[dropcap custom_class=”normal”] It is with great pleasure I want you to meet Jumoke Dada, a lovely and focused lady who is the Founder and CEO of Tǽillo. Jumoke has a great vision for the future of Nigeria and Africa which she has translated into her furniture.
She makes exquisitely crafted furniture using Aso Oke and Ankara fabrics. These furniture forms one of the best use of creativity in aesthetic ambience, that I have come across where furniture is concerned.
Because these fabrics not only carry the essence of our African heritage but also comes in various beautiful colours, I will say, Jumoke has gifted us with a modern antique of our time. I know you want to meet this specially talented lady. Let’s meet her… [/dropcap] Continue reading
Hello beautiful people, a good Labor Day Pop Up is an amazing way to celebrate the holidays, right? Are you in Houston Texas this coming Labor day holiday?
Bellafricana, Laura Uju and Intellectual Nigerians in collaboration with Tamris and Misty’s Beauty Bar have got something great planned for you.
As the summer is slowly drawing to an end, take this time out to indulge yourself in some good shopping. There will be top quality products available for purchase at very reasonable prices.
The Ultimate Labor Day Pop Up
Yes, this is indeed a one of a kind labor day pop up. First, there will be cool giveaways to the first ten (10) lucky people to arrive at the venue.
Also, you will find various interestingly creative collection of Afrocentric handmade products. Some of which are bags, vintage Aso Oke ties, home accessories made from quality African fabrics, dresses, turbans, human hair among other things.
The pop up will be holding on Sunday, September 4th, 2016, from 4pm – 10pm at 801 Studewood St Houston, TX 77007. Drinks will be served in a lovely atmosphere for shopping, mingling and networking.
Be generous, come along with a friend or two, you can also tell your family about this. And don’t forget the giveaway to be won by the first 10 people to arrive.
For more enquiries, call Bukky on (469) 834-4891 or WhatsApp 08184457403
Below, are pictures of some of the products you can expect to find the Labor day pop up;
[dropcap custom_class=”normal”] Hello beautiful people, a good Labor Day Pop Up is an amazing way to celebrate the holidays, right? Are you in Houston Texas this coming Labor day holiday?
Bellafricana, Laura Uju and Intellectual Nigerians in collaboration with Tamris and Misty’s Beauty Bar have got something great planned for you.
As the summer is slowly drawing to an end, take this time out to indulge yourself in some good shopping. There will be top quality products available for purchase at very reasonable prices… [/dropcap] Continue reading
[dropcap custom_class=”normal”] Hello beautiful people, did you miss the 3rd edition of the Market Place Pop Up organized by The Market Place NG? Don’t worry, as usual we have anticipated your needs and written a highlight of the event just for you.
Many thanks to our partner, Trade Nigeria, for the amazing pictures from the event. Come on, let’s relive the amazing day filled with fun… [/dropcap] Continue reading
Do something different from the norm with these lovely Ankara wedding ideas we’ve got outlined here.
Ankara to some people may just be known as the capital of Turkey, but to many Africans and even globally now, it is a beautifully coloured fabric that has been worn for ages.
Mostly this fabric is made of cotton material. It is available as African wax print, Holland wax or Dutch wax. In this article, we will be talking about various ways you can use Ankara in your wedding.
The Ankara fabric has gotten more appreciation than it used to. Many globally renowned designers have done lots of amazing work with the fabric. Even foreign celebrities wear the beautiful fabric in really creative styles these days.
So why are we still all Western-styled up when even folks abroad are beginning to groove our style. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with the western style. It’s lovely, amazing even, but come on let’s embrace what’s ours for a minute at least.
Have you always wanted to do something different and chic from the standard wedding look? Or just simply want to try something out of the box? Consider having an Ankara themed wedding. Yes, you can never do wrong with this beautiful fabric.
