The Prelude:
Under a huge baobab tree, in a small village in Ghana, a group of local artisan weavers sit as their hands move to the rhythm of the breeze. Using techniques that have been passed down for generations, the colourful piles of locally harvested raffia are weaved into what might one day become your new bag. The beauty of these bags extends beyond their design, as each bag carries the story and spirit of the person who fashioned it. This is the essence of an AAKS product.
AAKS was founded by Akosua Afriyie-Kumi with the intention of fusing contrasting patterns and contemporary (often bold) colours with traditional Ghanaian weaving techniques. An equally fundamental element of their design philosophy is sustainability. This starts with the ecologically harvested raffia from local family farmers in Ghana, then continues with the in-house dying process and finally ends with the jobs that sustain this ancient tradition. Additionally, one shouldn’t forget the left-over raffia from the larger bags, which is then used for smaller items.
The Point:
I discovered AAKS about 2 years ago during one of my ‘online travels’ and immediately fell in love with their bags. The shapes and colours were one of a kind. My plan was to (step 1) buy a bag, and if I liked it, (step 2) reach out to Akosua and ask if I could film/write an article about her brand and see the women weavers in action. There was just one ‘problem’ and it’s not the problem you think: I couldn’t choose what bag to buy. What made it worse was that I could end up buying items ranging from their most recent season to their first season. I know what you're thinking: “why would you buy something from their first season when you could buy something from the most recent?” Well my Style-Trotter friends, because the first season bags were just as cute and “style-relevant” as the most recent one.
Flash-forward 2 years and a million excuses later, and I still hadn’t made it pass step 1. Then about 3 weeks ago, I (finally) concluded that I needed to get my act together. I managed to narrow it down to about 3 bags and then decided to call my sister to help me narrow it down even more. Worst decision of the week. My plea was met with “OMG, have you seen this one?” and “how could you not have chosen that one.” UUUGGGG. To cut a long story short, I ended up cutting a good deal with myself: I bought 2 bags with the condition that if I liked the 2 that I had ordered, then I would buy the one I had removed (Cleary, I have great negotiation skills)
As I write this, I am waiting the arrival of my bags. I realise that I could have (and maybe should have) waited with posting this until after I got my bags so I could do a proper review. However, I feel that I have waited long enough to write about AAKS and wanted to share this unique brand with you. At the same time, I hope that this is story will one day be followed-up with ‘step 2’ of my master plan where I will bring you all along with me to visit the women who make theses bags. Stay tuned!
Below are some of my favourite sustainable pieces from AAKS:
Happy trotting,
xxx
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