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

 

 

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!!!