944

Going Green With Grassroots Gear

Inspired by the beauty of earth’s raw, natural elements, The Leakey Collection combines the purity of nature with careful, handmade craftsmanship to produce a line of beautiful accessories that come straight from the East African bush to the bustling, Western jewelry market. Founded in 2001 by Katy and Philip Leakey, The Leakey Collection (TLC, for short) was created out of a mutual love and respect for interior design, fashion and African culture.
Launching their first sales in the interior home accessories market, the Leakeys successfully sold 4.5 miles of handsewn Passementerie (a French term for lampshade trimmings) to Samuel and Sons in New York in 2002. The trimmings utilized all-natural materials, such as grass tassels, coconut leaves, fallen African hardwood beads and ceramic.
Handmade by the African Maasai people, the beautifully crafted Passementerie helped catapult The Leakey Collection into the international housewares market in a huge way, standing out as one of the few brands of its kind that incorporated raw materials into its products.
After the Leakeys’ initial success with their lampshade fringe, the Maasai women went on to create the Leakey Zulugrass collection in 2003 — a line of grass-beaded jewelry which has since been developed and embellished even further to encompass a wide variety of designs and all-natural materials.
Now in its eighth year, The Leakey Collection is making quite a bold statement not only in the ecologically conscious community but also in the world of fashion and interior design. Yet, aside from their monetary success, the Leakeys have stayed true to their ultimate goals: providing work for the rural Maasai women of Africa while bringing contemporary, eco-friendly, fair-trade products to the market.
“One of our other goals is to bring the world closer together,” says Katy. “Not only are women in the United States learning about the culture of the Maasai, but our neighbors here [in Africa] are being educated about the West. Our business is truly a partnership between the stores that carry our line, the women who buy our products and the Maasai women themselves.”
Working with local communities to develop and sustain the use of indigenous materials has been the main purpose from the very beginning for the Leakeys. Maasai women are trained in a variety of skills that allow them to be flexible with their job duties, ultimately enabling those who work full-time to rake in a sizeable income and provide a comfortable living for their families. Says Katy, “A woman who chooses to work full-time for us (approximately 30 hours per week) can earn enough income in a month to feed her family for entire year.”
The Leakey Collection’s jewelry line is divided into two segments: Zulugrass and Zuluwood. Both are comprised of handmade, one-of-a-kind beading using raw grass and wood from Africa. Among the collection’s most popular products are the Zulugrass 26-inch strands crafted from sustainable grass beads mixed with glass beads and strung on durable elastic. Zulugrass and Zuluwood strands are stylish and versatile and can be worn as necklaces, bracelets, anklets, hair accessories and more.
As one of the 12 finalists in the 2008 BBC World Challenge and as speakers at the World Export Development Forum in Switzerland, it is evident that The Leakeys are truly making an impact on a global scale. From providing jobs for women in small African villages to supporting the production of eco-friendly, fair trade goods to simply delivering high-quality, all natural jewelry and house wares to the international market, the Leakey team is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to steering the world in a greener direction.
Look hot and buy responsibly at www.theleakeycollection.com