A Touch of Pinki!
“Where did you get that beautiful handbag from?” was initially how I began talking to designer and entrepreneur Jo Kettle, the founder of the bespoke pinki! handbag range. A chance meeting in a trendy hotspot in South London sparked an interest from the attention grabbing article inducing salutations between this pretty blonde and myself, both complete strangers.
The intricate detail on the handbag was apparent and I had the insatiable desire to stroke the beautiful springbok fur. This is the natural response from women Jo chortled at a later date. Stating it was normally followed by a mumbled “is this real fur?” -Which of course it is.
The bags are handcrafted in a South African workshop with the trustworthy International Fair Trade Association status. All of the skins are sourced from socially and environmentally responsible suppliers, where the animals are farmed for their meat and the skins get cast away.
Jo sent me a link to her range (www.pinkihandbags.com) and after devouring all that I could click; I was intrigued to know more. I met up with the infectiously chatty designer and delved into the woman behind pinki!.
I learnt that after years of working in banks, law firms and PR in our country’s capital, Jo felt trapped and her gifted creativity muffled by the uniformed life surrounding her. Having grown up spending holidays in Africa she already had a deep-rooted love of African culture. The seed was sewn when Jo spotted a bag made from the fur of springbok while journeying through South Africa, and she then searched for a workshop in the Eastern Cape to initiate a new idea.
Taking time off from her city job during 2008, Jo put her heart and soul into her new project, designing a range of tactile yet luxurious bags each to a high specification. Every bag has its own distinctive set of markings from the obviously individual springbok skins.
The range includes the classic ‘Kilifi’, (a large day bag or even a baby bag for yummy mummies) perfect for glamorising your regular routine.
The slightly smaller ‘Kimberley’ (a rectangular tote)
and furthermore the wonderfully well thought through ‘Kili Weekender’, a fabulous hold-all which oozes style and creativity, qualities clearly passed on from their designer.
Jo chooses her bag names using an African theme (e.g. Kili = Kilimanjaro) yet beginning with ‘K’ from the first letter of her surname. These bags definitely have an African soul. Pinki is the Swahili word for pink, Jo’s favourite colour.
All the bags are lined with bold slipper satin in an eye-catching range of bold block colours- my favourites have to include the hot pink or burnt orange. The pinki! range offers a degree of customisation; simply specify your preferred skin type (springbok, antelope or cowhide), the bag design and your choice of coloured lining to make your bag inimitable and niche.
Being a high-end designer I was surprised when Jo said she wasn’t interested in having her own boutique, her response a transparent explanation of her entire personality. Something she has come to realise is that she doesn’t want to be tied down in the UK; her spiritual home is in Africa (she spent many years working in Malawi, S. Africa and Uganda). Instead she prefers to concentrate putting her range in the country sector, jazzing up hunting, fishing and shooting outlets all over the country.
Her new season’s collection includes unisex cowhide belts and beautiful springbok cushions.
People just can’t help but notice a pinki! Handbag and Jo has known ladies to gain dates from conversations sprung simply through an interest in the bags.
Jo’s passion for skins has provoked an intention to expand her range and she is already in talks with private reserves in Africa. She hopes to receive discarded skins and horns for a possible accessories range that will compliment her exquisite handbags and belts.
The modest designer left me feeling inspired by her bravery in setting up a new business and also craving the stunning Kilifi day bag, definitely the latest addition to my Christmas wish list!
For your own little taste of Africa-
Contact Jo Kettle – jo@pinkihandbags.com
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