Below, we will look at some Ankara wedding inspirations you can try…
Photo Credit: Pinterest
Ankara Wedding Inspirations
The beautiful thing about this fabric is that it can be used by any tribe, country or religion. Also it is very flexible; all you need really is some creativity. Here are some from our creative bank *wink*
Ankara Luggage Set: Like all wedding, let’s start from the very beginning, the engagement ceremony which is also referred to as an engagement party in some other parts of the world.
It is common practice in the Nigerian tradition, especially the Yoruba part, for the groom’s family to give the bride a luggage set at the wedding engagement. This is viewed as the bags she will use to move her belongings to her new home.
So, hey groom, you can start your Ankara wedding theme here by using Ankara leather luggage set.
You can get really good quality ones from The Potter’s Signature. These guys are amazing and will deliver your order according to taste! Find them HERE
Buy Quality From The Potters Signature | Call: +2347084054748 | Email: [email protected] | Visit: www.thepotterssignature.com
Ankara Bow ties & Pocket Squares: The groom and groom’s men could replace the regular bow tie with bow ties and pocket squares made out of the Ankara fabric.
This is really interesting as it will add a lot of colour to your style and also can be blended with the bride’s ensemble and her bridal train’s too.
The creative merchant I recommend for this, is African Things. You can check them out here and make enquires to your preference. Click Here.
Buy Quality From African Things | Call: +2348166725362 | Email: support @africanthings.org | Visit: www.africanthings.org
Handbags and Clutches: During the traditional wedding (engagement party), the bride can use a beautifully crafted Ankara leather clutch or handbag.
At the white wedding (church wedding) also, using a chic Ankara detailed clutch matching the Ankara used by the groom for his bow tie and pocket square will be quite lovely too.
Buy Quality From African Things | Call: +2348166725362 | Email: support @africanthings.org | Visit: www.africanthings.org
Ankara Shoes: For your this, you can use matching Ankara fabrics to make the shoes for you and your spouse. This can be used as highlights and not necessarily that major material of the shoe. This really depends on your taste. You can get really good looking ones from African Things also.
Bridesmaid Dresses: Instead of going with the regular western styled bridesmaid dresses, you can use the Ankara fabric here also. Take your pick of any style you can imagine and spruce it up with Ankara details.
For this, you should check out the designs by Delavi Couture! They’ve got really amazing tailoring skills and can make dresses and shirts to your preference. When you’re done, you’ll see how well your bridesmaids’ dresses will turn heads.
Ankara Detailed Jewellery: The first time I came across Ankara jewelleries was in True Love magazine. It was love at first sight. That really got me psyched that “wow, my people can make something this amazingly magnifique (forming French accent *covers face*)”
So imagine your bridesmaids adorned in such lovely jewellery pieces. Awesome yes? Ankara detailed jewelleries made by African Things are very lovely for this occasion.
Buy Quality From African Things | Call: +2348166725362 | Email: support @africanthings.org | Visit: www.africanthings.org
Ankara Souvenir Options
The wedding is not fully planned without souvenirs for guests. Here too, you can get super creative by infusing your Ankara theme into the souvenirs.
Your souvenirs are a long term reflection of your wedding day. I actually remember some wedding I’ve attended by the souvenirs I got from them. So you want to get something really lovely and of good quality.
Here are a few suggestions:
Ankara Note Books: Get creative with made from the scratch Ankara cover notebooks. Word of advice, patronize only the best.
If the books are just store bought and wrapped with Ankara, it won’t take long before the Ankara fabric starts pulling off from the original cover and that’s really not cool.
Imagine after a few weeks of your wedding and the souvenir is now an ‘Oxford Notebook’ cover (a notebook manufacturing company in Nigeria) with your wedding crest or image on the first page.
Wondering where the trusted place you can get quality Ankara books for your souvenir? Checkout Bellafricana Gifts.
Yes! We make top quality African fabric notebooks from scratch with beautiful love quotes. To see sample, click HERE
Ankara Key holders: Here’s something else you can totally try, key holders made out of Ankara fabric. To go an extra mile, why not use Ankara key holders made out of dried water hyacinth.
