From a little coastal town just outside of Cape Town, Soul Design is the latest designer to arrive on AKOJO MARKET. We have launched a capsule collection of their gold plated jewellery. Created with talented artisans, each piece is handmade using local materials and encapsulates modern African creativity.
AKOJO MARKET caught up with founders Abi and Vic to find out more about the ethos and workings behind Soul Design:
For our community, can you share how Soul Design was established?
I, Abi, started Soul Design over 10 years ago – I was working in the middle of nowhere in Zambia for a hand painted batik textiles company and started making jewellery with a small group of women every Sunday and selling locally to safari camps. From there and as a result of lots more travelling in Africa and connecting with artisans, the idea of Soul Design as a brand started to emerge and grow. The rest they say is history!
What is the Soul Design ethos?
We believe in creating beautiful jewellery for women who love fashion and appreciate wearing pieces that have a soul and story. We get to know, on a personal level, all of the artisans and people in the making and creating of our pieces. We pay fairly, we believe in a creating a safe and happy workspace and we believe creativity should be fun! And, we believe in highlighting the diversity of Africa’s creativity and the people and craft behind it.
How do you approach collaborating with local artisans?
We tend to have met our artisans through an organic meeting – a curiosity that lead us to seeking them out or a conversation at a market where we then started working with them more….at Soul we are all about finding people who we connect with and feel there is a natural flow of enthusiasm, creativity and connection of making beautiful pieces together. That’s why we love working with African creative entrepreneurs; we believe that encouraging entrepreneurship is an area that represents the future of Africa and that creativity is the natural heartbeat of Africa.
You talk a lot about the nomadic spirit in your community. What does nomad mean to you?
A Soul Nomad is someone with a gentle confidence and curiosity about exploring the World. Someone who appreciates the stories, the people and the small details, that feel new to them.
What's it like balancing being co-founders and family?
Abi: Talking from my side, I love it – of course, it has the the careful balance of two sides, but for me, it creates more trust, stability and feels more like we are creating a brand from a sense of home and family.
