Mona’S Creations

Grit Bottcher, a master goldsmith, started Ekipa Gold Design a little more than thirteen years ago. The designs found at her stall are very intriguing styles, combinations and compositions of handmade jewellery pieces, indicative of a particular aesthetic which has proved tremendously popular and enduringly stylish. Grit is a perfectionist and this quality manifests itself in the perfect geometry and smoothness of many of the jewellery pieces. Her particular aesthetic also lends itself to extremes and opposites: a sensuality incorporating the tactile and soft in material, combined with the cold hardness of silver, bronze, aluminium and gold. Her love for all things naturally Namibian lies at the core of every piece of jewellery, for example an enticing selection of fur-rings, springbok and Nguni hide fur-pendants, ostrich-shell pendants, seeds and recycled glass beads all set in either silver, aluminium or gold make for eye-catching, interesting jewellery with a fine.

Rita Bankie, a qualified teacher from Ghana started to explored her innate appreciation for vibrant colour, quality fabrics and established Lord ‘J’ Dyeing House in 1996. With three seamstresses and coupled with a steely determination to present customers at the stall in the Namibia Craft Centre with high quality products, Lord ‘J’ Dyeing House offers an array of fabric-based goods unique and rare in design. In addition to fine kente cloth from the Ashanti Kingdom in Ghana, they also stock a variety of hand-painted fabrics, carefully selected by Rita, who utilises her trained eye to identify outstanding talent and workmanship. The fabrics are either sold per piece or value-added with decorations, cut and sewn into dresses for children, utility bags, cushion covers, table runners, tablecloths, potholders, placemats, shirts and apparel for adults. Lord ‘J’ offers a fascinating variety of African fabrics and high-quality, 100% cotton products.

Petra Naruses is the creative mind behind a range of wired, beaded and recycled light-fittings, lampshades, mobiles and decorative craft for the home. Using recycled material such as beer-bottle tops, caps, wire, bicycle tyres, makalani shells and old zinc sheets, Petra creates a remarkable variety of popular lampshades and light-fittings. Combining rural Namibian colour palettes (earthy browns, rusty reds, sandy tans) with bright, shiny wire-mesh or dulled rusted wire, lends an almost otherworldly ‘look and feel’ to the mobiles and light-fittings. The handmade light-fittings in particular are versatile enough to stylishly compliment the interiors of both chic urban and elegant, rural farmsteads. The natural materials (acacia seeds, old zinc, pips, pods, and driftwood) combined in the making of the mobiles, a welcome addition to any home, betray an artistically-oriented patterned organisation.

Self-taught designer and owner of Fimbi Leather, Elsie Imhof, has successfully harnessed her background as tour guide to express a deep-seated appreciation for the Namibian outdoors and her knowledge of a variety of animal hides to create a popular range of eye-catching and attractive leather products. Each item is unique and therefore a leather lover and collector’s dream. Imhof started Fimbi Leather Art four years ago after a successful art exhibition and to this day, still draws inspiration for product design from her immediate environment. There are no frills and fusses to the designs; these are merely good-quality hides converted into well-made, sturdy items, perfect for everyday use. Case in point, her range of leather book covers are statement pieces, carefully stitched to reveal the great quality and selection of flawless leather, perfectly complimenting any top-level executive’s stationery.