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Fashion Accessories
MMA Aso Oke Leather Crossbody
The MMA Bag by Modestmadeit is a beautifully handcrafted accessory that brings together premium Guinea leather and traditional Nigerian Aso Oke cotton fabric. This unique heritage bag is more than just an accessory — it is a story of craftsmanship, culture, and timeless design. The full-grain leather forms a robust foundation that develops a unique patina over time, becoming distinctly yours with every journey. The Aso Oke fabric, traditionally handwoven on narrow-strip looms in Nigeria, features intricate geometric patterns that often symbolise unity, loyalty, and wisdom. Together, these materials create a bag that honours artisanal heritage while delivering modern functionality. Available in medium and small sizes, the MMA Bag features detachable handles that allow it to transform between a crossbody bag and a handheld clutch. This versatile design makes it perfect for everyday use, cultural events, and special occasions. Ideal for fashion-forward individuals who appreciate authentic African craftsmanship, sustainable materials, and accessories with a meaningful story behind them.
£35.00Sold by Modestmadeit • Lagos
Arts
Stuck Mixed Media Painting
STUCK captures the quiet confusion that comes from too many competing voices rather than a lack of options. The figure is suspended between culture, society, and personal truth pressures that speak loudly enough to drown out the self. This state of being stuck is subtle: constant thinking without movement, awareness without clarity, and the tension of knowing something is wrong but not knowing what to change. The work reflects how mental health struggles often begin with confusion questioning whether emotions are weakness, fear, exhaustion, or growth while cultural expectations about success, strength, and identity continue to weigh heavily. STUCK represents an internal pause: the moment self-awareness begins but direction has not yet formed. It is not a story of failure, but of recognition giving visibility to those trying to understand themselves in a world that insists on defining them.
£80.00£106.00Sold by CreativeThony • Lagos state
Arts
Nature's Embrace Acrylic Painting
Nature's Embrace is an original acrylic painting on canvas by Nigerian artist Alogiartz, measuring 51cm by 53cm and signed in 2025. This beautiful nature-inspired contemporary African artwork celebrates the harmonious relationship between humanity and the natural world. Through rich acrylic colours and expressive brushwork, the artist captures the warmth, vitality, and gentle power of nature's embrace. The painting invites viewers to pause and reconnect with the natural beauty that surrounds us, making it an uplifting and grounding addition to any living space. At a perfectly sized 51 by 53cm, this original artwork fits beautifully in living rooms, bedrooms, hallways, and office spaces without overwhelming the room. The warm, organic tones and flowing composition create a sense of calm and balance. Ideal for collectors of contemporary African art, nature lovers, and anyone seeking authentic original artwork that brings the outdoors in. A signed, one-of-a-kind piece that makes a thoughtful gift or a stunning personal collection addition.
£800.00£1,000.00Sold by Alogiartz • Lagos
Fashion Accessories
Kunle Leather Tassel Loafers
Kunle Leather Tassel Loafers, handmade for men in premium tan top-grain leather. Refined, timeless, and effortlessly sophisticated — the Snugfeet 'KUNLE' Tassel Loafers for Men are handcrafted from premium top grain leather, designed for the modern man who values quality, comfort, and understated luxury. The rich tan leather upper is complemented by contrasting dark brown hand-finished edges, creating a distinctive two-tone detail that elevates the overall look. Finished with classic leather tassels, these loafers deliver a perfect balance between traditional craftsmanship and modern elegance. Whether paired with tailored trousers, chinos, or denim, these loafers add instant polish to any outfit.
£70.00Sold by SNUGFEET INTERNATIONAL • Lagos
Arts
Seeker Linocut Acrylic Canvas
Seeker is an original reduction linocut and acrylic painting on canvas by Nigerian artist Tosin Oyeniyi. This captivating contemporary African artwork embodies the universal human drive to search for meaning, purpose, and truth. Through the distinctive combination of reduction linocut printmaking and hand-painted acrylic layers, the artist creates a rich, textured composition that rewards close inspection. The reduction linocut process is an irreversible technique where each colour layer is carved from a single block, making every piece truly unique and impossible to replicate. This artistic approach, combined with expressive acrylic brushwork, gives Seeker its remarkable depth and visual complexity. The piece invites contemplation and connects with viewers on an emotional level, making it ideal for spaces that benefit from thought-provoking, meaningful art. A must-have for collectors of original African art, printmaking enthusiasts, and galleries seeking authentic contemporary Nigerian artwork with both technical excellence and emotional resonance.
£800.00Sold by Tosin Oyeniyi Arts • Oyo
Fashion
Regal Dashiki Ankara Shirt
Regal Dashiki Ankara Shirt with Aso Oke accents, a unisex African top for weddings. Step into timeless elegance with The Regal Dashiki, a bold celebration of African tradition fused with contemporary style. This dashiki features a vibrant mix of fabrics, including luxurious Asooke-inspired accents, thoughtfully incorporated to give it a modern, regal touch. The combination of textures, handed kneading neckline and patterns creates a look that is unique, stylish, and unmistakably African. • Fabric & Material: Made with high-quality, breathable materials. The dashiki features durable, vivid prints complemented by Asooke-style accents on the pockets and kneading neckline detailing for a touch of sophistication. • Design & Fit: A relaxed yet tailored fit ensures comfort while maintaining a sharp, distinguished silhouette. • Neckline & Sleeves: Classic round kneaded and slit neckline and well-fitted sleeves balance comfort with elegance. • Hem & Length: The hem is carefully designed to fall mid-thigh to knee length, giving a regal, flowing appearance. • Cultural Heritage: Every detail reflects African craftsmanship, blending traditional patterns with modern design to honor heritage while keeping it contemporary. • Versatility: Perfect for weddings, cultural events, church, parties, or casual outings. Pair with matching trousers or jeans for a standout look. With The Regal Dashiki, you’re not just wearing clothing, you’re expressing culture, style, and confidence, all in one statement piece. Can be worn by both genders.
£40.00Sold by PRINCESSCHI TREND LTD • Lagos
Arts
Beaded Lady Mixed Media Portrait
Beaded Lady Mixed Media Portrait, an original 40 x 50 cm beaded African artwork. This piece is a captivating artwork intricately crafted with beads, portraying a sophisticated woman whose poise and elegance shine through the textured medium. The meticulous arrangement of beads brings her features to life, with her expressive eyes and serene demeanor exuding confidence. (40 x 50cm) Framing and shipping incurs extra cost
£250.00Sold by FAJ Abstraction • Abuja
Arts
Star-Struck Oil Painting
Star-Struck is an original oil painting on canvas by Nigerian artist Muktar Yusuf, measuring 80cm by 89cm and created in 2025. This inspirational contemporary African artwork carries a powerful message of hope — that even in life's darkest and most challenging moments, a single star shines magnificently bright to guide us through. The rich oil medium brings depth, luminosity, and emotional weight to the composition. The interplay of light and shadow creates a dramatic atmosphere that perfectly conveys the tension between darkness and the radiant hope that pierces through it. Every brushstroke is intentional, building a visual narrative of resilience and faith. This original painting is ideal for collectors of inspirational African art, galleries, and anyone seeking meaningful artwork that uplifts and encourages. A striking statement piece for living rooms, offices, churches, and spaces that benefit from art with a powerful, positive message. One-of-a-kind, signed, and ready to transform any space.
