Designer Appreciation: Anita Quansah

ACCESSORY DESIGNER OF THE YEAR 2011, ANITA QUANSAH IS THE UNDISPUTED QUEEN OF JEWELLERY AND ACCESSORIES...

With bold brave designs, there's no doubt about an Anita Quansah neck piece when you see one.

The Amazing Anita Quansah - check out her necklace!

 From a young age, Anita would watch her grandmother who was a designer herself, working on designs for royalty, cabinet members and other highly esteemed individuals in Ghana.

Our favourite Anita Quansah pieces

Here are some of Anita's most recent designs:

Wow!

Please note: the piece in the top right...completely made out of safety pins!!!

Anita's pieces have featured in editorials for Elle, FAB and Pride Magazine alongside another publication which you may have heard of by the name of Vogue! 

Alicia Keys in Anita Quansah and
Christie Brown - Vibe Magazine

Alicia Keys in Vibe Magazine

Yet they look exceptional when placed on everyday wear as seen here on Keisha Buchanan.

Anita Quansah is one of our biggest inspirations. You can see how she may have influenced this one off bespoke piece which we created earlier this year. 

Miss Ghana UK 2011 in Triballery

We can't wait to see what Anita has in store next!

Anita Quansah - We salute you!

For more information visit Anita Quansah online

Photos courtesy of anitaquansah.com and Anita Quansah on Flickr

Throwback Thursday

WE'LL NEVER FORGET THE DAY WE MET SHINGAI SHONIWA LAST MAY AT AN EVENT IN RICHMIX SHOREDITCH...

We were lucky enough to be introduced to her and present her with a bespoke pair of earrings. She took them but had to go back stage.

Next thing we knew, she came back out to say hi and a proper thank-you for her new Tribal pair! Better still, she had our earrings on! We couldn't believe it...she had worn them straight away!

Shingai Shoniwa wearing Triballery™

The bespoke Tribal pair

The earrings included handmade African fabric feathers - the first of their kind - which then inspired one or two more designs for our 'Peacock' collection. (More of which is coming soon!)

We wonder who the next celeb Triballista will be.
Hmmm....

Kente ♥

TOP MODEL OF COLOUR FINALIST VANESSA AGYEMANG WORE A LARGE BESPOKE PAIR OF OUR AUTHENTIC KENTE STUD BACK TRIANGLES AT THE TMC HEATS LAST MONTH AND REMINDED US OF OUR LOVE FOR KENTE:

Image courtesy of dvb photography

The original stock design

Image courtesy of dvb photography

Triballery™ was inspired by Kente covered beads found in Ghana and many of our pieces were made using authentic kente cloth stole's (A woman's long scarf or shawl, worn loosely over the shoulders).

Kente Stole

Kente cloth has its origin with the Ewes of the Volta region of Ghana, and was adopted by the Akan people. It is a royal and sacred cloth worn only in times of extreme importance and was the cloth of kings. Over time, the use of kente became more widespread. However, its importance has remained and it is held in high esteem in the Akan family and the entire country of Ghana.

Kente being hand woven in a loom

In Ghana, kente is made by the Akan people (including the Asante, Bono, Fante, and Nzema). Kente is also produced by Akan groups in Cote d'Ivoire, such as the Baoule and Anyin, which trace their ancestry back to Ghana before the rise of the Ashanti Empire. Lastly, Kente is worn by other groups such as the Ewe and Ga who have been influenced by Akans. It is the best known of all African textiles. Kente comes from the word kenten, which means basket. The Akan peoples refer to kente as nwentoma or woven cloth.

That infamous image of Elle Varner looking  Fabulouso in that kente skirt!

The icon of African cultural heritage around the world, Asante kente is identified by its dazzling, multicolored patterns of bright colors, geometric shapes, and bold designs. Kente characterized by weft designs woven into every available block of plain weave is called adweneasa. The Asante peoples of Ghana choose kente cloths as much for their names as their colors and patterns. Although the cloths are identified primarily by the patterns found in the lengthwise (warp) threads, there is often little correlation between appearance and name. Names are derived from several sources, including proverbs, historical events, important chiefs, queen mothers, and plants.



Here are some of our favourite Kente print's in a quilt!:

Meanings of the colors in Kente cloth:

• black—maturation, intensified spiritual energy

• blue—peacefulness, harmony and love

• green—vegetation, planting, harvesting, growth, spiritual renewal

• gold—royalty, wealth, high status, glory, spiritual purity

• grey—healing and cleansing rituals; associated with ash

• maroon—the color of mother earth; associated with healing

• pink—assoc. with the female essence of life; a mild, gentle aspect of red

• purple—assoc. with feminine aspects of life; usually worn by women

• red—political and spiritual moods; bloodshed; sacrificial rites and death.