It is totally eco-friendly and your guests will love it. You can get neatly made Ankara key holders from MitiMeth.
Souvenir Bags: Don’t you just feel that burst of pride when you see someone walking on the street with a beautiful bag and it turns out to be your wedding souvenir? I know I do.
Make Ankara detailed souvenir bags for your guests and you will feel that burst of pride also. Why? Everyone want to carry or be seen with something unique, your guests will carry it happily everywhere.
It has to be of very good quality though, here again you can trust us at our gift section to deliver perfectly!
Give some or all of these suggestions a try. Your guests will always have something unique to say about your wedding with these really cool tweaks.
I remember some many wedding by how unique the experience as a guest was. Am quite sure there are so many other people who pick up one or two things from an event by how unique it is.
People are getting more and more creative with their wedding styles! Why not set a pace also. Take the lead.
At the end of the day, you’d have yourself a fabulously unique wedding. And to top that you’d have contributed greatly to the growth of the economy.
Love Africa! Wear Africa!!
Love Nigeria! Wear Nigeria!!
For other really amazing African made inspirations, checkout some of our Bellafricana Verified merchants below:
[dropcap custom_class=”normal”] Do something different from the norm with these lovely Ankara wedding ideas we’ve got outlined here.
Ankara to some people may just be known as the capital of Turkey, but to many Africans and even globally now, it is a beautifully coloured fabric that has been worn for ages.
Mostly this fabric is made of cotton material. It is available as African wax print, Holland wax or Dutch wax. In this article, we will be talking about various ways you can use Ankara in your wedding. [/dropcap] Continue reading
[dropcap custom_class=”normal”] Fashion in Nigeria is gaining more traction than ever. The everyday outing is no longer taken as before.
Now both women & men go the extra mile to look fashionable. Even children are being encouraged to show their fashion prowess at an early age.
As the need to be fashionable increases, so have the designers and stylists increased their creative use of local fabrics.
The Ankara fabric has been the one receiving more attention. Although more designers are beginning to shift to the Yoruba Aso Oke fabric. The African Fashion Week Nigeria (AFWN) was no exception, as a higher percent of designers that showcased at the event used the Ankara fabrics and other African prints in their pieces. [/dropcap] Continue reading
All the student fashionistas in the house say Yay, it’s event time!!
Here’s an event that will surely get you excited. The Nigerian Student Fashion and Design Week is here again. And this fourth edition will be bigger and better than ever before.
This is the season for Fashion Events and students are not left out. The Nigerian Students Fashion & Design Week is an arm of the AFWN designed especially for students.
Event: Nigerian Student Fashion and Design Week 2016
This event is the biggest of its kind in Africa where students with fashion and design skills get a platform to showcase their work. The Nigerian Student Fashion and Design Week provide young creative fashion designers from various higher institutions across Nigeria an avenue to network and learn.
We are looking forward to seeing more creative talents in this year’s show. Just yesterday, the organizers announced Zaron Cosmetics as their official makeup partner for this year’s edition.
They are calling on students interested in modelling for the event to come for model casting on the 9th of July.
Many success stories of emerging fashion designers in Nigeria can be traced back to The Nigerian Student Fashion & Design Week. And they don’t get there by luck, key-role players in the Nigerian fashion industry judge the designs showcased.
Judges from the last edition are, Ejiro Amos-Tafiri, Tewa Onasanya, Kola Kuddus, and Onome Fasan as judges for the showcase.
The winners from last year’s edition of the event are;
Hauwa Liman from Bayero University Kano who emerged as the most creative designer,
Joy Marie from the Open University who made the 1st runner-up position and
Seun Morafa a student of the University of Lagos made the 2nd runner-up postion.
Hauwa Liman from Bayero University Kano NSFDW2015 most creative designer
Vovwe Omoko NSFDW2014 most creative designer
A set of judges will be placed on ground to select the most creative designers to take home amazing prizes in this 4th edition of the event.
