Inspire, Awake, Motivate
This weekend Mary Ward House in central London will be transformed into a textile capital for one day only, as the Selvedge Winter Fair gets underway. The exhibitors at the fair have been hand-picked to match Selvedge's values: promoting traditional and contemporary artisanal skills, providing excellent design, and demonstrating social responsibility.
The name QÄSA QÄSA stems from an Amharic (Ethiopian) word that roughly means inspire/awake/motivate. Naeema and Aniqah, the founders of QÄSA QÄSA were inspired by their Ethiopian heritage and decided to learn more about artisan skills of Eastern Africa.
The brand was born in 2015 and seeks to support traditional craftsmanship by offering collections of beautiful and one-of-a-kind items for the home. Naeema and Aniqah have partnered with exceptional artisans, NGOs and community groups in Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Malawi to design and source unique products that combine traditional skills with modern design. All of their pieces are meticulously handcrafted using local and indigenous materials and take into account sustainability and ethical production. The QÄSA QÄSA collection ranges from utensils and serve-ware made from wood and horn, as well as textiles that show off the best of African cotton and eri silk.
QÄSA QÄSA also offers a range of basket-ware made from locally grown grasses, and glass storage jars made using re-purposed wine bottles - a great example of contemporary fusion combined with functionality. Each item is either designed or hand-picked by Naeema and Aniqah, who take care to present the stories behind every product and its maker. The QÄSA QÄSA collection celebrates the creativity of each region and showcases the new and contemporary edge to current African design.
QÄSA QÄSA will be exhibiting at the Selvedge Winter Fair on 1 December 2018. To find out more about the event and to book your ticket, click here. You can get 2 for 1 tickets with the code FAIR2FOR1.