• Crafted on the Island of Lamu, Kenya

• Handmade from vintage Tanga’s (100% cotton sail cloths)

• Hand painted

• Water resistant lining with inside zipped top opening

• Cowrie Shell detailing

• Size Apx. 21 x 9 x 16cm

• Please note these beauties are made from vintage fabric and do contain markings. This is not a fault but the nature of the weathered Tanga’s used to construct the bags.

ALI LAMU is the story of Daniela and Ali. Daniela Bateleur was born in Italy. After years of travelling throughout Africa, she arrived in Lamu, in the north east of Kenya. Walking along the beach one day she was approached by a fisherman by the name of Ali, in search of work. Unfortunately, she had nothing to offer him but during the course of their conversation she mentioned to him that she was looking for an old sail cloth that the local fishing dhows used, a Tanga. She felt those old sails were artworks on their own, created by the wind, the salt, the sun and the rain during the course of their ocean lives. The worn beige colouring of the sail was amazing, impossible to reproduce. It was the elements that would become the masters behind this artwork.

From here these two creative minds added paint, motifs and words and the Tanga’s were transformed into unique, hand crafted pieces. Other fisherman would join them, left jobless after the overfished waters of the areas failed to offer enough fruits to supply them with a living. These men and women were retrained in sewing, design and in the sourcing of the Tanga’s and the shells used in the beautiful creations.