£350.00£400.00Sold by Muktar Yusuf Art • Lagos
Arts
Allure of the Shore Seascape Art
Allure of the Shore is a serene original acrylic seascape painting on canvas by ArtDigger Gallery, measuring 22 inches by 39 inches. This beautiful coastal artwork captures the magnetic beauty of an African shoreline through soft gradients of sand and sky, rhythmic ocean waves, and delicate details that evoke feelings of peace, nostalgia, and contemplation. This contemporary African painting goes beyond depicting a physical landscape — it invites the viewer into an emotional experience. The shore becomes a metaphor for memory, healing, and reflection. Warm, natural tones and gentle brushwork create a calming atmosphere that brings tranquility to any space. Whether you see it as a place of escape or a mirror of your own journey, this artwork resonates on a deeply personal level. Allure of the Shore is perfect for collectors, coastal art enthusiasts, and anyone looking to bring the soothing energy of the African coast into their home, office, or gallery. Each piece from ArtDigger Gallery is a unique, one-of-a-kind creation by a talented Nigerian artist.
£350.00Sold by ArtDigger gallery • Lagos
Arts
Cinderella III Oil Painting
Cinderella III is the final piece in a captivating three-painting series by Nigerian artist Muktar Yusuf, measuring 70cm by 80cm in oil on canvas, created in 2024. The Cinderella Series tells the inspiring story of a girl child's journey from innocence to empowerment — from a que sera sera moment of wondering what life holds, to growing into an elegant, beautiful woman who has conquered all obstacles and stands firm with hope. This third instalment represents the culmination of that journey — triumph, grace, and unwavering strength. The rich oil colours and expressive portraiture capture both the beauty and resilience of African womanhood, making this piece a powerful celebration of female empowerment and personal growth. As part of a collectible three-painting series, Cinderella III can stand beautifully on its own or be displayed alongside Cinderella I and II for a stunning narrative triptych. Perfect for collectors of African women's empowerment art, galleries, and spaces that celebrate feminine strength, beauty, and hope.
£300.00£350.00Sold by Muktar Yusuf Art • Lagos
Arts
Anxiety Cometh Not Oil Painting
Anxiety Cometh (Not) is a large-scale original oil painting on canvas by Nigerian artist Muktar Yusuf, measuring 4 feet by 3 feet and created in 2025. This deeply moving contemporary African artwork addresses the raw reality of mental health struggles, exploring the hollow state that anxiety and emotional exhaustion can create when life's challenges become overwhelming. Through powerful imagery and rich oil colours, the artist captures the tension between despair and the enduring promise of hope. The painting speaks to the universal experience of feeling crushed by circumstance yet finding that only hope can bring warmth and life back to a cold, lifeless state of being. The large canvas format gives this piece commanding presence, making it impossible to ignore in any space. The emotional depth and technical mastery combine to create an artwork that resonates on a profoundly personal level. Perfect for collectors of meaningful contemporary African art, mental health advocates, galleries, and spaces that value art with a purpose. A powerful conversation-starting piece that brings awareness to mental health while celebrating the triumph of hope over anxiety.
£450.00£480.00Sold by Muktar Yusuf Art • Lagos
Arts
Embrace Beauty VI Abstract Art
Embrace Beauty Series VI is a vibrant original semi-abstract painting by Loje Art that celebrates self-love, inner beauty, and the uniqueness of every individual. This uplifting contemporary African artwork carries a powerful message — we are all beautiful in our own way, and no one can appreciate us more than ourselves. Created with rich, expressive colours and bold semi-abstract forms, this painting brings warmth, positivity, and emotional depth to any space. The artwork is ready to hang and made with materials that are completely safe for homes with children, making it a wonderful addition to living rooms, bedrooms, nurseries, or office spaces. This original painting by a talented African artist is perfect for art collectors, home decorators, and anyone seeking meaningful artwork that inspires confidence and self-acceptance. Each piece in the Embrace Beauty Series is a unique celebration of human diversity and the power of embracing who you truly are. A thoughtful gift for loved ones or a beautiful statement piece for your own collection.
£360.00£370.00Sold by Loje art • Lagos nigeria
Arts
Crown of Pearls Beaded Artwork
Crown of Pearls Beaded Artwork, an original 50 x 60 cm African canvas piece. This piece represents self-empowerment and self-love, where the individual crowns themselves with the pearls of their own worth and value (50 x 60cm) Framing and shipping incurs extra cost
£155.00Sold by FAJ Abstraction • Abuja
Fashion
Green & Gold Ankara Blazer Dress - Made to Measure
A tailored Ankara blazer dress in green and gold African print, cut to your own measurements. Above the knee, long sleeves, lapel collar. This is African print built for a room where you have to be taken seriously. The blazer construction does the work: a sharp lapel, a defined shoulder and a clean line through the waist, so the print reads as deliberate rather than loud. It is the difference between wearing Ankara and wearing a suit that happens to be Ankara. The cloth is a gold ground crossed with bands of bright green, with small blocks of pink and lilac set inside the bands and a visible weave to the surface. It is warmer and busier than a thumbnail suggests, and that is the point. It photographs well and it holds its colour under office lighting, which is where most print dresses fall down. Where it works: the office, church, a conference, a graduation, a registry wedding, a product launch or a shoot. Anywhere you want to be the most composed person in the room without defaulting to black. Style it the way it is shot: a plain court shoe and one good gold chain. The dress carries the pattern, so the jewellery only has to pick up the gold in the cloth rather than compete with it. Sizing and fit: there is no size chart here, because there are no sizes. You send six measurements at checkout, each with a short guide on how to take it, and the dress is cut to those numbers rather than made in a standard size and taken in afterwards. That is why it holds its line through the shoulder and the waist, which is the part an off-the-peg blazer almost always gets wrong. Each dress is cut from a length of Ankara by hand, so the exact placement of the print across the panels varies from one piece to the next. No two are identical. Care: cold hand wash or a gentle machine cycle inside out, hang to dry out of direct sun, and press on a low heat on the reverse to keep the print sharp.
£33.50Sold by Eden Rivers Clothings • Nigeria
Fashion
Naya Shorts Co-ord Set
The Naya set is a stylish women’s two-piece co-ord designed with a sleeveless top and matching shorts. Light, easy to style, and made for confident dressing, this set is perfect for warm days, holidays, casual outings, brunches, and relaxed day-to-evening looks. Wear the full set together for a polished matching outfit, or style each piece separately for more wardrobe options. The sleeveless top can be paired with jeans, skirts, or trousers, while the shorts can be styled with a simple blouse, vest, or statement top. With custom tailoring available, the Naya set is a great choice for women looking for a personalised fit, a stylish summer two-piece outfit, a handmade shorts set, or a versatile women’s co-ord.
£53.99Sold by Azalia • Fct
Arts
OMU | Large Original African Woman Painting, 4 x 6 ft Framed
My face has seen the smiles. My back has seen the truth. This back has carried more than my face ever has. That is where OMU came from. She stands turned away from you and the wall behind her breaks open into colour. She is for anyone who has been talked about, underestimated, rejected or hurt behind their back, and who is still standing. At 4 by 6 feet she is not a piece you hang and forget. She holds a wall on her own. About this piece Medium: original acrylic on canvas Frame: black floating frame, included Size: 4 ft x 6 ft framed, approximately 122 cm x 183 cm Edition: original, one of one. This is not a print Care: dust gently with a dry cloth and keep out of direct sunlight Commissions The artist takes commissions. Message the seller if you would like a piece in this spirit made for your own space.
