Smart Souvenir Shopping
Smart Souvenir Shopping
Text Charene Labuschagne
From the Winter 2023 issue
The land of endless horizons, as Namibia is fondly known, is filled to the brim with beautiful crafts and creations. Traditional woven baskets and clay pots hail from our northern regions, artisans having perfected the craft handed down from one generation to the next. Wherever timber is abundant, wood carving has been mastered and, thanks to the influence of some Zimbabwean expats, wire and bead figurines are found in great numbers in the capital. Damaraland boasts incredible jewellery items, created and sold by descendants of the Ovahimba people. Swakopmund offers a handful more commercial crafts, curated from the far corners of the country.
Be it to showcase the essence of your travels to friends and family back home, or as a personal reminder of a great holiday, souvenir shopping is an essential part of an adventure to foreign lands. Buying indigenous arts and crafts comes highly recommended, if you have the luggage allowance or budget to ship bulky baskets and ceramics. While Namibia offers souvenirs as plentiful as our beautiful sunsets, small businesses selling novel lifestyle items have also sprung up like the lilies in the desert after good rains. You are sure to fall in love with a wood carved elephant and authentic Himba bracelet, and by all means, support the crafters. That being said, here is a run down of practical gifting options, should you choose to treat yourself and loved ones at home with useful and long-lasting memories of your journey to Namibia.
LEATHER
LEON ENGELBRECHT DESIGN
Leon Engelbrecht Design is a small, proudly Namibian design studio that creates handcrafted leather goods and provides professional interior design services for private and corporate clients. Leon’s creative journey started over four years ago when he jumped the corporate ship and forged a fresh and creative path for himself.
All leather items are individually handcrafted and sewn by hand using traditional tools and methods. LED’s focus is on creating items and products that last and also reintroduce you to the artisan – so you know where, how and by whose hands your products get made. They are shipped worldwide.
FIMBI
Leather bags are forever, and in the case of Fimbi they are forever stylish also. Located in the loft of the Namibia Craft Centre in the heart of Windhoek, Fimbi specialises in handbags, wallets, belts and bags. Owner Elsie Imhof designs and manufactures Fimbi’s timeless handbags right here in Namibia along with four local women, and they really are crafted to international standards. Fimbi draws inspiration from the environment, which is reflected in their broad and generously cut, meticulously stitched and ultra chic leather pieces. Their range is the leather lover’s daydream.
Windhoek: Namibia Craft Centre
HOME
BEE-TIQUE HOTEL
By now we all surely know the importance of bees in our greater ecosystem, but how does the average Joe go about supporting bees? Incorporating a BEE-tique Hotel at home is a great place to start. One solitary bee does the pollination work of 100 honey bees, which is why it’s essential to give these difference makers a safe place to rest and reproduce. BEE-tique Hotels are adorably crafted blocks, fashioned with a roof and plenty of cavities for solitary bees to make a home. Their current offering includes pretty pastel high-rise hotels and Fachwerk-style homes with reeds that provide the cavities. These are a great addition to your outdoor decor, as well as a delighted conscience.
HASEGURURE & WIREBEADS
Petra Naruses is one of the many success stories of the Namibia Craft Centre. She started out as a shopkeeper, eventually taking over the business and adding her very own flair to the product offering. Together with her daughters, Petra creates by hand each of the striking lampshades, delicate jewellery and funky mobiles sold at Hasegurure & Wirebeads. The lampshades and mobiles in particular are unlike anything else at the Craft Centre, boasting incredible detail and handicraft, right on par with aesthetics. Little wonder she enjoys creating them most.
Windhoek: Namibia Craft Centre
ACCESSORIES
GODDESS MA
Accessories complete any outfit, but a handbag is utterly essential! Just because we need them to carry all our things is no excuse for the bag to be drab. Goddess Ma are specialists in beaded handbags, every colour, shape and strap length or style imaginable. Sporting one of these hand-made bags is sure to elevate any outfit and garner compliments. The Goddess Ma range features structured, bucket-like bags as well as their more malleable sister. Think chequered, butterfly accents, pearl bead handles and heart-shaped bags. Goddess Ma’s creativity is endless and the price point even more alluring.
KÄME
Pronounced comma, this local hand made jewellery brand is rooted in the principle of a pause, to take your mindful time in every endeavour. Their core range includes Malas, the 108 beaded necklace used in spiritual practice. Kämə Malas are finished with genuine Namibian leather tassels, fit for manifestation exercises or simply to spruce up an outfit. Most recently they’ve added bracelets and sunglass chains constructed of semi precious stones, wood and glass beads to the offering. Kämə is determined to translate their pausing principles and love for Namibia’s gemstones into practical and pretty tools that we can all use to facilitate our own growth.
Kämə is available at The Red Shelf in Windhoek & Swakopmund
SKINCARE
AFRO BEARD GEAR
A wise man once said “Don’t believe what you’ve heard, our hair is not dead weight, it is an extension of our being. We must take control of our power and nurture it, let it grow, and manifest it into greatness.” This is the motto of African Beard Gear, a brand firmly rooted in empowering men to embrace their identity. Their range consists of a rich beard balm in a classic tin container and fragrance-free beard growth oil. If you’re a fella that likes to maintain his grizzly, switch to this local brand for Namibian beards.You can shop for Afro Beard Gear at The Red Shelf.
EMSSENCE
Namibian skincare for Namibian skin. It’s a no-brainer! Emssence is a local self-care brand with product ranges including bespoke amenities, a baby and new-mum line, and their trailblazing natural skincare range aptly dubbed PURE. Fans of gentle skin products made in small batches will find everything they need for a multi-step skincare routine, including cleanser, toner, serum, moisturiser and decadent body and massage oils. Subtle fragrances like calming chamomile and energising jasmine, to name a few, are attributed to the natural ingredients and essential oils that make up Emssence PURE formulas. Founder Marianne Labuschagne formulated and tested multiple batches before fine-tuning what is now the only skincare brand you’ll need on your vanity.
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