworks them with a modern sporty aesthetic in a punchy acid color palette. It’s produced in collaboration with several small communities in Africa, enabling them to earn a sustainable living through their craftsmanship.
$41, ASOS

Light Gives Heat Bold Moss Pearl Necklace
This necklace is the perfect complement to your African prints. It’s hand-crafted by the Suubi women in Uganda from beads made from recycled paper. By making and selling these beaded necklaces, these women are able to make a living wage, helping them create better lives for their families.
$20, Light Gives Heat

Della Treasure Hunt MacBook Case
Since you’re looking all stylish, your computer should too, right? Dress your MacBook up in this fun, protective case from Della. It’s 100% vegan, made from sustainable materials, lined with local Ghanaian fabric, and thinly padded for protection.
$38, Della

Doreen African Print Peplum Top
The ultimate convergence of two trends – print and peplum – this African print peplum top is one-of-a-kind and handmade in New York. Made from 100% cotton blue printed fabric with gold detailing it works really well with a pair of skinny jeans.
$35, Ann Jodes/Etsy

Wrapped Bangles by Mikuti
Mikuti‘s original banana bark bracelets have been all dressed up with local Tanzania wax fabric. Made using a unique wrapping technique, the vibrant colors of the fabric enhance the natural earth tones of the bark, creating gorgeous printed bangles that are surprisingly versatile. They come in stacks of three and should really be worn together.
$68, Mikuti

AFIA Staple Skirt in Neon
AFIA’s bright, colorful staple skirt is the perfect summer piece. It’s easy to dress up or down, but always makes a statement. It’s made from handpicked cotton wax fabric from the markets of Accra and hand-sewn by cooperatives in Ghana who are paid a fair wage for their craft.
$100, AFIA

The post On Trend: African Prints appeared first on EcoSalon.

ColumnFor fashion label Mikuti, it’s a family affair.

Bombarded with beautiful beaded bangles, there’s an inexplicable awe that comes through observing the brilliant outcome of a designer’s process. Sifting through images from designer Erika Freud – the creative behind breakout accessory label Mikuti – on her most recent journey in East Africa, was like living inside a rainbow. Sourcing materials and producing Mikuti’s adornments through cooperation with artisans in Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda, Freud has an eye for the standout colors and designs that make a statement.

Growing up in a family of culinary artists, that also held an interest in designing homes and gardens, Freud has creativity flowing through her veins. After spending 3 months in Tanzania with a small group who were working on some economic development projects, Freud and her team realized there was a way to create a bracelet out of banana bark.

“When I saw there was a potential market for it, as well as an opportunity to create jobs for the individuals I was working with and possibly myself, I ran with the idea of starting a company,” Freud tells EcoSalon.

In a few short years since Freud began her business endeavor, Mikuti has quickly become an attention-grabbing accessory brand for fresh fashion designers. Labels such as Mara Hoffman, AFIA, and ChiChia London, have all embraced Mikuti’s bangles as an enhancement for their recent lookbooks and runway events. What do they all have in common? None of them seem to be the least bit intimidated to throw blasts of color and print into their collections.

When Freud journeys to East Africa from her NYC home, she lives her every moment abroad to the fullest. Working on several collections on the same trip, Freud is developing two small, limited edition summer collections focused on color trends – Neons & Neutrals and For The Love Of Fuchsia. “I love color, especially these. It’s a small, fun collection that I think everyone will really like,” Freud says.

The limited number of summer pieces are being created in Kenya from recycled aluminum and beads. “I’ve worked with both materials before, so since I’m familiar with it, it’s made it easy for me to develop new ideas around it,” Freud says.

Working with talented artisans has influenced the creation process for Mikuti. Freud tells EcoSalon about how her beader is a standout individual. “She’s incredibly skilled and really knows how to execute my ideas. Whether it’s going bead shopping or going over color combinations, I genuinely enjoy her. Plus, she has a lot of good ideas for future possible designs. I think creativity breeds creativity. Once you get going with someone, the ideas just start to flow.”

Freud was definitely fed creativity at home growing up, and that knack for imaginative resourcefulness has only evolved in a collaborative relationship with her father. As Freud does the majority of her framework designing in the U.S., having “samples” to share with the artisans abroad can be key.

“By trade, my dad is a highly skilled builder and designer. The week before my trip, my father and I sat together in the garage many nights, cutting pieces of wood from my drawings for me to use as molds,” she explains.

These wood carvings are an ideal way to relay the design direction and aesthetic to her collaborators abroad. Having now worked in East Africa for about 3 years, Freud is quite methodical on how to communicate her ideas. The process begins with a pattern that she sketches. Then, her father creates a model of her design using thin plywood. Freud explains, “I do this because it helps me see the actual size and feel of something and let’s me imagine it to a point in my mind.”

When she travels to East Africa, she brings all of her plywood pieces and shows them to the artisan she has been working with. “He then creates it with whatever metal I choose and together, we fine-tune it. Sometimes this happens in one try, other times it takes 5 tries. It depends on the complexity of the piece. I really value his opinion and genuinely enjoy the collaborative experience we have,” Freud says.

In addition to the fabulous fuchsia and neon/neutral pieces for summer, Freud is also producing her Fall/Winter collection along this journey in East Africa. Inspired by Native American culture, Freud visited an array of museums and exhibits, while extensively researching traditional Native American dress and adornments over the past months.

“There’s something about old cultures and traditions I’m very drawn to. I like learning about them and then taking things from them to create a piece of jewelry. I recall visiting the Native American Museum in Washington, DC to do some research, where I was in awe of all the different shapes of arrowheads exhibited. I also loved looking at the totem poles and pulling ideas from them,” Freud explains.

Mikuti’s Fall/Winter collection has a material focus of horn and brass, sourced from Kenya and Uganda. Having never worked with either of these materials, Freud has found it exceptionally helpful having worked previously with this artisan in Kenya.

“He’s highly skilled and I enjoy working with him through the product development phase. He excels at taking my drawings and seeing them to fruition,” Freud says.
For the horn pieces, Freud is working with a few different artisans in the Kampala region of Uganda. An agribusiness byproduct, the horn Mikuti features is recycled from local butcheries. For Freud, venturing into Uganda has been a new opportunity to integrate “another sustainable, eco-friendly angle and to work in a new region and support the local artisans.”

Continuously melding innovative angles into her designs, Freud’s creations have depth. She expresses an inspired enjoyment in learning about the spirituality woven into Native American culture.

“Like many old cultures, jewelry played a role in this. So, a lot of my ideas were formed around their spirituality and I tried to bring that to each of my pieces,” she says.
Emotionally, Freud is excited about her upcoming Fall/Winter collection.

“I’ve really stepped out of my comfort zone and feel as though this collection brings everything full circle.”

While many aspects of Freud’s supply chain and design inspirations may have come full circle for her, it seems Mikuti’s distinct presence on the fashion circuit has only just begun.

The post THREADED: Mikuti’s Eye Candy Harbors A Sweet Story appeared first on EcoSalon.