£225.00£280.00Sold by Anniexcraft • Imo
Arts
African Batik Wall Hanging | Handmade Village Scene Textile Art
A village scene in wax resist dye on cotton, made by hand in Mozambique. Figures carry pots across a yellow ground, drawn in the long limbed style of the region. The fine veining you can see running through the colour comes from the batik process itself. Wax is laid down, the cloth is dyed, the wax is cracked on purpose, then dyed again. Those cracks are the reason no two panels are ever the same, and the reason this one cannot be repeated. Hang it on its own, or collect several and hang them in a row so the scenes read as a sequence. It also works mounted on backing fabric, stretched over a frame, or set under glass. Details Technique: wax resist batik, hand dyed Fabric: cotton Size: 19 cm wide x 28 cm high Made by hand in Mozambique One of a kind. There is one of these and there will not be another Every order includes a small surprise freebie Care Do not wet. Do not bleach. Keep out of direct sunlight so the dyes hold their depth.
£35.00Sold by Mozambique Crafts • Mozambique
Fashion Accessories
Orange Maasai Beaded Necklace, Bracelets & Earrings Set
A five piece Maasai beaded set on bright orange, blocked with turquoise, blue, red, green and white against black. Necklace, three bracelets and earrings. Includes one multi strand collar necklace, three matching bracelets and one pair of drop earrings. Orange is the only warm ground in this range. Everything else is built on black, white, navy or green, and those are all colours that sit back. Orange comes forward. It reads as sunlight rather than as formalwear, and it lifts a face instead of framing it. The colour is blocked here rather than banded. Squares of turquoise, royal blue, red, green and white are stacked across the strands and separated by black, so the pattern reads as a chequer laid over the orange rather than as stripes running round it. The blocks stagger slightly from strand to strand, which is what stops a piece this bright from looking printed. It does its best work on plain and warm: cream, tan, brown, white, denim, or a wrapper cut in a single colour. Against hard black it fights rather than sits, so if black is most of your wardrobe the navy set is the better buy. The necklace is worked in multiple beaded strands and fastens at the back with a gold tone clasp and a short extender chain, so you can set it high on the collarbone or let it drop. The bracelets and earrings carry the same blocks in the same order, which is what makes five separate pieces read as one set. Wear the necklace with a single bracelet for everyday, or all five pieces when you want the full effect. Strung and bound by hand in Kiambu. Each block is counted out bead by bead, so no two sets line up identically and none of them match the photographs exactly. Care: keep away from perfume, lotion and water, all of which dull the beads and weaken the cord. Store the necklace flat or hanging rather than folded into a box so the strands do not tangle, and wipe with a dry soft cloth after wearing.
£40.00£45.00Sold by The Craft Experts • Kiambu
Arts
Before We Learned to Worry | Original African Portrait Painting
Before we learned to worry, happiness was not a performance. There was a time when joy did not have to be earned, and an open heart was never too much. We ran because our legs could carry us, not because we were running from something. We laughed and we loved without bracing for disappointment. This portrait sits with that loss. It looks at the crossing from a carefree childhood into the complicated business of being an adult, and it quietly mourns the version of ourselves that existed before fear and anxiety became daily company. The face is built from hand painted blocks of colour, a pixel mosaic that only resolves into a girl once you step back, the way memory does. About this piece Medium: acrylic paint on hand cut oval canvas Subject: portrait of a young African girl, contemporary African art Size: 20.32 cm W x 30.48 cm H x 2.54 cm D (8 x 12 x 1 inches) Series: one of six original works from the Kilomode Mo miniature series Edition: original, one of one. This is not a print or a reproduction Care: dust gently with a dry cloth and keep out of direct sunlight
£150.00Sold by Rewa Aesthetics • Oyo state
Arts
The Last Time It Felt Like Home | Small Original African Painting
The last time it felt like home. Childhood was the last time life felt like home, a place safe enough to exist in without pretending. This piece is my quiet grief for growing older. I watched myself change, leaving fragments of my childhood behind with each passing day while carrying the ache of everything I was becoming. It caught me in the middle of a lifelong search for the emotional home we unknowingly left behind. A place where we once felt whole, safe, and free enough to simply exist. Her face is built from hand painted blocks of coral and blue, a pixel mosaic that only settles into a girl once you step back. About this piece Medium: acrylic paint on hand cut oval canvas Subject: portrait of a young African girl, contemporary African art Size: 20.32 cm W x 30.48 cm H x 2.54 cm D (8 x 12 x 1 inches) Series: one of six original works from the Kilomode Mo miniature series Edition: original, one of one. This is not a print or a reproduction Care: dust gently with a dry cloth and keep out of direct sunlight
£150.00Sold by Rewa Aesthetics • Oyo state
Fashion Accessories
Garland Crochet Slides - Beaded Flower Slippers
Handmade crochet slides with a strap of small flowers, each one centred with a faux pearl, set on a leather footbed. EU 36 to 44, made to order. The strap is a garland, which is where the name comes from. A row of crochet petals worked flower by flower, every one finished with a pearl at its centre, and a single smaller flower sitting on the toe ring. It is quiet work rather than loud, which is the whole point of them. Five colours: black, white, red, brown, or custom. Custom means what it says. Tell us the colour you want the twine crocheted in and the pair is made in that colour, which is how these end up matching a wedding party or an outfit nobody else is wearing. The white pair with pearls is a bridal shoe, and it solves a real problem. Something to change into at the reception that still looks like it belongs at the wedding, and what the bridesmaids ask for once it becomes clear the heels are not going to survive the day. Acrylic twine crocheted by hand over a leather footbed. They are made deliberately snug and they ease into shape with wear, so expect them to feel firm on the first day rather than loose. Made to order in EU 36 to 44 by a team of artisans led by Temiloluwa Paul, the founder of Somethin' Nice. Dispatch runs two to four weeks because every pair is crocheted from scratch once you order, not pulled off a shelf. Care: keep the crochet dry and spot clean with a damp cloth rather than washing them. Store them flat so the strap holds its shape, and if they do get wet, let them dry naturally away from direct heat.
£25.00Sold by Somethin' Nice • Nigeria
Fashion Accessories
It-Girl Crystal Beaded Slides - Crochet Slippers
Crochet slides with a wide band covered in glass crystal and seed beads, on a leather insole. EU 36 to 44 in five colours, made to order. Somethin' Nice's best seller. Where the Garland pair is quiet, this one is not. The band is a solid panel of glass crystal and seed beads worked over the crochet, packed close enough that no yarn shows through, so the whole strap moves and catches light as you walk. This is the pair they sell most of, and the reason is the wide single band. No toe post and nothing between the toes, so they go on in one motion, and they suit a foot that a thong strap rubs. Evening rather than daytime. Beaded black against a plain dress does the work of a heel without the walk home afterwards. They carry a reception, a dinner, an owambe, or any long night where the shoes have to last as long as you do. Five colours: black, white, red, brown, or custom. Custom means you name the shade and the pair is crocheted in it, which is how these end up matched to one specific outfit or to a whole wedding party. Acrylic yarn crocheted by hand, glass crystal and glass seed beads sewn on by hand, leather insole. They are made deliberately snug and ease into shape with wear, so expect them to feel firm on the first day rather than loose. Made to order in EU 36 to 44 by a team of artisans led by Temiloluwa Paul, founder of Somethin' Nice. Dispatch runs two to four weeks because every pair is crocheted and beaded from scratch once you order. Care: the beads are sewn rather than glued, but they will snag on rough fabric, so keep them clear of knitwear and store them flat. Spot clean with a damp cloth rather than washing, and let them dry naturally away from direct heat.