Budding student fashionistas are encouraged to apply on Nigerian Student Fashion and Design Week website .
This year’s event has been announced as 12th and 13th of August. Student designers that will be showcasing at the Nigerian Student Fashion and Design Week 2016 are; Needlepoint, Mzfashionista, Native Spirit, Ripped, Ashillarozae, V’macdel among others.
Think you’ve got what it takes to contest for the most creative designer? Visit their website and register.
What fashion event do you think still need to be created in Nigeria or Africa? Let’s hear from you.
[dropcap custom_class=”normal”] Craftsmanship has so many different definitions and many people give their own personal meaning to it too.
Although following standard definitions, we see that the Macmillan Dictionary defines craftsmanship as the beautiful or impressive quality of something that has been made using a lot of skill. Also, Oxford Dictionary says craftsmanship is the quality of design and work shown in something made by hand; artistry. [/dropcap]Continue reading
Craftsmanship has so many different definitions and many people give their own personal meaning to it too.
Although following standard definitions, we see that the Macmillan Dictionary defines craftsmanship as the beautiful or impressive quality of something that has been made using a lot of skill. Also, Oxford Dictionary says craftsmanship is the quality of design and work shown in something made by hand; artistry.
photo credit: CNN
You see, even the dictionaries are rooting for quality in craftsmanship.
Generally any product of low quality is as good as being a scam. It wets the appetite of the buyer and then disappoints them almost immediately.
When your work is of good quality, it speaks well for you and your business. The age old word of mouth referral comes to play too.
Now dear Bellas, like most of you already know, we at Bellafricana have always been about quality. Too much emphasis cannot be placed on how important it is for products to be of high quality. Listed below are some more benefits of having good quality craftsmanship.
Benefits of Good Quality in Craftsmanship
Trustworthiness: If your craft displays good quality. Your buyers will trust every type of product coming from your brand. Your brand will be respected wherever it is seen.
Increased Sales: More and more people will want to use what you make. Before you know it, you will become a household name.
Lower Refund Rate: You will record lower rate of refunds if your product is of high quality. There will be lesser occasions of customers returning their purchases due to defects or whatnot. This in addition to increased sales will bring you more profit at the end of the day.
Growth: With more sales you can begin to venture into expansion. Once you’re able to satisfy your immediate customers, your products can start making its way into the international markets. Plus to successfully make it into these international markets, you need to pass certain quality controls and checks and be verified to be fit for international trade.
Referral: When you’ve done your part in ensuring the quality of your craft and also have good customer service, your product becomes more marketable. Also, your customers will market for you.
What Can Be Done To Ensure Quality in My Craftsmanship?
Here are a few tips;
Be Thorough: Having a highly respected brand doesn’t come by snapping your fingers. You have to be ready to put in good work. Select good materials for your work, use the right tools. Make sure everything goes where it’s supposed to, when it should. Make sure you have neat finishing also and then check it all again to be sure it is up to standard.
Consider Setting Up Quality Assurance Process: Quality assurance to me is just like when you proofread your write-ups to be sure there are no errors. It’s a follow up to being thorough, when you imbibe the same technique into your craft, there will be attention to details.
Be Passionate: When your love for your work exceeds the thought of the stress going into it, you’re halfway to producing quality crafts.
Get Verified: Many times we don’t notice our flaws or the flaws in our work until they are pointed out to us. At Bellafricana, we help our clients see the flaws that they’ve probably missed. Getting verified helps guaranty the quality of your craftsmanship and more buyers are assured they are buying quality products from you. To start your verification process, checkout our Get Verified page to see the steps to follow.
We hope to see more and more quality craftsmanship in Africa. Let us bring pride to our motherland.
Thank you for your time Bellas, remember to tell share with your friends and family.
We want to hear back from you. If you find this article useful, kindly leave a comment below.
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