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Showing posts with label handbags. Show all posts
Showing posts with label handbags. Show all posts
Wednesday, 12 March 2014
Our first Contest! Enter to Win a new Raffia Tote
Hello Folks! We are happy to announce our first promotion. Mefie has teamed up with ACU BIEN for our first contest to win a handwoven raffia tote bag, perfect for the Spring/Summer season. Below is the link -- ENTER NOW!!!
Wednesday, 1 January 2014
Press Release: The Mefie Leather Range
Introducing the New Mefie Leather Handbag Range
Taking African Print and Design to New Heights
Mefie [mé fíéy which means my home in Twi] began in 2012, as
a lifestyle brand focused on handbags and housewares using African prints and
weaves. The company’s vision is to
create a brand that showcases the beauty of African crafts in a way that can be
appreciated worldwide and to celebrate the craftspeople that make them.
The business first began with a line of wax print cushions
and handbags made in Ghana. Building on the initial success, they introduced a
line of hand-woven goods -- colourful hand-woven raffia totes made in
Madagascar and hand-woven Kente cushions also made in Ghana. Most recently, they have launched their higher
end leather line.
The leather range is designed to be integrated into a women’s
everyday wardrobe while adding an afro-chic twist, commented the designer and
owner, Samantha White. The new leather line is created using
top-grain leathers and suede mixed with tie and dye and digital prints. This range is perfect for the fashion-forward
professional woman who wants a handbag that can take them from work to play and
day to night while still inspired by the iconic prints popularized across the
continent.
The designer, Samantha, created the line after leaving her corporate
role as Business Development Director of a Pharmaceutical Market Research firm. ‘As a working professional, I yearned for
pieces that celebrated my heritage and individuality while being ‘work
appropriate’ she commented. Hence, the
Mefie leather line works to strike that balance—creating beautiful, durable,
mixed print handbags. The leather
satchel is large enough to carry a laptop, while the smaller cross-body bag is
suitable to carry a tablet along with all daily essentials and the clutch bag
is designed for small items needed for a night out.
The full leather range is available on sale now at www.mefie.co.uk as well as at various
boutiques in the UK. For more
information please contact us at info@mefie.co.uk
Photos done by: Nina Kadatko
MUA and Hair: Ekaterina Novinskaya
Models – Nelo Tshi and Daniella Race
Tuesday, 12 November 2013
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 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!
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!
Great words to hear...Discount...Christmas Show Tickets available
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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!
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Thursday, 16 May 2013
Apologies for the long absence....we shall explain...
It has been approximately 6 weeks since we provided an update from mefie.co.uk. We apologise profusely for our silence as we want everyone to share in our journey to make mefie the brand that we know it can be.
We stopped writing the blog during our time in Ghana as we researched production and tried to determine how to manufacture within the country. Overall, we were in Ghana for two months in which time we had the opportunity to meet with various artisans and craftspeople, large-scale fabric manufacturers as well as business-people operating in Ghana. The trip was a great experience -- it was truly eye-opening and we worked hard to establish the right contacts to ensure future growth and success! After exploring various options, we found that although there are a plethora of skilled craftspeople working throughout Ghana -- it is difficult to obtain the consistency in product that is needed to compete in Europe and North America. So we have decided to start small and have found some great artisans with which to work on some of the line, using man-made leathers and cloth while working with more established manufacturers and incorporating cloth made in Ghana in the leather and water-resistant products in the line. So as we continue to grow we have set a longer term goal to move manufacturing to Ghana and expand to other African nations and to train and up-skill the workforce.
So our journey continues... to date, we have succeeded in creating all of our beautiful cushions in Ghana...and they are a hit! After having just returned to the UK a month ago --we have sold out of our kente cushions and we are currently back in Ghana producing more housewares which will be available online, at Portobello and Spitalfields markets as well as in stores where we are currently stocked.
We have also begun working with a great craftsman who has done an amazing job creating our bags! Thus far our new designs have been well-received and again one of our popular orange tote bags has already sold out a mere 4 weeks after coming to market! Again, we are now back creating further handbags to be sold online and in-person!
We have also been listening to our customers who love the African inspired handbags and want accessories for all occasions and seasons. In order to meet this demand we are introducing weather-resistant cloth bags mixed with both real and man-made leather. Our hope is to ensure that our customers can rock our goods both at work and play, rain or shine! Hence, again we are working hard to make this development a reality! At the moment we are not able to produce these bags in Ghana but with growth comes greater possibilities...for now we are partnering with manufacturers who are able to provide the technology needed and for the long term we will look to grow our manufacturing in Ghana and across the African continent.
I hope you enjoy the new line as we introduce them! Thanks to those who have posted on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages we look forward to hearing from many of you over the next few days, weeks, and months!
I hope you enjoy the adventure...I know we are!
PS - here is a sneak peak at some of the leather bags to come as well as some pics of the great work done in Ghana thus far!
xx
mefieuk
Our new leather designs!
Some of the wonderful cloth and bags made in Ghana and designed for you!
We stopped writing the blog during our time in Ghana as we researched production and tried to determine how to manufacture within the country. Overall, we were in Ghana for two months in which time we had the opportunity to meet with various artisans and craftspeople, large-scale fabric manufacturers as well as business-people operating in Ghana. The trip was a great experience -- it was truly eye-opening and we worked hard to establish the right contacts to ensure future growth and success! After exploring various options, we found that although there are a plethora of skilled craftspeople working throughout Ghana -- it is difficult to obtain the consistency in product that is needed to compete in Europe and North America. So we have decided to start small and have found some great artisans with which to work on some of the line, using man-made leathers and cloth while working with more established manufacturers and incorporating cloth made in Ghana in the leather and water-resistant products in the line. So as we continue to grow we have set a longer term goal to move manufacturing to Ghana and expand to other African nations and to train and up-skill the workforce.
So our journey continues... to date, we have succeeded in creating all of our beautiful cushions in Ghana...and they are a hit! After having just returned to the UK a month ago --we have sold out of our kente cushions and we are currently back in Ghana producing more housewares which will be available online, at Portobello and Spitalfields markets as well as in stores where we are currently stocked.
We have also begun working with a great craftsman who has done an amazing job creating our bags! Thus far our new designs have been well-received and again one of our popular orange tote bags has already sold out a mere 4 weeks after coming to market! Again, we are now back creating further handbags to be sold online and in-person!
We have also been listening to our customers who love the African inspired handbags and want accessories for all occasions and seasons. In order to meet this demand we are introducing weather-resistant cloth bags mixed with both real and man-made leather. Our hope is to ensure that our customers can rock our goods both at work and play, rain or shine! Hence, again we are working hard to make this development a reality! At the moment we are not able to produce these bags in Ghana but with growth comes greater possibilities...for now we are partnering with manufacturers who are able to provide the technology needed and for the long term we will look to grow our manufacturing in Ghana and across the African continent.
I hope you enjoy the new line as we introduce them! Thanks to those who have posted on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages we look forward to hearing from many of you over the next few days, weeks, and months!
I hope you enjoy the adventure...I know we are!
PS - here is a sneak peak at some of the leather bags to come as well as some pics of the great work done in Ghana thus far!
xx
mefieuk
Our new leather designs!
Some of the wonderful cloth and bags made in Ghana and designed for you!
Friday, 1 March 2013
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
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
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| Garment making at its best! |
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| Kente sewing...fist the pieces then the garments |
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| Beautiful Embroidery done from memory |
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| The shoe making process in the market ... |
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| The great braid and weave experts |
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| A new meaning to the working mom...braiding with the babies in tow |
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| Food food and more food....this is dried fish--it is actually very tasty! |
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