£30.00Sold by Somethin' Nice • Nigeria
Arts
The Child I Left Behind | African Child Portrait Art on Canvas
The child I left behind. Growing up is inevitable. The stranger thing I did was leave the child in me uncared for. This piece looks at the pursuit of maturity and the child I sacrificed for it. It asks me why I hardened my heart just to prove a point, and it catches me mid thought, wishing I could go back and smile that broadly again, to wonder, to play, to hope in the purest form of innocence. Her face is built from hand painted blocks of green and ochre, a pixel mosaic that only settles into a child once you step back. About this piece Medium: acrylic paint on hand cut oval canvas Subject: portrait of a young African child, contemporary African art Size: 20.32 cm W x 30.48 cm H x 2.54 cm D (8 x 12 x 1 inches) Series: one of six original works from the Kilomode Mo miniature series Edition: original, one of one. This is not a print or a reproduction Care: dust gently with a dry cloth and keep out of direct sunlight
£150.00Sold by Rewa Aesthetics • Oyo state
Arts
The Lost Art | African Girl with Braids Portrait Painting
The lost art. "In my niece's world, life is less about perfection and more about presence." One day my niece stood in front of one of my paintings. Unlike most adults, she never asked about the inspiration, the meaning or the technique. She was simply captivated by the colour. For her, that was enough. That is the art we lose on the way to becoming adults. The ability to look at something and let it be beautiful without first demanding that it explain itself. This portrait is painted for that kind of looking. Her face is built from hand painted blocks of pink and violet, a pixel mosaic that only settles into a girl once you step back. About this piece Medium: acrylic paint on hand cut oval canvas Subject: portrait of a young African girl with braided hair, contemporary African art Size: 20.32 cm W x 30.48 cm H x 2.54 cm D (8 x 12 x 1 inches) Series: one of six original works from the Kilomode Mo miniature series Edition: original, one of one. This is not a print or a reproduction Care: dust gently with a dry cloth and keep out of direct sunlight
£150.00Sold by Rewa Aesthetics • Oyo state
Fashion
Red & Navy Butterfly Bubu - NAISH African Print Maxi Gown
The NAISH Signature Butterfly Bubu is a statement African-print maxi gown designed for effortless elegance, comfort and contemporary African style. Featuring a striking red and navy colour palette, the flowing butterfly silhouette creates a graceful, dramatic shape while allowing comfortable movement. Carefully placed patterned panels add visual contrast and give the design its distinctive NAISH character. This piece is made to order in Nigeria. The original design was created for a client and can be recreated when you place your order. Perfect for: Weddings and wedding receptions Owambe and traditional celebrations Church and special occasions Birthdays Cultural events Dinner and evening occasions Resort and holiday wear Details Signature butterfly Bubu silhouette Red and navy African print Relaxed, flowing fit Full-length design Made to order in Nigeria Designed for comfort and statement dressing Fabric: African print / Ankara Colour: Red, navy blue and multicolour patterned accents Origin: Nigeria Please note: Because this garment is made to order and African-print fabric is cut individually, the exact placement of motifs may vary slightly from the original photographed piece. The overall design, colour palette and signature details will be maintained.
£75.00£85.00Sold by Naishdesign • Nigeria
Arts
Nwannem | Signed Limited Edition African Art Print
A signed, numbered limited edition print of Nwannem, a pastel and charcoal portrait of two siblings by Chinemelu Ofoma. Unframed, 42 x 60cm. Nwanne is Igbo for sibling. The literal sense is child of my mother, and nwanne m is my sibling. That is the whole picture: an older child holding a younger one, both wrapped into the same length of cloth, one looking at something outside the frame and the other looking straight at you. The original was worked in pastel and charcoal against a black ground, which is why the skin carries so much light. Ofoma builds the faces up in layers and leaves the wax print cloth loose and painterly underneath, so the two children are the only sharp thing in the picture and everything else falls away. The original sold in February 2020 and is in a private collection. This print is the only way the image is still available. It is one of a limited edition of 50, each print signed and numbered by the artist. Once the fifty are gone the edition closes and no more are made. Supplied unframed at 42 x 60cm, which is standard A2, so it fits an off the shelf frame without a trip to a framer. The second photograph shows the image framed on a wall, to give you the scale in a real room. It suits a hallway, a landing, a child's room, or anywhere a house needs a face in it. It reads as African without being decorative about it, which is not easy to find in a print at this size and price. Care: keep it out of direct sunlight, which fades pigment prints over time, and frame it behind glass rather than leaving it open to the air. Handle the sheet by the edges before it is framed.
£99.00Sold by Chinemelu Ofoma • Lagos
Arts
Babá Onílù Ònírò | Yoruba Gangan Talking Drummer Painting
Babá Onílù Ònírò is an original acrylic painting of a Yoruba elder and his talking drum. The drum is the gangan, the hourglass drum whose pitch bends under the player's arm until it speaks. In Yoruba it does speak. It carries names, praise, lineage, warnings, and the histories that were never written down. The man playing it is not an entertainer. He is a custodian. Painted in expressive realism, with the traditional attire given its full colour, the work is a tribute to African oral tradition and to music as a form of memory. About this piece Artist: Amusan Joshua, 2024 Medium: acrylic on canvas Size: 91 cm x 122 cm, approximately 36 x 48 inches Subject: Yoruba elder drummer, gangan talking drum Edition: original, one of one. This is not a print Care: dust gently with a dry cloth and keep out of direct sunlight
£1,650.00Sold by The Creative Mason • Oyo state
Arts
Bound by Silence | Large Original Pastel Portrait Drawing
Bound by Silence looks at how readily we stay quiet. Our eyes have seen what is wrong. Our ears have heard what demands attention. Our conscience already knows that something has to be done. And still the answer is silence. The piece asks what happens when seeing and hearing are followed by nothing, and how a refusal to speak lets the wrong thing carry on unchallenged. It is an invitation to look at the silences we keep, in our own lives and in the society around us, and at the responsibility that comes with what we have already seen and heard. Change usually begins at the moment somebody decides to speak. Worked in soft pastel on board, at greater than life size. About this piece Medium: soft pastel on chip board Size: 36 x 49 inches, approximately 91 cm x 124 cm Subject: figurative portrait, contemporary Nigerian art Edition: original, one of one. This is not a print Care: frame behind glass, keep out of direct sunlight, and do not touch the surface. Pastel is unfixed and will lift.
