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Tribal Drum - March 2013

Written By Marketing Tribal Textiles - March 03 2013

THE TRIBAL DRUM

March 2013

March is always an exciting month at Tribal Textiles as we welcome our artists back after the rains. 2013 has been no exception, and with a production schedule filled with orders from around the globe, there is plenty to keep us busy. It’s wonderful to see our workshop bubble with music, laughter and creativity as friends come together again for a new year.

This month we wanted to share one of our star sellers of 2012 with you – the stunning Ladies and Warriors in Massai. Ladies and Warriors was one of the first Tribal Textiles’ designs to be created back in 1991. In 2012 we thought it was about time these lovely ladies and wise warriors had a makeover, so working with our artists, we updated the design to include colourful clothing details, funky African jewellery and of course, spears and knobkerries for our brave warriors. The vibrant Massai colourway has given the design a whole new lease of life, and we are thrilled that our Ladies and Warriors will enter their 20s with such style and panache.

Did you know… that the national bird of Zambia is the beautiful African Fish Eagle? Fish eagles are large birds of prey with wingspans measuring over 2 metres. In the Luangwa Valley they are often spotted swooping majestically over fish-filled lagoons and for many visitors, their unmistakable call is the sound of the African bush. The eagle is so iconic that it appears on the Zambian national coat of arms, where it represents the freedom of Zambia and the ability of the country to rise above its problems.

After the success of our Tribal Textiles Art Safaris in 2012, we are thrilled to welcome more amateur artists to our workshop this Easter. Kids and adults alike love joining our experienced artists to hand paint their own textiles with our stunning range of colourful water-based fabric paints. When these unique textiles have finished drying in the African sun, we bake them and then sew them into beautiful momentos for our visitors to take home; a lasting memory of their time on safari.

Tribal Art Safaris are not only great fun; they have a conscience too, with a donation from every booking going to our local community school Malimba. For 2013, all money raised will go towards buying art supplies for the 160 children who currently attend Malimba School, so they too can have the opportunity to explore their imaginations and bring their ideas to life through art.

I

It’s all change for Tribal Textiles’ management in 2013, with new roles for some, and new horizons for other. After spending a year as our wonderful General Assistant, Marie is now taking on the role of Production Manager. With her background in art and architecture, Marie is thrilled to be in the thick of developing new designs and colourways for 2013. Rosie has moved to Sales and Marketing this year, where she will be working with our many wonderful stockists. And last but not least, Kate headed for pastures new in February 2013 after 5 years with Tribal Textiles. It was with some trepidation and lots of tears that we bid her farewell, but we are thrilled that she will be following her passion for designing jewellery by working full-time for Mulberry Mongoose. Kate will have another new job in May when she becomes a mum for the first time too! We wish her every happiness and success for the future.

Last but not least, we are happy to kick off 2013 by introducing one of our very special Tribal Textiles’ staff members, Paul Lungu. Paul began working with Tribal Textiles as a gardener in 2000, and his positive outlook and fantastic work ethic soon marked him out for promotion to Head Groundsman and Storesman. Paul has 6 children, and he’s proud that his son Jeff also works with Tribal Textiles in our painting department.

Paul’s favourite part of his job is the variety – one day he finds himself decorating the Tribal Textiles shop, the next plumbing, another tending our vegetable garden, and of course always capably managing the company’s stores. When asked if he ever gets lonely holding the fort during the rains when the workshop is closed, Paul says he doesn’t mind, as after 13 years he’s used to it. We think he also secretly likes being in charge of the Tribal Textiles sound system, where he loves to mix up the Zambian tunes with his favourite – James Brown!

2013 is set to be one of Tribal Textiles’ busiest years yet, and we look forward to keeping you abreast of all our work via our newsletters and Facebook page. From the whole Tribal Textiles team, thank you to all our fantastic stockists and clients for your support of this wonderful business in the heart of the African bush.

