Get Multicoloured for Spring

By Elzanne Erasmus

 TAKE HOME AN AFRICAN TAN

As ever, the Namibia Craft Centre is playing host to the most interesting locally made products found in the country. A wide array of colour enthrals the senses as soon as you step into this popular city-centre shopping destination. This spring, the Namibia Craft Centre plays host to a playful range of springbok pelt footwear produced by African Tan, a COSDEF project. COSDEF is a Swakopmund-based non-profit organisation that provides skills training to local disadvantaged communities, resulting in fun hand-made products that appeal to tourists and locals alike. So be sure to buy your colourful spring flare in the form of African Tan’s brightly dyed springbok sandals and let your style be just as friendly and exciting as the changing of the seasons.

Sandals N$295

Green Springbok sandals

Original Springbok sandals

Red Springbok sandals

TRADITION IS GIVEN A COLOURFUL TWIST

Collect your spring blossoms, or anything and everything else, in these beautiful hand-made baskets created by the innovative craftswomen of the OMBA initiative. With a rainbow of colours and sizes to choose from, there is a basket for every need and occasion. OMBA represents some of the most skilled craftsmen and -women from Namibia’s marginalised communities, with their products bearing testament to how traditional craftsmanship can be given an imaginative contemporary twist.

Basket N$62

Set of three baskets N$134

Closed basket N$72

Placemats N$77

OMBA hand-made baskets

A BRIGHT AND SUNNY DAY

The weather has turned cheery and the sun is out, so the time has come to haul your warmer-climate threads out from the back of the closet. The perfect addition to said threads would most surely be a hat that is equally brilliant, bright and beautiful as the wardrobe you’ll be airing when you step out. Namcrafts has the perfect sunhat for lazy Saturdays and Sundays spent soaking up the spring air. Fitting in perfectly with our spring rainbow theme, the sunhats come in an assortment of sizes and six different colours that will add a cheerful and sunny hue to your attire when you step out.

Sunhat N$125

Namcraft sunhat

THERE’S A BIRD ON MY CUP…

Studio 33 is stocking an amazing series of ceramics this spring. Beautifully handmade cups, mugs, saucers, milk jugs and sugar pots adorn the shelves, and have the added quirk of being embellished with colourful sculpted ceramic birds. The realistic little birds are perched on the edges of the crockery sets and add a whimsical element to your kitchen and tea tray. The ceramics are so unusual they’ll make you question why you ever bought that plain white tea set, and they’ll ensure that a small part of the colourful Namibian wildlife brightens up your home.

Design 33 ceramics

 A FUN AND VIBRANT PILLOW PARTY

Casa Anin, at Bougain Villas in Windhoek, is boasting a range of beautiful hand-stitched pillow covers. The covers depict fun Namibian scenery and animals and are all hand-embroidered in the Casa Anin workshop above the selling outlet. The energetic caricatures are made using a wide range of multi-coloured threads. The material that serves as the base for the pillowcases comes in an equally wide assortment of colours. Casa Anin has more than four different styles of pillowcases this season, each making its own statement, but the fun and vibrant embroidered animals on our pick for spring will have you smiling all the way to summer.

Embroidered pillowcases N$260

Embroidered pillows

GEMSTONE JEWELLERY FROM THE PEACE COLLECTION

TNN was introduced to an astounding jewellery range at this year’s Made in Namibia Expo that took place from 29 to 31 July. The Peace Collection exhibit included an assortment of adornments made from locally collected and resourced Namibian gemstones and materials. The mission of the Peace Jewellery Collection is to harness and showcase unique Namibian craft products throughout the tourism sector. The enterprise also assists in the development and promotion of cultural heritage by working with young men and women and supporting them in their educational endeavours. The Peace Collection is focussed on educating members of local communities in areas such as project management, marketing, fundraising and networking. The company’s products are available at the Namibian Craft Centre adjacent to the Nucleus Health and Fitness Club, as well as online at http://www.thepeacecollection.getafricaonline.com.

Gemstone and wire rings N$100

Gemstone and wire rings