£560.00£600.00Sold by Ay's Pencils art gallery • Nigeria
Arts
Interwoven | Large Original Abstract Painting by Victor Ubabike
Interwoven belongs to Victor Ubabike's ongoing scarf series. Across that series one elongated scarf keeps returning, and it carries the meaning of the work. It stands for identity, and it takes a different shape on every canvas it appears on. Here it doubles back through itself, which is where the painting gets its name. The surface is built up in layers of acrylic, in the flat planes and hard edges of the style he calls Geometric Figurative Expressionism. Colour does structural work rather than decorative work. The blocks sit against each other instead of blending, and the painting holds together the way a mosaic does. At 96 by 107 cm it takes a wall on its own. About this piece Artist: Victor Ubabike, Nigerian, born 1982 in Auchi, Edo State Style: Geometric Figurative Expressionism Series: the scarf series Medium: original acrylic on canvas Size: 96.52 cm x 106.68 cm, approximately 38 x 42 inches Edition: original, one of one. This is not a print Care: dust gently with a dry cloth and keep out of direct sunlight
£3,750.00Sold by Victor ubabike • Lagos
Arts
Joy Without a Permit | Original African Girl Portrait Painting
Joy without a permit. My toddler niece inspired this portrait. There is something about her that makes me question whether I could ever hold a heart like hers. She never asks whether it is acceptable to laugh, to dance, to cry or to dream. She simply does her thing. That sits uncomfortably with me. I catch myself asking why we are laughing when nothing about the present day is funny, and I still tell myself that crying is a sign of weakness. I wish there were another chance to be as unapologetically free as a child, free from restraint, from overthinking, from too much self consciousness. A time when everyone gets to feel joy without needing validation or permission. Her face is built from hand painted blocks of colour, a pixel mosaic that only settles into a girl once you step back. About this piece Medium: acrylic paint on hand cut oval canvas Subject: portrait of a young African girl, contemporary African art Size: 20.32 cm W x 30.48 cm H x 2.54 cm D (8 x 12 x 1 inches) Series: one of six original works from the Kilomode Mo miniature series Edition: original, one of one. This is not a print or a reproduction Care: dust gently with a dry cloth and keep out of direct sunlight
£150.00Sold by Rewa Aesthetics • Oyo state
Fashion Accessories
Yellow Maasai Beaded Necklace, Bracelets & Earrings Set
A five piece Maasai beaded set in bright yellow, with red sawtooth points and bands of white, turquoise and orange. Necklace, three bracelets and earrings. Includes one three strand collar necklace, three matching bracelets and one pair of drop earrings. Yellow is the colour the human eye finds first. That is not a marketing line, it is the reason safety equipment everywhere is that shade. Worn at this scale it means you are what people see when they walk into a room, and what stands out in the group photograph afterwards. So this is a celebration piece rather than an everyday one. A wedding, a graduation, a naming ceremony, Easter, a launch, anywhere being noticed is the point rather than the risk. If you want beadwork that goes quietly about its business, look at the black or the navy sets instead. The points are worked in red against the yellow, with bands of white, turquoise and orange inside them and black separating each one. Red on yellow is the highest contrast pairing in the whole range, which is why this set still holds its shape at a distance where softer colours blur into one another. Wear it over white, cream, black or denim. Yellow needs space around it, so keep everything else plain and let the set do the work. The necklace is worked in three beaded strands and fastens at the back with a gold tone clasp and a short extender chain, so you can set it high on the collarbone or let it drop. The bracelets and earrings carry the same beads in the same colour order, which is what makes five separate pieces read as one set. Wear the necklace with a single bracelet for everyday, or all five pieces when you want the full effect. Strung and bound by hand in Kiambu, so the spacing of the points and the colour bands varies slightly from set to set and from the photographs. Care: keep away from perfume, lotion and water, all of which dull the beads and weaken the cord. Bright yellow shows marks more readily than a dark ground, so put the set on last and take it off first. Store the necklace flat or hanging rather than folded into a box, and wipe with a dry soft cloth after wearing.
£40.00£45.00Sold by The Craft Experts • Kiambu
Fashion Accessories
Red Maasai Beaded Necklace, Bracelets & Earrings Set
A five piece Maasai beaded set in red, with white sawtooth points and bands of blue, orange, yellow and green. Necklace, three bracelets and earrings. Includes one multi strand collar necklace, three matching bracelets and one pair of drop earrings. If Maasai beadwork has a home colour, it is this one. Red dominates Maasai dress and it is the shade most associated with the culture the work comes from. Every other set in this range is a variation on the idea. This is the one that sits closest to the source. It is also the loudest piece here, and it is meant to be. Red at this scale does not accompany an outfit, it decides one. That makes it the wrong choice for an ordinary work day and exactly the right one for a wedding, a naming ceremony, a birthday, or anywhere a photograph is going to be taken. The points are worked in white rather than black, so they flare against the red instead of cutting it. Inside them run bands of blue, orange, yellow and green, each one separated by black. It wants a plain ground and nothing competing with it: white, cream, black, or traditional dress cut in a single colour. Do not put it over a print, because one of the two will lose and it will not be the necklace. The necklace is worked in multiple beaded strands and fastens at the back with a gold tone clasp and a short extender chain, so you can set it high on the collarbone or let it drop. The bracelets and earrings carry the same beads in the same colour order, which is what makes five separate pieces read as one set. Wear the necklace with a single bracelet for everyday, or all five pieces when you want the full effect. Strung and bound by hand in Kiambu, so the spacing of the points and the colour bands varies slightly from set to set and from the photographs. Care: keep away from perfume, lotion and water, all of which dull the beads and weaken the cord. Store the necklace flat or hanging rather than folded into a box so the strands do not tangle, and wipe with a dry soft cloth after wearing.
£40.00£45.00Sold by The Craft Experts • Kiambu
Fashion Accessories
All Black Beaded Necklace, Bracelets & Earrings Set
A five piece beaded set in solid black with gold tone fittings. No banding, no pattern, just the beadwork and the weight. Necklace, three bracelets and earrings. Includes one multi strand collar necklace, three matching bracelets and one pair of drop earrings. Every other set in this range is built on colour. This one is not. There is no banding and no pattern anywhere on it, and that changes what it actually is. Not African beadwork that happens to be black, but a piece of black jewellery that happens to be beaded. That is a practical difference rather than a poetic one. Colour decides where a piece can go. This has none, so it goes anywhere: a funeral, a board meeting, an evening event, or an ordinary day when you want the scale without the statement. It is the only set here you could wear five days running without anyone clocking it as the same necklace. With the colour taken away, the work shows in two other places. The beadwork has a texture that catches light in a way flat black never does, and the collar has real scale to it. The gold tone caps and clasp are the only break in the black, and they are what stop it reading as plain rather than deliberate. The necklace is worked in multiple beaded strands and fastens at the back with a gold tone clasp and a short extender chain, so you can set it high on the collarbone or let it drop. The bracelets and earrings repeat the same beadwork, which is what makes five separate pieces read as one set. Wear the necklace with a single bracelet for everyday, or all five pieces when you want the full effect. Strung and bound by hand in Kiambu. Every strand is worked bead by bead, so the strands are never quite identical in thickness and no set matches the photographs exactly. Care: keep away from perfume, lotion and water, all of which dull the beads and weaken the cord. Store the necklace flat or hanging rather than folded into a box so the strands do not tangle, and wipe with a dry soft cloth after wearing.
£40.00£45.00Sold by The Craft Experts • Kiambu
Fashion Accessories
Turquoise Maasai Beaded Necklace, Bracelets & Earrings Set
A five piece Maasai beaded set in turquoise blue with black sawtooth points and bands of yellow, white, green and red. Necklace, three bracelets and earrings. Includes one multi strand collar necklace, three matching bracelets and one pair of drop earrings. If you pictured Maasai beadwork before you opened this page, this is probably close to what you saw. Turquoise against black is the pairing the work is known for, and it is the one that reads as Maasai from across a room instead of needing to be explained. It is also the easiest of the bright sets to wear outdoors. Turquoise holds its colour in daylight where deeper shades flatten out, so it photographs well and it sits over denim, white linen or cream without any effort at all. This is the summer and holiday piece in the range. The blue is broken by black sawtooth points, and inside them run bands of yellow, white, green and red. The points are counted out bead by bead rather than measured, which is why the teeth are never quite even and why the piece looks made rather than manufactured. The necklace is worked in multiple beaded strands and fastens at the back with a gold tone clasp and a short extender chain, so you can set it high on the collarbone or let it drop. The bracelets and earrings carry the same beads in the same colour order, which is what makes five separate pieces read as one set rather than five things that happen to match. Wear the necklace with a single bracelet for everyday, or all five pieces when you want the full effect. Strung and bound by hand in Kiambu, so the spacing of the sawtooth points and the colour bands varies slightly from set to set and from the photographs. Care: keep away from perfume, lotion and water, all of which dull the beads and weaken the cord. Store the necklace flat or hanging rather than folded into a box so the strands do not tangle, and wipe with a dry soft cloth after wearing.
