So much of what lands in my inbox gets dispatched with a pretty swift delete (seriously, how many stupid things have I signed up to over the years?) so it was a great surprise to be sent something that is right up my street. Nearfar make clothes using West African fabric, which is one of [...]]]>

So much of what lands in my inbox gets dispatched with a pretty swift delete (seriously, how many stupid things have I signed up to over the years?) so it was a great surprise to be sent something that is right up my street. Nearfar make clothes using West African fabric, which is one of my TRU LUVS 4 EVA and their ethical credentials are pretty impressive. Their AW collection features a more muted palette than your usual selection of pagne fabrics, but the blacks and browns are just the thing to mix up your camel pieces should you have stockpiled heavily on Chloe neutrals. The shapes: shift dresses, minis and pleated trousers, are gently unobtrusive and make me think of those pieces in your wardrobe that creep up and you suddenly realise you couldn’t do without.

I’ve got a great big stash of African fabric waiting to be made into something amazing, I just need to gather up the strength and patience to begin a sewing mission. Boxing Kitten are doing wondrous things with the colourful print and it’s giving me some inspiration to crack out the sewing machine. God knows [...]]]>

I’ve got a great big stash of African fabric waiting to be made into something amazing, I just need to gather up the strength and patience to begin a sewing mission. Boxing Kitten are doing wondrous things with the colourful print and it’s giving me some inspiration to crack out the sewing machine. God knows bustier cups are difficult to do well, who hasn’t tried on a bustier recently that wasn’t pancake-flat or too full? They seem to have got it nailed, wonder what their secret is. Aside from the feminine shapes I’m loving the mannish shirt, it’s reminding me I want to make a contrast shrunken blazer from my stash.

They’re only stocked in the US so far, which is a further kick up the bum for my sewing slackness. There ain’t no excuses (hey, you can’t not love a double negative!) I just need to get a sew on. Can I do it? We shall see.

PS Their recent collab with Osborn shoes is bee-yootiful!

You might have already seen Malick Sidibe’s photographs in the Guardian (thanks for the link Beatriz!), and if you haven’t then why aren’t you reading Rachael’s blog?! I’ve put a few up here because it reminded me I haven’t shared of my own Mali pictures. Last year I accompanied a couple of seasoned Africanophiles to [...]]]>

You might have already seen Malick Sidibe’s photographs in the Guardian (thanks for the link Beatriz!), and if you haven’t then why aren’t you reading Rachael’s blog?! I’ve put a few up here because it reminded me I haven’t shared of my own Mali pictures. Last year I accompanied a couple of seasoned Africanophiles to Mali and Burkina Faso and it was really magical. They’re both Francophone countries so to be somewhere that felt like home but at the same time was utterly foreign made it even better. I tasted pigeon at a roadside café in the dark, got clothes made up, sang ‘Mysterious Girl’ in a waterfall, and saw enough cute children to make your ovaries pop out. Any continent you have never been to will be an eye opener, but these two African countries were really special. It goes without saying that next time I go out the I’m getting a whole wardrobe of clothes.

Woman with tattooed feet at Bobo Dioulassou coach station, fabric at Bobo market.

Amazing ‘pagnes’, cutest smile, Safia Tou, make of the fermented gruel that saved me from sunstroke, three stylish ladies in Ougadougou, car boot Burkina style.

Getting clothes made up in Bobo, they let me go into the back room and see their sewing machines. AMAZE.