Tribal Drum - December 2012

Written By Marketing Tribal Textiles - December 12 2012

THE TRIBAL DRUM

DECEMBER 2012

It is hard to believe that 2012 is drawing to a close and that we are buttoning down the hatches in preparation for the rainy season. After the initial few large storms we have already seen the advancement of millions of bugs and started to fix the leaks in our roofs before the full weight of the African rains is upon us!

The year has flown by and we are extremely proud of all that has been achieved. Our Production Team hit an all time high in the value of stock created, our core retail outlets have gone from strength to strength and we have welcomed exciting new wholesale clients in fresh countries including the Czech Republic, South Africa, Namibia and Japan.

This year has seen the launch of top selling designs in fresh colourways such as Various Animals in Earth and Raindance in Festive as well as the revamping of the kids Captain Zulu design and the brightening of our Cherry Blossom colourway. Our latest design Bubble has been very well received and our newest range of kids’ satchels, handbags, passport bags, wash bags, pencil cases and purses are literally flying off the shelves!

In addition the Amaizing Bag project has so far raised over $2500 for the extremely effective Mfuwe based charity Project Luangwa. Started earlier this year our aim was to recycle the iconic Zambian maize sac into trendy, practical bags with Tribal’s trademark flare.

Through the huge support of local Safari lodges, retail clients and passionate wholesale clients such as Elm Tree School in the UK and our latest stockist Jennifer Kawatu in the US we have been delighted with the positive response to such a worthwhile initiative.

The Amaizing bags were also a hit at the annual Zambian Art and Design Show where over $3000 was made by the hard work of Project Luangwa founder Jo Pope and Project Coordinator Karen Beattie.

The ZADS Christmas Fair, based in Lusaka, was attended by nearly 2000 people and we were delighted by the positive response with our stand having the most successful year yet. Our textiles were beautifully displayed and our iconic kids’ designs, new kids’ products and funky Teepees, our beautiful and unique Tribal Art pieces and latest designs such as Bubble and Jungle Leaf all contributed to the success.

Did you know……Zambia’s name comes from the Zambezi River and the word Zambezi originates from the local word ‘yambezhi’ meaning ‘heart of all’. This name could explain why Zambians are recognized as being amongst the most hospitable; in Zambian culture it is expected that people call in unannounced and friendly conversation is recognized as a favourite past time, with a particular emphasis put on storytelling.

2012 has also been a ground breaking year for our Workshop Manager Moses Musa. He celebrates his twentieth anniversary with the company and has been with Gillie since Tribal Textiles’ very beginning. As a young married man of 20 years old Moses was forced to give up school due to lack of sponsorship. Luckily Gillie identified his potential when he was working as a kitchen porter in Luawata Camp where she lived. He was only the second person she employed for her start up textile project. Moses showed great talent for not only the creative side of Tribal Textiles, where he made an excellent starcher, but also as a manager. As Tribal grew so did Moses’ role and soon he found himself heading up a team of six artists. He thinks fondly back to those early days and says he loved being so involved in the design work and so hands on with the creative process.

Tribal Textiles kept growing and, in 1998, Gillie decided to move to the much more accessible Mfuwe area where there was a tar road and a small airport. With these simple amenities she had the basics needed to make Tribal Textiles an internationally recognized business. Moses moved with her and as the workshop grew so did his managerial experience; he now manages 100 artists. When asked about his favourite Tribal Textiles memory Moses thinks fondly back to the days when Gillie would sweep into work like a force of nature, throw cotton down in front of the artists and tell them to draw anything they wanted and to be as creative as they could!

We cannot help but be excited about 2013 already! Not only are we already receiving wholesale orders and planning our schedule but we have many new designs and projects up our sleeve. We are also very excited to be working with our sister company Jackal & Hide www.jackalandhide.net to enable wholesale clients to combine the freight of our beautiful hand painted textiles with stunning handmade leather bags and accessories.

