With love from Ghana: home and fashion accessories from SOLOKO

They combine the beauty of Ghanaian handicrafts with the aesthetics of contemporary European design: the products of SOLOKO. Their mission is to preserve the traditions and values of Ghanaian craftsmanship and make them visible to the global market. In doing so, they contribute their flair for modern and timeless design and create very personal favourite pieces - made by talented artisans under fair and social conditions in Ghana.

The making of SOLOKO: A journey through Ghana's craftsmanship

The story of SOLOKO begins in 2018 when Antje Schubert, the founder of SOLOKO, travels to Ghana. During her stay, she got involved in various projects in the Volta region in Ho. The close cooperation with SAFE Ghana and its founder Kofi Avumegah then led to the idea of founding a company to make a long-term commitment in Ghana and contribute to the economic development of the local private sector. From the beginning, the aim was to combine two worlds: on the one hand, to preserve the traditional craftsmanship and thus the cultural heritage, and on the other hand, to market and export the products in order to ensure long-term and sustainable business growth for the local handicraft enterprises.

The heart of SOLOKO is their own workshop in Ho, which is also the headquarters of their partner company SOLOKO Ghana Concepts Ltd. Here they design and produce products and train staff. From here they also work with small independent manufacturers, artisans, independent sewers and communities in Ghana. Each of them has specialised in different traditional crafts over many years and generations, including kente weaving, batik, the processing of recycled glass into bead and glass products, traditional carving and basket weaving with elephant grass.

SOLOKO's textile products, including cushions, blankets and throws, have one thing in common: they are all based on the tradition of Kente weaving of the Ewe culture in the Volta region of Ghana and are made with traditional looms in Ghana. They are characterised above all by their traditional patterns, but at the same time are brought into the modern age through fine adjustments and colours.

SOLOKO also presents unique hand-blown products made of recycled glass by artisan Michael Tetteh. They are made exclusively from recycled glass waste from bottles, window panes or TV screens, which Tetteh collects from scrap yards and landfills in Ghana's capital Accra, thus reducing glass waste in Ghana. The results are unique glass products with Michael Tetteh's special signature: whether vases, drinking glasses, carafes or glass coasters - each mouth-blown piece has a special character.

For the baskets, the artisans at SOLOKO use the robust and fibrous plant Veta Veta (elephant grass) as weaving material. "For our beautiful hand-woven products, we work very closely with Atampoka Crafts, a group of weavers from Bolgatanga and the surrounding local communities, made up of family and friends. The weaving in the form of baskets, bags or other products is an important means of securing the livelihoods of these communities" reports Antje Schubert.

From the very beginning, SOLOKO is involved in the production of the products - be it in the design process, in the selection of materials, in the quality assurance of the realisation up to the finished product. In doing so, they cultivate a close collaboration with talented artisans that is mutually beneficial and based on deep personal relationships.

SOLOKO

Palais | Stand 205

You can find more information about SOLOKO at www.soloko.com And on Social Media:
https://www.facebook.com/soloko.design
https://www.instagram.com/soloko.design/