Spring has Sprung at Mefie!

Spring has Sprung at Mefie with March Madness

Although many are still suffering with snow in North America and rain across the UK, March is generally known as the beginning of spring.  March also marks the beginning of the American basketball playoffs known as March Madness. This year at Mefie, we have decided to run our own March Madness campaigns.  

Throughout the month of March we will host a series of online events with bloggers from around the world.  Adjunct to the online events, we will run give-aways and discount codes to coincide with the other promotional activities which will happen throughout the month. 

To keep abreast of all of our contests follow us on our social media accounts:

www.facebook.com/mefieuk
www.twitter.com /@mefieuk
Instagram.com/mefieuk

FairTrade Fortnight....the story of Foncho   The 24th of February marked the beginning of FairTrade Fortnight.  As an ethical brand we wanted to inform our readers about the initiative for 2014.  This year the Fair Trade organization has launched a campaign to ensure equality in the banana trade and fare wages for farmers.  The campaign highlights issues with UK supermarkets, where the price of bananas has almost halved in the last 10 years.  Hence, the cost of a banana has been reduced from approximately 20p per banana to 11p per banana.   This reduction in price has lead to the depression in wages for farmers and in turn means that many farmers remain in poverty. To find out more about the campaign go to the FairTrade website http://bit.ly/1bTgGCs

Where we'll be in March... This month Mefie will be at various markets around London (weather permitting) so come by and say hi! Fridays and Saturdays in March - Portobello Road Market Sunday, 9th of March - Alexandra Palace Market We also look forward to announcing new stockists and events throughout the month so stay tuned!

MefieUK A Handbag Story - How our tie and dye marbled design is made

Our first video to tell you a little bit more about the Mefie journey and some of the artisans that we work with...we hope you enjoy!

Also follow us on:
    Facebook.com/mefieuk
    Twitter.com/@mefieuk or
     Instagram/mefiieuk

For more stories, updates or discounts!!!

The Hands of Kumasi Central Market

This week I spent a great deal of time in Kumasi Central Market, hence, I wanted to give you a peek into the hustle and bustle of this vast place.  The market was built in 1936 and since it has continued to grow and grow and grow.  It is the largest open-air market in West Africa with over 10,000 stalls and attracts traders from all over Kumasi and surrounding areas.  I have had the opportunity to spend the week in the market and, as always, I was mesmerized by its ebb and flow.  Everyone has their own destination as they walk down the narrow alleyways, yet somehow they work together to keep the market running.

Although I have always been a lover of shopping and I have out-walked most of my family and friends on my quests to find the perfect outfit or original piece-- I have to say that Kumasi market ALMOST defeated me with its vast size.  The thing I love about this market is the grittiness of it --there is no pretense or window-dressing just the goods that stand on their own and so it really strips the retail experience down to the bare essentials of trade without pressure to consume more than is actually needed or intended for that day.   Maybe it is just my experience, but the market is too big and busy to stroll through, so you have to go with a purpose and in order not to get trampled you have to continue to walk with a purpose....no stopping unless you need it. Hence, it limits the constant consumption of goods that plagues us in the 'West'.

...So why the title you may ask?  Well, my mother has always said that 'you can tell how hard someone works by how hard or soft their hands are' (yes I know this precludes all white collar workers but the analogy works in this case) and so I thought that concentrating on the hands of those that are working in the market was very befitting....I cannot attest to whether the hands of the people that I met were hard but I do know that they were busy at work in the HOT Ghana sun and rain or shine they made it work.

The market truly is the lifeblood of the retail sector for Kumasi and the surrounding villages.  If there is any chance that you are going to be able to buy something it will be in the market as it is VAST.  There is an area of men making shoes, clothes, handbags, sewing kente.  There are copious amounts of ingredients freshly prepared and waiting to be consumed, housewares, hairdressing shops, fabric shops etc etc etc.  All are neatly organized into sections where one can go from stall to stall to find exactly what you are searching for.  Adding to the vast number of shops are food and water sellers and stock-people who continuously walk down the winding paths to deliver goods from one place to the next.