For now we wish you a very Happy Christmas and hope that you have a prosperous and healthy New Year! The whole Tribal Textiles team would like to thank you for your continued support of our wonderful company in the heart of the African bush.

Tribal Drum - August 2012

Written By Marketing Tribal Textiles - August 13 2012

THE TRIBAL DRUM

August 2012

Much has happened at Tribal Textiles since we last wrote; we have tested many new products and designs, dispatched orders around the globe and got involved in philanthropic community projects.

As our stockists plan ahead for the Christmas sales we could not resist relaunching our ever popular Festive designs. After a fun day’s photo shoot with Santa hats, Christmas music and crackers we even convinced ourselves that it was December until we stepped back out into the August sunshine! To spark up our Christmas offering we are delighted to introduce the ever popular Raindance design in our vibrant Festive colourway.

Understanding that Christmas is a special time for children we have expanded our kids’ designs and products ensuring this years’ stockings will be filled to the brim. Our Captain Zulu design has been revamped adding in fun characters from brightly coloured fish, to friendly crabs and smiling crocodiles. We now offer our best selling Safari Fun design in the girly Cherry Blossom colourway and we have created new and stunning kids products from pencil cases to purses, bags and wash bags.

After we proudly watched the Zambian Football team win the Africa Cup of Nations, Tribal Textiles were approached by a local Mfuwe football side asking for sponsorship. They had just been promoted into the Federal Association of Zambia’s National League, Division 3. However, this involved more travel which they could ill afford. As a team they have played with passion and conviction despite having no football boots, no kit and only one football to train with.

Tribal Textiles decided to lend support especially as some of our staff’s children are members of the team. We agreed to contribute to food and transport for away matches and in return they help in the Tribal grounds once a week. We also bought them two footballs and a full football kit. Our sewers were delighted to add the branded Tribal Textiles patches to each shirt. The team is now 7th out of 12 in their new league and their success is proudly followed by a football loving local community

If football is the primary passion for many Zambians music must come a very close second. Tribal Textiles were a Primary Financial Sponsor at the incredible Nkalango! Concert held on 21st July in Mfuwe. A concert organised by the Chipembele Wildlife Education Trust to raise conservation awareness through the universal medium of music. It was no small event, attended by roughly 5000 spectators, Zambia’s top artists performed including Ruff Kid, Peterson, Impi, Judy and Slap Dee. The artists mixed conservation messages with contemporary songs whilst local children from the Education Programme also had their chance to perform on stage. It was a huge success and a CD of the event is being launched and sold in Lusaka.

Tribal Textiles’ staff loved the day and were over the moon when all the artists visited their workshop the day before their performance. Quite by chance their favourite singer, Peterson, was playing on the stereo at the same time! It also brings back memories of a very special manager at Tribal Textiles, Jo Harris, who organized a music concert to raise HIV awareness. Jo sadly died young but her passion for the people of Mfuwe lives on through her mother’s charity ‘Make me Smile’ set up in her memory. Make me Smile donates generously to the local Malimba School which Tribal Textiles support.

Last but not least we would like to introduce one of our many special staff members. Ruth Chilepa joined us as a sewer in 2007 and thanks to her work ethic and desire to learn was promoted to ‘Head of Finishing’ in our Sewing department in 2010.

As is often the case Ruth’s life outside of work is not easy. Her sister died in 2005 leaving behind three orphans, Sandra, Violet and Emmanuel. Ruth is proud of how the kids are doing in school and she runs a small business selling clothes from her home to help pay their school fees.

When asked why she works for Tribal Textiles she explained ‘It is a good place, with good people, management and good everything’.

It is hard to believe that in August we are already thinking so far ahead, but as our production schedule fills with Christmas orders we are starting to plan for the annual Zambian Arts & Design Show and are even brainstorming new and exciting designs for 2013!

Did you know… a lion’s roar can be heard up to 5 miles away? In addition lion can run for short distances at 50 mph and leap as far as 36 feet. That said lions are also known to be able to sleep for up to twenty hours a day!

