Introducing the new Mefie Fall/Winter Handbags and Two for One Christmas Fair Tickets

New Fall/Winter Stock Available Now!

October was a very exciting month at Mefie.  We were back in Ghana working with our team of artisans to construct our new line.  This season we have brought back our ever-popular laptop bags, introduced new designs for our tote bags and have created new versatile clutch purses. We have also introduced new designs to our ever-popular interiors range with new tie and die cushions (seen in the photograph below) as well as new wax print and kente cushion designs for you to enjoy.

As always, the trip to Ghana was amazing, hence, we wanted to share our experiences with our fabulous followers and we have videotaped our artisans to provide more information about the intricacy of their craft.  We are now in the process of editing so the video will be available shortly and we will create another post with a link for you to view.

As well, we had our first photo shoot with models and the pictures are GORGEOUS!  Here is a sneak peak of some of our shots!

Everybody Loves a Discount...So We're Offering One...and a Few Tips   for a New Entreprenuer

Over the last few weeks we at Mefie have had the opportunity to attend a few entrepreneurial events and they have been great networking and learning tools.  We attended the Grazia Magazine workshop 'Stop Talking and Start Doing' with Shaa Wasmund and had a chance to talk to the panel and to ask questions about increasing the awareness of an online business.  There were a few great tips that we took away from the event but in particular, one idea Shaa suggested really resonated with us...she said that we should provide flyers to the customers we meet in person at the markets in order to continue to engage online.  Hence, we developed the flyer below!  Let us know your thoughts!  We also wanted to take Shaa's suggestion a bit further and offer our discount to you our blog readers so  that you can benefit from the discounts provided to offline customers!  Enjoy!

Fall/Winter Product Line

Great words to hear...Discount...Christmas Show Tickets available

It is that time of year again!  November is the start of the  Christmas rush and we at Mefie have begun to attend Christmas Fairs in the lead-up to the festive season.  Believe it or not Christmas is only 6 weeks away!  We just completed our first Christmas market--Spirit of Christmas held from the 5th-10th of November and are about to begin our second show--the Rare Brand Market at Goodwood Race Course in Sussex. For our lovely readers we are offering 2 for 1 tickets to the Rare Brand Show held from the 13-16th of November.  We hope you can come along to our Christmas market and  that it will provide a springboard to your Christmas shopping! Spirit of Christmas ...Wishing you an Afro-chic Christmas! That's all for now!   And remember if you like our business tell a friend to tell a friend...we are new and so need you to help spread the word!

Keeping you up-to-date with the Mefie Newsletter and our new Leather Range!

Hello Folks!  As always we are trying to keep in touch and we have launched a newsletter which we wanted to share...so check it out below! Welcome to our new newsletter! Thank you for following the journey and evolution of Mefie.  It has been an amazing year thus far and we wanted to have the opportunity to share stories about our travels, our makers and us! In this first edition learn about our new leather range and find out a little more about our woven kente cushions. Enjoy!

Introducing the Mefie Leather Range http://www.mefie.co.uk/catalog/leather-collection In September, we at Mefie debuted our new leather line at The London Design Festival.  Continuing our tradition of mixing prints, we have designed our satchel, shoulder bag and orange clutch using our signature mixed print motif.  Each bag combines a digital print imposed onto a hard-wearing fabric then mixed with top grain leathers.  Our plum clutch bag is another unique piece where we have combined suede with a traditional tie and dye from Ghana. In honour of our new range and newsletter, we are offering our customers a 10% discount (ENTER LEA01 at the checkout) on any leather handbag pre-ordered before the 15th of October. The full range will be available to purchase by October 30th both on our website and to view at Portobello Road Market and Alexandra Palace...so get yours before they go!!! Kente, Kente Kente! At the beginning of the year Mefie introduced a line of handwoven cushions using the traditional Ghanaian weave Kente. Our customers loved the vibrant colours and intricate designs featured in our kente cushions.  Since then, we have continued to introduce more designs to the line and so we wanted to share it with you. Kente, and the weaving tradition in West Africa, can be traced back to ancient civilizations as far back as 300 AD.  Legend has it that a man named Ota Karaban and his friend Kwaku Ameyaw from  Bonwire (the leading Kente weaving center in Ashanti), learned the art of weaving by observing a spider weaving its web. After watching the spider, they wove a strip of raffia fabric and later improved upon their skill. They reported their discovery to their chief, who reported it to the Asantehene (The Ashanti King) at that time. The king adopted it as a royal cloth and encouraged its development as a cloth of prestige and hence kente was born.*  Our handwoven cushions are  the epitome of luxury and craftsmanship.  Each cushion is hand-woven in this traditional weave originally made for royalty in Ghana.  Kente is available in a single, double or triple weave.  Each double weave kente cushion combines two patterns woven on a strip loom while our triple weave cushions combine 3 or more patterns and colours to create a beautiful design.  Triple weave kente is created on a strip loom using mainly silk threads while double weaves combine silk and cotton. At Mefie we work with weavers in Bonwire, Ghana who spend up to three months to skilfully create each cloth.  Check out our kente cushions made for kings, queens and you! *The History of Weaving Kente Cloth, http://kente.midwesttradegroup.com/ ...And Finally Our Director's Thoughts Since introducing the kente cushions, many have asked why Kente and so I thought I would share my kente journey.  Although Kente originated in the Ashanti region of Ghana, variations of the weave are also seen in neighbouring countries.  Kente remains the most famous African weave and is known worldwide for its vibrant colours and designs. I grew up in Canada in the '80's, where I saw kente on beautiful women around me, and on TV...especially when watching the Cosby show (an '80's staple).  Hence, I was aware of the significance of kente from an early age.  During my first trip to Ghana, I was so excited to go to the home of Kente but upon my arrival I was saddened to see that the area famed for its beautiful fabric remains largely undeveloped and weavers work hard to attract buyers.  Hence, in using kente, I wanted to find a way to celebrate the beauty of the weave and to share it with as many people as possible...hence the kente cushion was born! My goal is to ensure that all people have the opportunity to appreciate the works.  Cushions will be admired in your home everyday and with a cushion as special as a kente cushion it will have pride of place in any room. Mefie is on the Move!  We are back in Ghana for October so look out for our next newsletter with interviews and more! ...And tell a friend to tell a friend...we are new and need you to spread the word!!!