£40.00£45.00Sold by The Craft Experts • Kiambu
Fashion Accessories
Navy Blue Maasai Beaded Necklace, Bracelets & Earrings Set
A five piece Maasai beaded set in navy blue. One multi strand collar necklace, three matching bracelets and a pair of drop earrings, strung by hand in Kiambu. Includes one multi strand collar necklace, three matching bracelets and one pair of drop earrings. Navy is the one you can wear to work. The rest of this range is built to be seen from across a room, which is exactly right for a wedding and exactly wrong for a Tuesday. Navy does the opposite. It reads as jewellery rather than as an occasion, so it sits with a suit, a plain shirt or a dark dress without announcing itself before you do. It is also the easiest piece in the range to wear if you are new to beadwork. Navy sits close enough to black that the shape and the scale register before the colour does, so a collar this size stops feeling like a leap and starts feeling like a good necklace. The necklace is worked in multiple beaded strands and fastens at the back with a clasp and a short extender chain, so you can set it high on the collarbone or let it drop. The bracelets and earrings carry the same beadwork in the same order, which is what makes five separate pieces read as one set rather than five things that happen to match. Wear the necklace with a single bracelet for everyday, or all five pieces when you want the full effect. Strung and bound by hand in Kiambu. Every strand is counted out bead by bead rather than measured, so the beadwork shifts a little from set to set and from the photographs. Care: keep away from perfume, lotion and water, all of which dull the beads and weaken the cord. Store the necklace flat or hanging rather than folded into a box so the strands do not tangle, and wipe with a dry soft cloth after wearing.
£40.00£45.00Sold by The Craft Experts • Kiambu
Fashion Accessories
Green Maasai Beaded Necklace, Bracelets & Earrings Set
A five piece Maasai beaded set in bright green, banded with yellow, white, red and blue against black and finished in gold tone. Necklace, bracelets and earrings. Includes one multi strand collar necklace, three matching bracelets and one pair of drop earrings. Green is the colour almost nobody makes beaded jewellery in, and that is the reason to buy this one. Red, black and white sets are everywhere. A saturated grass green is not, so this reads as a specific choice rather than a default. It is also the fullest piece of Maasai colour work in the range. The green is broken by black sawtooth points, and inside them run bands of yellow, white, red and blue, each one separated again by black. That is the whole palette rather than an accent or two, which is why the set carries an outfit on its own. It wants a plain ground to sit against: white, cream, black, denim, or traditional dress cut in a single colour. Put it over another print and the two fight. The necklace is worked in multiple beaded strands and fastens at the back with a gold tone clasp and a short extender chain, so you can set it high on the collarbone or let it drop. The bracelets and earrings carry the same beads in the same colour order, which is what makes five separate pieces read as one set. Wear the necklace with a single bracelet for everyday, or all five pieces when you want the full effect. Strung and bound by hand in Kiambu. The sawtooth points are counted out bead by bead rather than measured, so their spacing shifts a little from set to set and from the photographs. Care: keep away from perfume, lotion and water, all of which dull the beads and weaken the cord. Store the necklace flat or hanging rather than folded into a box so the strands do not tangle, and wipe with a dry soft cloth after wearing.
£40.00£45.00Sold by The Craft Experts • Kiambu
Fashion Accessories
African Rasta Beaded Necklace, Bracelets & Earrings Set
A five piece Rasta beaded set in black, banded with yellow, red and green and finished in gold tone. One necklace, three bracelets and a pair of earrings. Includes one three strand collar necklace, three matching bracelets and one pair of drop earrings. Five pieces, which is two more than most beaded sets at this price. The colour does not sit in straight bands here. The yellow runs into the black in a flame edge, sawtooth points that break the line where the two meet, with narrow red and green stripes laid across the yellow. It is a harder thing to bead than a straight band, and it is the reason this one does not read like every other black beaded necklace. Black carries the red, gold and green rather than competing with them, so the Rasta colours read as deliberate rather than costume. That is what makes this one wearable on an ordinary day as well as at carnival, a reggae night, a birthday or Africa Day. Against plain black, white or denim it does all the work on its own. The necklace is worked in three beaded strands and fastens at the back with a gold tone lobster clasp and a short extender chain, so you can set it high on the collarbone or let it drop. The bracelets and earrings carry the same beads in the same colour order, which is what makes five separate pieces read as one set rather than five things that happen to match. Wear the necklace with a single bracelet for everyday, or all five pieces when you want the full effect. Every strand is strung and bound by hand in Kiambu, so the spacing of the flame points and the colour bands varies slightly from set to set and from the photographs. Care: keep away from perfume, lotion and water, all of which dull the beads and weaken the cord. Store the necklace flat or hanging rather than folded into a box so the strands do not tangle, and wipe with a dry soft cloth after wearing.
£40.00£45.00Sold by The Craft Experts • Kiambu
Arts
Can We Go Back? | Contemporary Nigerian Portrait Painting
Can we go back? If there is one thing this series has taught me, it is that there is a way through, even when the way is away. Adulthood took the freedom, the genuineness, the willingness to love without guarding myself. And still I found I could begin again. I learned that I could enjoy my childhood a second time, now, as a grown man. This piece pushed me to soften my heart, to make room for the childlike part of myself again, and to let the world be nothing more complicated than colour. Her face is built from hand painted blocks of blue and coral, a pixel mosaic that only settles into a girl once you step back. This is the final piece in the series of six. About this piece Medium: acrylic paint on hand cut oval canvas Subject: portrait of a young African girl, contemporary Nigerian art Size: 20.32 cm W x 30.48 cm H x 2.54 cm D (8 x 12 x 1 inches) Series: one of six original works from the Kilomode Mo miniature series Edition: original, one of one. This is not a print or a reproduction Care: dust gently with a dry cloth and keep out of direct sunlight
£150.00Sold by Rewa Aesthetics • Oyo state
Crafts
Ivory Reef - Cowrie Shell & Pearl Handmade Handbag
An occasion bag covered entirely in cowrie shells, pearls, small seashells and beads, in ivory and pale cream, with a curved top handle. Handmade one at a time. There is no plain surface anywhere on it. The body and the handle are worked over completely with cowries, pearls in three sizes, small scallop and conch shells, bugle beads and tiny fabric bows, so the whole thing catches light the way the inside of a shell does rather than reflecting it flatly. Ivory, pearl and shell is a wedding palette, and that is where this bag earns its keep. It suits a bride who wants something other than a satin clutch, a bridesmaid, a mother of the bride, or any white tie or all white event where everyone else will be carrying something bought off a shelf. The cowries are not there as a seaside motif. Cowrie shells circulated as currency across West Africa for centuries, and they still carry associations of wealth and abundance, which is why they appear on ceremonial dress, crowns and bridal pieces rather than on everyday things. A bag covered in them is saying something specific, and it is not nautical. Every shell and bead is placed by hand, one at a time. That is why dispatch runs to two to four weeks and why no two bags are laid out identically. The maker's own words for it: someone sat down, created, corrected, adjusted, and poured their craft into something you can carry. Message us before ordering if you need the exact outside measurements, the handle drop, or what the bag holds, and we will measure the one going out to you. Care: shells and pearls chip if they knock against a hard surface, so store it in a dust bag with nothing stacked on top of it. Keep it away from perfume and hairspray, which dull the finish, and never let it get wet.
