At the Kenyan Crafts Company, our mission is to bring beautiful Kenyan & African hand made crafts to the UK market place – From our heritage to your home.
Working closely with skilled artisans, we source and commission products that fuse ancient craft traditions with fresh, contemporary design. It’s a winning combination of old and new that delivers beautiful, durable homewares and stylish accessories that fit perfectly into a modern lifestyle.
The Kenyan Craft Company Ethos
“I’m working with a self-help group of ladies to weave the most beautiful bespoke hand-crafted Kiondo baskets to bring our culture to you.”
– Zipporah van der Vijver
Kenyan Craft Baskets
Our sisal baskets are created using traditional Kenyan basket weaving techniques that have been passed down through the generations and are still practiced by skilled crafts people today. All our baskets are completely handmade in Kenya of pure, sustainably-sourced sisal fibre.
The work that goes into making our baskets is a sincere labour of love that starts with harvesting the sisal plant (Agave sisalana). Its leaves are crushed to extract the fibres, which are dried, dyed with natural colourants and rolled before the weaving process begins.
The baskets we make are of the highest quality—versatile, durable and stylish for modern living. They come in a range of useful sizes and are available in both contemporary and traditional Kenyan colour combinations.
Can be used for home décor, rustic storage, chic organising, plant pot cover or displaying your favourite collections.
We Are So Proud To See Our Beautiful Baskets In Their New Homes Around The World
“I’m a proud Kenyan that was fortunate enough to travel the world as an air hostess. I fell in love with an English man & London is now my home. Travelling made me appreciate the skills and crafts of my heritage and now I have a passion to share these with the world.”
– Zipporah van der Vijver
Kenyan Craft Beaded Dog Collars
For hundreds of years the Maasai people have been using beadwork to embody their culture. Beaded jewellery Is used everyday as adornment to represent wealth, beauty, strength, warriorhood, marital status, age-sect, social status and other cultural traditions. The practice of beadwork is specifically done by women, passed down from mother to daughter.
There are a number of different colours used in Maasai beadwork and each is symbolic of important cultural elements.
Today, we are promoting trade by working closely with the Maasai women, uniting the beadwork tradition with contemporary designs to make our dog collars. Which translates to a good deal for you and fair trade to the craftswoman.
Handmade in Kenya, the collars are beautifully hand-beaded with 100% glass beads, and then hand-stitched on robust but soft cow hide and finished on the inside with a soft goat skin lining. The sturdy, solid brass buckle is hand cast by local artisans using recycled brass.
Kenyan Craft Bags
Uniting traditional basket ‘Kiondo’ weaving technique with the modern woman. The basket bags are a statement of boldness. It’s for the person who is outgoing and appreciates craft. They encompasses all the best features of our handmade sisal basket bags: exquisite design, hand worked leather details, and fine craftsmanship throughout.
They are is fully lined, with a handy inner side pocket. Their long strap is adjustable and the bag can be worn cross body or over the shoulder. The basket bags also comes with sturdy leather handles and a leather flap closure.
Every part of the basket bag is lovingly crafted in Kenya of the finest traditional materials. Purchasing one of these bags supports it’s makers and helps preserve an ancient craft tradition.
A robust and beautiful accessory, the ‘Kiondo’ basket bag is for life.
In our collection, there are a collection of bags that each serve unique purposes, suit different styles and preferences and tell novel stories.