• silver—serenity, purity, joy; assoc. with the moon

• white—purification, sanctification rites and festive occasions

• yellow—preciousness, royalty, wealth, fertility

We love, Love, LOVE!!!


Kente description text courtesy of Wikipedia

It's a wrap...

YOU MAY HAVE SEEN A FEW JEWELLRY DESIGNS OUT THERE THAT ARE VERY SIMILAR TO OURS AND ALSO USE ANKARA PRINT...
Some highly creative, some complex simplicity others are simply wrapped. 
With wrapped pieces we think why buy when you can DIY?

And so we're going to show you how!

Our local Kente fabric wrapped 'door knocker style' hearts

 Here's one we made earlier...look out for the Tutorial coming soon!!! 

Designer Appreciation - Ugo's Boutique

WE LOVE LIKE MINDED DESIGNERS WHO DO WHAT THEY DO WELL... 

This is why we thought we'd share some of our favourite designers with you here on our blog.

First up - The award winning Ugo's Boutique

We stumbled across Ugo's Boutique whilst part of the Afro-chic Boutique at Afro Hair and Beauty Live and just had to get our hands on one of their afro-vintage coin purses while we were there:

The brain child of designer Ugonna Hosten, Ugo's Boutique stocks African Fabric bags, purses and clutches using oil wax cloth.

Ugo's Boutique rucksack and tote bag

  

Ugo's Boutique Duffle bag

They're wipeable and waterproof which means the fabric will never get dirty and never fade!

Ugo's Boutique rucksack

And they even do bags for men!

Ugo's Boutique Cargo bag

If Ugo's Boutique were catwalk, they'd be Versace - the couture choice for African fabric bags and purses - 100% quality!

To purchase and for more information on Ugo's Boutique, check them out:

Online

On Twitter

On Facebook

 Photo's courtesy of Ugo's Boutique

Mamma Triballery™

So, she's a lil' shy but, we thought we'd introduce you to our Founder and creative Director Pammy B:

PAMMY B IS THE DESIGNER BEHIND TRIBALLERY™ (PRONOUNCED "TRY-BALL-REE"). SHE USES NTUMA/ANKARA MATERIAL TO PRODUCE AFROCENTRIC YET MODERN JEWELLERY DESIGNS.

Pam is a native of Ghana and founded Triballery™ in 2010 when she realised it wasn't enough to only share her passion for jewellery with her friends and family. Working out of her studio in London, Pam creates pieces with intricate materials and embellishments.

She travels every spare moment she gets and her work is inspired by the world she encounters during her travels.

Pam is wearing The popular Large Wrap Hoop Earrings and the local kente waist belt by Triballery™ 
MAKE-UP: N.Y Grant

Pammy B has a passion for fashion and all things Tribal but her background is in Marketing and PR communications...

To get in touch with Pam re. all things Tribal, message triballery@mail.com with 'FAO PammyB' in the subject line.

Top copy courtesy of Le Tabouret D'or

Tribal-who?!

You may have stumbled across this page thinking "Who are Triballery™"???!

Well, we were one of the first for African Fabric jewellery and accessories in the UK. 

And it all started with this pair of earrings back in 2010:

                                                                                             MODEL: Glynis K

                                                                                             MAKE-UP: N.Y Grant
                                                                                             PHOTOGRAPHER: Andrew M
 

Ahhhh memories!

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Triballery™ presents an afro centric yet modern twist on the use of African Fabric – Jewellery.

Pronounced "Try-ball-ree", our brand, whose name derives from merging the words ‘Tribal’ and ‘Jewellery’, incorporates ntuma/ankara African fabric into our range of designs.

Offering stock and one off designs, our bespoke service allows you to choose or

provide your own material, select your own design and have the piece produced uniquely for you, meaning no two pieces are the same.

We describe our distinctive range as “Ntuma modernised”. Ntuma, translated as ‘The cloth’ in Twi, the language of the Ashanti tribe of Ghana, reflects our main inspiration - Africa.

The range was originally inspired by Kente covered beads on the founder’s trip to Ghana.

The Kente, which is the traditional hand woven colourful cloth of Ghana, now features in many of our designs.

Other incorporated fabrics and materials used by us include: Local Kente, Woodin, Hollandais, Dutch Wax, gold wire, filigree pieces, beads and more.

We aim to match the fun, colour and drive of Ghana (being the first African country to gain independence) through its designs, to ensure the same vivacity is reflected on the wearer.

We're constantly developing our designs, a new range of which will feature here first soon!

To order message - triballery@mail.com

For more on Triballery™

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Inspired by Ghana - Triballery™ - “Ntuma Modernised”