Bee Friedmann and Amy Fleuriot met in a London park where they had taken their dogs, Hiro and Wolf, for a walk. Tapping from their shared backgrounds, the two formed a business that sources jewellery from Kenya for sale in Europe.
Their business, Hiro + Wolf, is a big deal considering that craftwork is the second largest source of employment in Kenya after agriculture.
The business is a dream come true for the proprietors, who always wanted to work with small-scale crafters, harnessing their skills and creativity while encouraging sustainabile business. They are encouraged by the genuine, enthusiastic approach Kenyan weavers and metal casters have.
“Kenyan crafters can help offer a world inundated by cheap, factory produced works with genuine, handcrafted artifacts,” says Ms Fleuriot.
Both proprietors have backgrounds in art. Ms Fleuriot studied accessories design at London College of Fashion and founded a women’s lifestyle apparel and accessories company — Cyclodelic — before joining hands with Ms Friedmann.
“This background,” she says, “has helped me take a hands on role in creating designs that play to the strength of each artisan group I work with.”
Ms Friedmann’s background is in crafts trade, honed through years of buying and selling wares from her native South Africa.
“In the early 90s,” she says, “I would pile my son and myself in my little Fiat Uno and drive the back roads of South Africa looking for interesting craft projects and also buying off the road side. My car would almost burst with all the spontaneous purchases I made.”
They currently work with 100 disabled artisans, who produce jewellery made from brass and bones, at Bombolulu workshop in Mombasa.
They are assisted by three skilled metal casters in Rongai and a bone carver in Ngong. To ensure sustainability, the duo meets all artisans to understand their source of raw materials. Currently, the aluminium and brass used in casting is from scrap metal, the bones are from butcheries and the baskets are woven from sisal fibre.
Of particular interest to them is Kasigau Women’s Group in Taita; a team that weaves baskets. The women sell the baskets to raise funds to build fences to prevent elephant-human conflict. The profits have also helped the women built permanent houses and take their children to school.
“We were introduced to these amazing women by Robert Mwehe, a conservationist, who is currently studying at Yale University,” says Ms Friedmann. “When we visited, we immediately fell in love with the muted, earthy tones of the kiondo baskets the women weave.”
Their greatest concern at the moment, however, is the Bombolulu workshop in Mombasa, which provides studios for the disabled workers. With current restrictions to foreign tourists at the Coast, the workers are in facing financial difficulties. To add on, a fire outbreak burnt down the workshop in March, destroying property worth Sh6 million.
Hiro + Wolf was launched with a capital of 10,000 British pounds. And from a small customer base, it currently supplies thousands of artifacts all over Europe. In Kenya, they supply jewellery to Kalabash shop in the Village Market and an outlet at the Tribe Hotel.
They sell directly to their UK customers directly from their London stall. Many of their buyers have caught a ‘basket fever’. For the rest of Europe, they have employed a wholesale manager to get the brand out. They currently have three major suppliers for continental Europe.
“We work without middlemen or brokers,” says Ms Fleuriot. “This ensures that artisans earn profits directly. We buy in large quantities to make it fair for both parties and try as much as we can to buy from each group member. For pricing, we double the buying cost, add import duty, VAT and freight charges. We just want to cover the cost of production, shipment and our frequent sourcing trips.”
“Profits are not key,” adds Ms Friedmann. “We just want to touch the lives of the people we work with.”
“Many need training on computer skills, marketing and social media,” says Ms Friedmann. “Advertising should go beyond word of mouth. The government could also reduce shipment charges for large volumes of craft.
“I would also love to see tourist marketing campaigns abroad go beyond the usual maasai art-work to exploring the rich craft diversity amongst Kenyan people.”
Ms Fleuriot adds that casting is a tough job, that exposes people to risks and some form of government-aided health insurance could be provided.
She also wishes to see retail outlets for crafts being created outside the traditional Maasai markets zones.
