Fimbi Leather

Claudia Hangara is a craft trader from rural Namibia, raised in a family loving all things leather. Fifteen years ago, when she started her own business, Josephine’s Leather Work, Arts and Crafts, Claudia’s range naturally focused exclusively on handbags, purses, wallets, jewellery and animals made of leather. The leather is sourced locally thereby lending to each item a 100% Namibian identity. As the years passed and her business grew, Claudia slowly incorporated other items into her range of products such as rawhide sandals of springbok hide, wire craft, dolls, key-rings and beaded products. Claudia Hangara has a unique set of skills in Windhoek and a visit to her stall in the Namibia Craft Centre is compulsory if you are looking for a beautiful animal hide to decorate and compliment your home or office.

At Rosa Marukuavi Kahuna’s stall visitors will find a provocative collection of eco-friendly, low-cost jewellery handmade from natural materials such as glass beads, calabash, bone, horn, seeds, even recycled paper. Rosa was taught how to make ear, neck and arm/wrist adornments by the previous owner. She now manages and stocks the stall herself, expressing her fine sensitivity for the diverse preferences of customers who desire a combination of contemporary and rural traditional designs. Hand-painted leather key-rings, wooden and ostrich shell hairclips, handmade greeting cards and an assortment of wire-craft are also available. Rosa also supports home-crafters by purchasing selected items from them she knows will suit her particular group of customers, and in so doing, has stimulated a small, mutually beneficial eco-system around her stall.

Glenda Meinert produces original wildlife and figurative art on high-quality, hand-selected leather. Every piece is different and due to the nature of leather, requires careful planning in composition, layout, design and selection. She draws inspiration from African, Namibian wildlife and landscapes. Glenda started her working career as a designer and pattern-maker at Nakara, Namibia’s largest tannery and producer of leather products, where she designed national costumes for Miss Namibia. In her spare time, she experimented with leather offcuts, produced greeting cards and small landscapes which were presented to friends. Encouraging positive responses induced Glenda to experiment with leather on larger landscapes and finally led to the creation of wildlife art. Her first exhibition in 1998 was a great success.