Tribal Drum - April 2012

Written By Marketing Tribal Textiles - April 10 2012

THE TRIBAL DRUM

APRIL 2012

We have had a busy start to 2012 and are excited about the upcoming projects throughout the year. Thanks to some great new orders placed by our loyal national and international stockists we were able to welcome our full team of artists back in March. It was wonderful to have the Zambian music blaring out once more and to see Tribal Textiles come alive after production closed for the rainy season.

Working Hard!

With our usual Tribal spirit we kicked off the year with a long list of creative projects; there are plans afoot for a new kids design and new contemporary and organic designs to keep things fresh for you. We were delighted by the enthusiastic response to the new Safari and Contemporary bag ranges and are now pleased to announce the re-launch of our iconic Tribal Art design available in four stunning colourways Fire, Sky, Smoke and Earth and in two design styles, block and stripe!

Boat and Wall Hanging

Flying Wall Hanging

Did you know…Zambia’s football team, or 'Chipolopolo' as they are affectionately known, beat the odds to win the Africa Cup of Nations this year. In an intense game they won against the favorites, Ivory Coast, 8-7 on penalties after extra time. This match was particularly significant because in 1993 Zambia’s most talented football team were tragically killed in a plane crash on their way to play in the same competition. The Zambian coach explained it was the memory of those exceptional players that gave his team the strength to win and it was an event much celebrated across this football fanatic nation!

Weaving in front of a wall hanging

With so many new designs and colourways we felt it was important to enlarge our already spacious flagship store to accommodate them all. With the ever increasing demand for our celebrated Kids Range we have extended our shop to include a kid’s bedroom where clients, of all ages, are found getting lost in their imagination surrounded by brightly coloured African animals and fairies in cherry blossom! We have also extended our front showroom so guests are fully immersed in the colourful world of Tribal Textiles from the moment they step into our shop.

New Kids Room

Tribal textiles decorated room

2012 sees new members joining our team. Rosie, having cut her teeth as Retail Manager in 2011, has embraced the challenge of becoming our new Production Manager. Lucy, after five years of running reservations and guest relations at a local Safari lodge, has taken on the mantle of running our three shops. We also welcomed our new assistant Marie who, returning to her Zambian routes after her Design & Architecture degree in Belgium, is turning her hand to an array of different projects from management and photography to administration and computer skills. It would not be fair to mention our staff developments without talking about our four new Tribal cats Eeny, Meeny, Miny and Mo. Originally recruited to hunt rats it quickly became obvious that they were better suited to a more relaxing career. They fill their days reclining in our shops only snapping to attention when guests arrive and lavish them with affection – the Tribal rats are delighted!

Making an Amaizing bag

We are particularly excited to introduce a new Tribal Textiles project. Our Director, Gillie Lightfoot, realized she wanted to use Tribal Textiles’ expertise to give more back and after talks with The Zambian National Milling Corporation about their desperate need to dispose of old Maize or ‘Mealie Meal’ sacs she initiated our ‘Amaizing Bag’ project. Gillie set to work creating fun, durable and trendy designs using the used sacs. Tribal Textiles then employed and trained three local ladies, Dorica, Naomi and Adella, to create the ‘Amaizing Bag’ range. The stunning bags are now on display in the Tribal Textiles flagship store and plans are afoot to distribute them across Safari Lodge curio shops. We will also be launching them to our export market. The beauty of our ‘Amaizing bags’ is that they are not only a truly Zambian bag, made by local Zambians using Zambian ‘Mealie Meal’ sacs, but the profit from every sale is also donated to an incredible local charity, Project Luangwa. Project Luangwa’s mission is to give back to the local community of Mfuwe whilst protecting the unique wildlife of this area; to find out more you can visit their website www.projectluangwa.org.

Amaizing bags

Our next three months promise to be busy and we look forward to launching our new website along with some beautiful new Tribal designs. In the meantime we hope you will follow us on Facebook under ‘Tribal Textiles South Luangwa’. We will look to keep you abreast of our day to day activities and the highs and lows of running a textile and design company deep in the African bush!