As is the case in many other societies and is similar here--there are the owners and there are the workers and I would not be remiss to say that the owners do not have it as hard as the workers.  Those who work for the owners tend to be those from the vastly poorer North of Ghana.  They range from very young girls to older men and rain or shine you will see them working.  For the workers...there is no other way to say it but it is a TOUGH existence--nothing close to anything that my soft hands have encountered.  I consider myself quite a hard worker by Western standards and yet still, I can say, hand on heart, that I don't think that I could do this work but I do have the utmost respect for those that do.

In starting mefieuk I hope to be able to bring about growth in some way and the market embodies the reason why I hope to bring about a little bit of change.  At the moment, there are so many that are working so hard and yet it is evident that they continue to live below the poverty line.  Hopefully with time, and growth our company can continue to work with the artisans and craftsman that are here and up-skill the labour force and ultimately improve peoples livelihoods.

So as always, I am leaving you with some pictures of the hand and people at work.

Enjoy
xx mefieuk

Garment making at its best!

Kente sewing...fist the pieces then the garments

Beautiful Embroidery done from memory 

The shoe making process in the market ...

The great braid and weave experts

  

A new meaning to the working mom...braiding with the babies in tow

Food food and more food....this is dried fish--it is actually very tasty!

Kente - The Bonwire Story

So it has been some time since I have posted a substantial post but with preparations to go to Ghana time has been limited...alas, I am in Ghana and so the adventures have begun!  In my first post from this beautiful country, I have had the opportunity to explore the creation of Kente.  I have been using Kente in my designs since the beginning of mefie.co.uk and there has definitely been a great response to the print.  The intention while I are here is to expand its use re-purposing it in new and exciting ways.  Initially, I had gone to the hub of the Ghanaian retail sector and carefully selected fabrics from the markets but on this trip I wanted to explore where this great traditional weave originates.  It would be a shame not to really explore kente and understand not only where it comes from but what it means.

Kente cloth originated in the Ashanti kingdom and was traditionally worn by the kings.  Even today there are special weaves which are only worn by royalty.  Over time its use has become more widespread although it is still traditionally worn and used for special occasions.  The cloth is woven in strips and each of the woven patterns has a meaning.  As one of the weavers explained yesterday ' they don't just weave for beauty but to communicate a meaning.' Hence, each of the cloths is special and unique in its own right.

So yesterday, I had the opportunity to travel to the main area in the Ashanti region where Kente cloth is produced, Bonwire. The town is only about 40 minutes outside of Kumasi and upon my approach I was surprised by how small and remote the township is.  As many of you may know, Kente is one of, if not THE most famous woven African cloth so I had imagined a large building to house all of the kente weavers.  I can remember watching The Cosby Show in the '80s and seeing Cliff and Claire in various Kente throws so my imagination ran wild.  Instead as we left Kumasi, we were met with two inconspicuous signs which directed us to a small building behind some houses where kente is made. 

After greeting the weavers outside of the building, I entered into a room where I was met with a variety of beautiful weaves as well as various weaving benches.  The craft is dominated by men who create the beautiful patterns.  One weaver explained that although newer designs have been created, many have also been passed down through generations over time.  The price for the kente varies depending on the different type of cloth created (ie. there are single, double and triple weaves), and the intricacy of the designs. I was really surprised to find out that a weave can take anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 months to complete depending on the difficulty.

I also had the opportunity to try to weave and I have to say that if I were to weave for a day I would not have to hit the gym for a while as the process of pulling on the strings with your feet in order to change the direction of the weave while passing the spools of thread through the apparatus is a workout.  After about 5 minutes of weaving my thighs began to feel the burn...and as an avid spinner and Insanity convert I was surprised by the physical labour involved. 

Overall, my trip to Bonwire was an eye-opening experience.  It was great to see how this beautiful cloth has come into existence but sad to know that despite the great popularity and fame of the cloth this area still remains quite underdeveloped.  I will be going back to Bonwire over the next few weeks and hope to have the opportunity to develop a longer terms relationship with the weavers in the area.

I hope you enjoy the journey

xx mefieuk