These Truly African Handbags Are Taking the Fashion World By Storm!
Fashionistas, we don’t necessarily need to traverse the globe to find fabulously on-trend pieces. While it’s always fun to have brands from far and wide in your wardrobe the truth is that we’ve also got amazing designers right here in Africa that are producing the most incredible pieces. For example, I have recently become beyond obsessed with Ghanaian designer, Akosua Afriyie-Kumi and her label A A K S, a luxury accessories brand that creates unique handcrafted, African-inspired handbags for ladies who love all things bold and vibrant. The great news is that these gorgeous bags are no available online from local retailer www.AdoreThis.co.za so there’s no excuse not to brighten up your wardrobe with an AAKS piece this summer.
If it’s bold and exciting you want then it doesn’t get more colourful or vibrant than AAKS. In keeping with traditional African design, the bags are bright and charismatic but yet still stylish and modern. These aren’t your granny’s craft market bags, they are high-quality works of art. Each bag is handcrafted using traditional methods of weaving with bright exuberant colours and when they’re done the unique pieces scream luxury. Hold one of these little masterpieces in your hands and it will quickly become evident that AAKS pays careful attention to detail when crafting each bag.
Don’t believe me? Then you should know that all the products in the AAKS range are handmade in Ghana using super labour-intensive weaving methods and each bag can take up to a week to weave! There are no machines involved in weaving the bags but instead they are woven in Ghana using a technique that has been passed down through generations in Ghana’s Northern Region. This means that no two bags are the exact same and you can be sure that your AAKS bag is a one-off design piece!
But that’s not all – supporting AAKS also means you are supporting sustainable practices. To ensure a focus on quality and authenticity, AAKS only designs small, capsule collections. This means they are able to only use organically-sourced materials (they only use organic dyes and source raffia locally) and pay their weavers a fair wage for their work. The brand also hopes to help revive and sustain weaving as an art form in Ghanian communities.
The entire AAKS collection is absolutely fabulous but if I had to choose my favourites for summer then it would definitely be the Aré Clutch (R700) and the Manni Noir Tote (R2 000). The colourful red, blue, and turquoise woven Aré clutch with tassel detail, would be the perfect addition to any outfit. It’s the perfect way to add a pop of colour to a little black dress or complement a smart casual outfit for a night out on the town. The black and gold Manni Noir tote bag, with fabric lining and two adjustable shoulder straps, is a great everyday handbag for shopping trips or lunch with the ladies. It’s big enough to carry all your essentials and will match with almost everything in your wardrobe.
AAKS is now available online from AdoreThis – order now and have one, or both of these super fab pieces delivered to your doorstep.