Dzikomo Kwambiri

Tribal Drum - December 2011

Written By Marketing Tribal Textiles - December 14 2011

THE TRIBAL DRUM

DECEMBER 2011

As the rainy season begins and we draw closer to Christmas we wanted to look back over the years’ many highs in this second edition of the Tribal Drum. 2011 has been a great success and seen the development of stunning new products, designs and colourways as well as individual staff achievements and new Tribal Textiles’ stockists opening up worldwide.

Feather Range

Feathers Range

As ever we have continued with our creative development. Due to the incredible feedback we received from our last newsletter we are launching our Butterfly design which will be available across our whole product range in hot pinks. We have revived the iconic Feather design by launching it in the smoke colourway and have experimented with a new flower design called Lily in a powerful new colourway called Peony.

ZADS fair products

We were also delighted to have yet another very successful year at the Zambian Art and Design Show (ZADS). This show was founded by our Director, Gillie Lightfoot, with the help of artists Charles Barr and Butterfly Bishop. An annual event dating back to 2008, the Fair started in Gillie’s back-garden and has now grown into the largest one day craft event in Zambia. This year it was in central Lusaka under huge marquees with thousands of residents and tourists coming to do their Christmas shopping whilst also enjoying food, beverages and festive entertainment (www.zambianartanddesignshow.com). Gillie helped us create a stunning stand featuring some of our latest designs. Our products were very sought after and we were rushed off our feet helping clients find their perfect Tribal Textiles piece.

ZADS Fair designs

Did you know that Tribal Textiles is one of the largest employers within the Mfuwe area in Zambia? In peak season we employ over 100 workers. On average every worker employed has at least 6 dependants meaning, through supporting Tribal Textiles, you will be positively impacting the lives of over 600 people. So in traditional Zambian thanks we would like to say Zikomo Kwambili.

Mixing Paint

After such a positive 2011 it was important to thank those responsible for helping Tribal Textiles to flourish. Our annual Workshop Christmas Party took place on Saturday giving our artists, handy men and shop staff time to enjoy a Christmas meal, drinks and to relax in Zambian style. Prizes for outstanding achievement and contribution were awarded for each department and three employees also received additional bonuses for their incredible attendance record – in 9 months of production they missed not a single day of work. The Tribal Choir also made a welcome return entertaining staff with African tunes for the event!

Prize Winners

Whilst all our artists have worked hard we wanted to highlight the incredible work done by Tereser Mbewe in this newsletter. Tereser works tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure her dispatch team sends the correct order at the right quality to our stockists worldwide. Tereser has had a tough life, although by her warm smile each morning you would never know. She was a single orphan at the age of 6 and the youngest of 12 siblings. Tereser was lucky enough to find work with Tribal Textiles in 1991, having tragically lost 8 siblings, and as the only bread winner her job was essential as she supports 4 orphans and her mother.

Tereser started out at Tribal Textiles as a stock controller where her sense of calm and eye for detail lead to her promotion to the Sewing Department in 2003 where she worked for 7 years. In 2010, she was promoted to Head of the Dispatch Department which she runs with astounding efficiency! Tereser was one of the staff members to receive a bonus for attendance this year and her incredible work ethic has helped us achieve our highest yielding year in production; she is a huge asset to Tribal Textiles and when asked what she liked most about working here she replied ‘the chance to learn new things.’

Tereser

We are already excited about our future projects for 2012 and are using the rainy season to focus on some essential staff training. We are sponsoring our Head of Production, Moses, and Senior Accountant, Ivan, to take driving lessons; our Stock Coordinator, Kizylous will attend an Excel, Word and Accountancy Training course in Chipata; and our electrician, Mordecai, will take an intermediate electrician’s course. Our accountants, Nathan and Ivan, will also be revising hard and sitting Accountancy in Business and Level 2 Advanced Taxation and Business and Company Law exams respectively. Our shop will remain open throughout the rains only closing on Christmas Day with our Retail Manager, Rosie, carrying on her inspiring projects to ensure it looks innovative and beautiful. Kirstie, our General Manager, and Kate, our Sales & Marketing Manager, will be working over the rainy season to help you place fresh orders for next year.

