TomKat ­– a font of Namibian-made products

By Jana-Mari Smith

At the TomKat retail outlet in the Namibia Craft Centre (NCC) a shopper can browse through a wide selection of stylish and fun items, including hand-painted children’s shirts and aprons, leather and cloth handbags, leather shoes finished off with bright springbok fur, and hand-made jewellery.

The popular series of Sand-Lover T-shirts, based on the Land-Rover icon, are also available here. The T-shirts are hand-embroidered by a local woman in Namibia.

Josephine Kasupi and Kathleen Newton

Josephine Kasupi, a shareholder of the stall, has worked at TomKat for the past 13 years. She takes pride in providing visitors with unique and beautifully made local items. She is also the creator of the selection of jewellery available at the shop, which she says keeps her creative side up and running.

Kathleen Newton, who bought the shop from the previous owner three years ago, says TomKat is essentially a retail outlet that sources Namibian-made products to sell to the public. Two brothers from Swakopmund are responsible for the colourful, hand-painted children’s T-shirts and aprons. Kathleen also sells leather items, such as handbags and shoes, which are produced by people who work through the initiative Namibia Community Skills Development Foundation (COSDEF).

Kathleen says she and Josephine aim to offer products that are as local as possible, to give buyers an authentic Namibian experience. She says the shop provides her with a creative outlet and the chance to act as a retailer for Namibian communities. It is her aim to create a niche market for special Namibian products produced by Namibian entrepreneurs.

For unique Namibian products such as Namibian handbags, shoes, jewellery and T-shirts, TomKat is a must visit at the NCC.