£83.00Sold by Mlumun • Lagos, Nigeria
Fashion
Men's Mustard Two Piece Set - Made to Measure
A mustard yellow two piece set for men: a short sleeve collared shirt with chest pockets and a buckled strap detail, worn with matching wide leg trousers. This is a full look rather than two separate garments. Shirt and trousers are cut from the same cloth in the same colour, which is the whole appeal. Nothing to match, nothing to think about, one decision instead of two. Mustard is the point. It is a colour most men skip because they assume it will be loud, and it turns out to be the opposite. It reads warm rather than bright, it sits well against dark skin, and it holds up in daylight where a neutral just goes flat. The shirt has a flat collar, a half placket, chest pockets and a buckled strap across the front, so there is something to look at without a print doing the work. The trousers are cut wide and long through the leg. The whole set is loose rather than fitted, which is what makes it wearable in heat. Where it works: Sunday, a hangout, travel, a shoot, an outdoor event, anywhere between smart casual and streetwear. With slides as photographed, or with white trainers or a loafer if you want to lift it. Sizing: there is no size chart here, because there are no sizes. You send seven measurements at checkout, each with a short guide on how to take it, and the set is cut to those numbers rather than made in a standard size and altered afterwards. The loose, oversized room is built in for you, so send your body measurements and nothing extra. Each set is cut and sewn one at a time, so measurements move by a centimetre or two between pieces. Care: cold machine wash inside out, hang to dry out of direct sun, press on a medium heat. Wash separately for the first two or three washes, as strong colours can bleed.
£152.00£163.00Sold by BRIGHT EMPIRE • New york
Fashion Accessories
Royal Blue Maasai Beaded Necklace, Bracelets & Earrings Set
A five piece Maasai beaded set in royal blue, with orange sawtooth points and bands of red, turquoise and yellow. Necklace, three bracelets and earrings. Includes one three strand collar necklace, three matching bracelets and one pair of drop earrings. This set does something none of the others can. Royal blue is deep enough and saturated enough to hold its own against a print. Every other piece in this range wants a plain ground under it, because a pattern underneath turns the beadwork into noise. This one sits over Ankara, adire or a bold wrapper and still reads clearly. For anyone whose wardrobe is mostly print rather than mostly plain, which is most people who buy African fashion, that is the whole argument. The points are worked in orange against the blue, with bands of red, turquoise and yellow inside them and dark navy separating each one. Orange against royal blue is the hardest working pair in the range. They sit at opposite ends of the colour wheel, so each one makes the other look stronger than it would alone. It carries a wedding, church, a birthday, a shoot or an ordinary Saturday. Blue is the one colour almost nobody looks wrong in, which also makes it the safest of the bright sets to buy for someone else. The necklace is worked in three beaded strands and fastens at the back with a gold tone clasp and a short extender chain, so you can set it high on the collarbone or let it drop. The bracelets and earrings carry the same beads in the same colour order, which is what makes five separate pieces read as one set. Wear the necklace with a single bracelet for everyday, or all five pieces when you want the full effect. Strung and bound by hand in Kiambu, so the spacing of the points and the colour bands varies slightly from set to set and from the photographs. Care: keep away from perfume, lotion and water, all of which dull the beads and weaken the cord. Store the necklace flat or hanging rather than folded into a box so the strands do not tangle, and wipe with a dry soft cloth after wearing.
£40.00£45.00Sold by The Craft Experts • Kiambu
Fashion Accessories
Purple Maasai Beaded Necklace, Bracelets & Earrings Set
A five piece Maasai beaded set on lilac purple, with yellow sawtooth points and bands of orange, green, turquoise and yellow. Necklace, three bracelets and earrings. Includes one multi strand collar necklace, three matching bracelets and one pair of drop earrings. Purple is close to unheard of in this kind of beadwork, and lilac more so. The traditional palette runs to red, blue, green, white and black, so a pastel ground like this is a modern choice rather than an old one. That is the reason to buy it. Almost nobody else will be wearing one. It behaves differently from the rest of the range too. Every other set puts bright colour on a strong ground, so the whole piece pushes forward at you. Lilac pulls the other way. The bands still carry orange, green and turquoise, but they sit on something gentle, so this reads as decorative rather than as a statement you have to commit to for the whole evening. The points are picked out in yellow here rather than black, which is unusual. Most of the beadwork in this range uses black to cut the ground. This one uses yellow, so the sawtooth reads as a warm flare instead of a hard edge. It sits well with white, cream, grey, denim and the softer summer colours. Against hard black it loses the point of itself. The necklace is worked in multiple beaded strands and fastens at the back with a gold tone clasp and a short extender chain, so you can set it high on the collarbone or let it drop. The bracelets and earrings carry the same beads in the same colour order, which is what makes five separate pieces read as one set. Wear the necklace with a single bracelet for everyday, or all five pieces when you want the full effect. Strung and bound by hand in Kiambu, so the spacing of the points and the colour bands varies slightly from set to set and from the photographs. Care: keep away from perfume, lotion and water, all of which dull the beads and weaken the cord. Pale grounds mark more easily than dark ones, so put the set on last and take it off first. Store the necklace flat or hanging rather than folded into a box, and wipe with a dry soft cloth after wearing.
£40.00£45.00Sold by The Craft Experts • Kiambu
Fashion
African Print Headband for Women | Yellow Ankara Head Wrap
Handmade in limited numbers. Every headband is cut from a different part of the cloth, so no two come out exactly the same. This adjustable headband is made from yellow African print cotton with a bold geometric motif. It holds your hair back without pulling, and it finishes an outfit at the same time. Made for natural hair, curls, coils, braids, locs and protective styles. Wear it forward as a head wrap, or pushed back as a wide headband. Good for everyday wear, work, weddings and naming ceremonies, festivals, photoshoots, and as a gift for someone who wears her heritage. Details Fabric: 100 percent cotton African print (Ankara) Fit: adjustable at the back Sizes: S fits a child, 48 to 52 cm head. M fits a teen, 52 to 56 cm. L fits an adult, 56 to 60 cm How to measure: take a tape around your head just above the eyebrows and around the fullest part. If you fall between two sizes, choose the larger Flat measurement: 26 cm x 15 cm Handmade, limited edition Every order includes a small surprise freebie Care Hand wash cold, reshape and dry flat. Warm iron on the reverse if needed. Please note Print placement varies slightly from piece to piece because each headband is cut by hand from a continuous length of fabric. That variation is what makes yours yours.