Our Products

We will be keeping an eye on the water levels as we start 2012 and hope to avoid any flooding and open our workshop in early March! In the meantime the team at Tribal Textiles thank you for all your support in 2011 and wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Tribal Drum - August 2011

Written By Marketing Tribal Textiles - August 14 2011

THE TRIBAL DRUM

AUGUST 2011

Welcome to the inaugural edition of Tribal Drum a quarterly newsletter from the Tribal Textiles team here in Mfuwe. ‘The Drum’ will feature both product and design news as well as personal stories and an insight into life in the African bush, helping you get to know the amazing story behind our beautiful creations.

Our Products

2011 has seen a comprehensive revamp of our flagship store in Mfuwe with the aim of giving our customers a better shopping experience than ever before.

The shop now boasts stunning contemporary showrooms and a traditional African room with ornaments, curios and hand-carved wooden sculptural pieces.

Kids TeePee

Did you know that Tribal Textiles was established 20 years ago? Our founder, Gillie Lightfoot, set up her ‘design studio’ under a tree with 3 staff members, producing textiles for friends in the valley. We now employ 100 local Zambian staff, supporting over 1,000 family members in the Luangwa Valley, and export textiles to 21 countries around the globe.

Currently on display you will find Gallery, the Tribal signature design that brings together all our creative and technical expertise. Only a handful of our most experienced artists are able to starch and paint these items, they take twice as long in our workshop as our traditional textiles, each piece is completely unique. They make a breathtaking addition to the range on offer at Tribal, and after a long time in development we are delighted to be able to finally offer them to our local and overseas customers.

Gallery

Painting Gallery

We continue to develop and improve our comprehensive range of products, designs and colourways.

2011 has seen the arrival of a brand new bag range, a re-launch of Mali in Moroccan red and Clay and Black, launch of a new best seller – African Circles, introduction of the new Smoke colourway and a stunning new Butterfly design.

Details of all new ranges and colourways will be made available on our website.

Moroccan Red and Black clay

This year has also seen some key changes with our General Manager of 4 years deciding to return to the UK. In her place we have welcomed Kirstie Heslop. An Oxford Graduate with a background in architecture and interior design, Kirstie has quickly settled into life at Tribal Textiles and is bringing new energy and focus to our work here.

Meanwhile Kizylous Zulu, a dispatch assistant with Tribal since 2005, was recently promoted to the role of Dispatch Co-ordinator and Stock Controller. Kizylous showed ambition and initiative by taking advantage of computer and accountancy training programmes offered by Tribal Textiles. Having shown himself to be both capable and diligent he was a natural choice for promotion and a lot of you will have already enjoyed his enthusiasm in this key role!

As well as enjoying the retail success brought about by the revamp of our shops we are also delighted to continue to introduce new wholesale clients to Tribal Textiles. We have recently welcomed dynamic new stockists in Kenya, Nigeria and Australia and are delighted by the success they have enjoyed so far.

Stocked up!

The remainder of the year is packed full of exciting projects, including the development of our new flower design and the addition of an exciting new kid’s design. We will also be taking part in the prestigious Arts & Craft Fair in Lusaka in November, an annual pre-Christmas event here in Zambia.

Butterfly Pillow

We look forward to keeping the Tribal Drum beating….

For any additional information about Tribal Textiles or to place an order please contact sales@tribaltextiles.co.zm

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Tribal Drum - March 2013

THE TRIBAL DRUM

March 2013

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Tribal Drum - December 2012

THE TRIBAL DRUM

DECEMBER 2012

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Tribal Drum - August 2012

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THE TRIBAL DRUM

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