£28.00Sold by BlowUp • Portugal
Crafts
Fante Asafo Flag - Handmade Appliqué Textile, 140 x 85cm
A hand appliqued Fante Asafo flag on cotton, 140 x 85cm. Leopards, an armed company and a Union Jack canton, worked in the traditional Ghanaian manner. Asafo flags, or frankaa, belong to the military companies of the Fante people along the coast of Ghana. Each company had its own, commissioned from a local flag maker, and they were carried at festivals and funerals rather than hung on a wall. They were never decoration. They were statements, and usually pointed ones. Almost every Asafo flag illustrates a proverb, and the proverb is usually aimed at a rival company. That is the convention the imagery here follows: two leopards, a small house, a company of figures marching in file with rifles, and the company number set in a panel. The boast is the point of an Asafo flag, not the animals. The Union Jack in the upper corner places the design in the colonial period. Flags made before Ghana's independence in 1957 commonly carried it, and after independence many makers replaced it with the Ghanaian flag. This one keeps the older arrangement. Appliqué on cotton, which means every element is a separate piece of cloth cut and stitched onto the ground rather than printed onto it. The leopards are worked in a spotted cloth, the figures in solid black, and the whole panel is framed by a sawtooth border in black, white, cream and ochre. The edges are fringed. To be clear about what this is: a contemporary flag made by hand in the traditional manner, not an antique. Genuinely old Asafo flags are extremely scarce and almost all of them sit in museums and private collections. At 140 x 85cm this is a large textile, and it works best hung flat against a plain wall where the appliqué and the fringe can be read properly. Above a bed, down a hallway, or in a room that needs one large warm object rather than several small ones. Care: hang it out of direct sunlight, which fades dyed cotton. Do not wash it. Dust it gently with a soft brush, or a vacuum on low suction through the upholstery attachment, and if it ever needs more than that, take it to a textile conservator rather than a dry cleaner.
£415.00£450.00Sold by GOLDEN HERITAGE AFRICA GALLERY • Cape Coast
Fashion Accessories
Nenye Beaded Top Handle Bag - Handmade Marble & Crystal
A small top handle bag built from overlapping marble effect discs, with a top band and twin handles woven from faceted crystal beads. Seven colours, handmade bead by bead. There are two different pieces of work in this bag. The body is built from flat marble effect discs, each one threaded on individually and overlapped in rows like scales, so the surface shifts and catches light as the bag moves. The top band and both handles are something else entirely: a lattice woven from faceted crystal beads, clear enough to see through. It is small, and deliberately so. It holds a phone, a card holder, a lipstick and a key, which is the entire job of an occasion bag. This is not a bag for carrying things. It is a bag for being seen with. Seven colourways: pink, blue, green, red, brown, chocolate and white. The pink is the one photographed. White is what people order for weddings, and chocolate and brown are the two that work across a year rather than for one outfit. Against a plain dress it becomes the entire accessory. Against a print it fights, so choose one or the other. For its size it photographs far better than it has any right to, which is why it tends to end up in more pictures than the outfit it was bought to go with. Every disc and every bead is threaded on by hand, row by row. A bag this size runs to several hundred of them, which is why each one takes what it takes. Care: beaded bags snag on rough fabric and on jewellery, so keep it clear of knitwear and store it in a dust bag rather than loose in a wardrobe. Wipe it down with a dry soft cloth and never soak it.
£50.00Sold by Prechgold_crafts • Nigeria
Fashion
IcyHot Oversized Crochet Sweater - Geometric Colour Block
A hand crocheted oversized sweater in geometric colour blocks: burgundy, mustard gold, cobalt and powder blue, divided by pale pink and cream. Drop shoulder, made to measure. The blocks are not printed and not machine knitted. Each one is crocheted as its own panel and joined, which is why the borders sit slightly proud of the fields they divide and why the surface has depth you can see in the photographs rather than only feel. IcyHot is a fair description of what it does. Cobalt and powder blue down one side, burgundy and mustard down the other, meeting at the centre. It is the temperature contrast that carries the piece rather than any of the colours on their own. Cut oversized with a drop shoulder, so it hangs off the frame instead of following it. Ribbed crew neck, ribbed cuffs and a ribbed hem pull the edges in, which is the thing that stops an oversized crochet piece from reading as shapeless. Made to your measurements. You send four numbers at checkout, chest, shoulder width, sleeve length and body length, and the sweater is crocheted to those rather than to a standard size. The oversized ease is built in for you, so send your body measurements and nothing extra. It works as the whole outfit. Over a plain polo neck and tights as photographed, over jeans, or as a dress on a shorter frame. Keep whatever is under it plain, because this one is not sharing the attention. Hand crocheted in non-pilling acrylic yarn with a gold cotton thread trim, in a heavyweight textured stitch. Dispatch runs two to four weeks, because a sweater at this size is thousands of stitches worked one at a time and there is no faster way to make one. Care: cold hand wash or a wool cycle inside a mesh bag, and never wring it out. Dry it flat rather than on a hanger, because the weight of wet crochet will pull the body out of shape. Do not tumble dry.
£85.00Sold by OhThreeOhOne • Nigeria
Arts
Adinkra Hene | Original Raffia & Acrylic Canvas, 90 x 90cm
An original mixed media canvas, 90 x 90cm. The Adinkrahene symbol built in coiled raffia rope over layered acrylic in grey, oxide red and gold. Framed. Adinkrahene is the chief of the Adinkra symbols. In Akan tradition it is the one said to have shaped the design of all the others, and it stands for greatness, charisma and leadership. Its form is concentric circles, and that is exactly what has been made here: three rings of raffia rope coiled and laid onto the canvas, so the symbol sits in relief rather than being painted on. The ground behind it is worked in grey, oxide red, ochre and gold, scored and stamped with marks that read as writing without being any alphabet in particular. Two raffia triangles anchor opposite corners. The whole surface carries texture you can see from across a room and feel up close, which is the thing a print of it could never do. At 90 x 90cm square this is a single wall piece rather than one of a group. It wants space around it: above a sideboard, at the end of a hallway, in a stairwell, or opposite a door where you meet it as you walk in. Supplied framed in a natural wood frame, as photographed. One of one. There is no edition and no print run behind it, and once it sells there is not another. The second photograph shows the work on the easel in the studio where it was made, which gives a truer sense of the depth of the rope than a flat photograph can. Care: hang it out of direct sunlight, which fades acrylic and yellows natural raffia over time. Dust the rope with a dry soft brush rather than a cloth, which snags on the fibres. Never use water or cleaning spray on the surface.
£1,477.71Sold by NK Arts & Design • Ghana
Fashion
Men's Navy Senator Wear - Made to Measure
A navy senator wear for men: a long sleeve mandarin collar top with a concealed placket and a buttoned chest pocket, with matching trousers. Cut to your own measurements. Senator wear is what a man reaches for when the occasion is serious but a suit would be too much. Formal without being borrowed from somewhere else, which is why it turns up at weddings, in church, at meetings and at every celebration in between. This one is cut clean and close rather than flowing. Mandarin collar, half placket with the buttons concealed, a single chest pocket with a buttoned flap, long sleeves, straight matching trousers. There is no embroidery anywhere on it, and that is the point. The fit and the cloth do the work, so it reads as modern rather than ceremonial. Navy is the one to own first. It carries a wedding and a Monday morning equally well, it photographs better than black under indoor light, and it does not fight whatever cap, shoes or beads you put with it. Made in what the trade calls cashmere senator fabric, the soft brushed suiting cloth this style is usually cut from. In the photographs it hangs with a clean line rather than clinging, which is what you want in a fitted senator. Sizing: there is no size chart here, because there are no sizes. You send seven measurements at checkout, each with a short guide on how to take it, and the outfit is cut to those numbers rather than made to a standard size and altered afterwards. That is why a senator cut this close holds its line across the shoulders and through the waist, which is where an off the peg one usually goes wrong. Wear it with leather loafers or a monk strap, and a cap if the occasion asks for one. Nothing else needs adding. Care: dry clean, or cold hand wash and hang to dry out of direct sunlight. Press inside out on a medium heat to protect the finish on the cloth.
£40.00Sold by Elvis fashion fabrics • Nigeria
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