Nam Karakul Board celebrates 100 years

THE Karakul Board of Namibia last week hosted a centenary celebration in Copenhagen which was attended by buyers, fashion editors, designers, clients and friends of Swakara after the successful Swakara auction.

During the evening, two special awards were made and recognition given to individuals who made a significant contribution to Swakara and the karakul industry over the past years. The first award went to Andreas Lenhard, who has actively supported Swakara since 1986.He became well known for a joint programme he launched together with the Karakul board under the campaign “Swakara for the world”.This campaign significantly helped Swakara to stay on the international scene during tough times, and Lenhard and his team went out of their way to stage a perfect programme promoting Swakara internationally for three years in a row.The second award went to Gerhard and Wiebke Mill, who received a Golden Lamb award for their outstanding contribution over the past 27 years.The husband and wife team is said to have initiated a host of promotional initiatives, and also promoted the message that fur is a material just like textile calling for modern designs and other forms of creativity, a message which they taught in many seminars in China, Frankfurt and even Namibia, and which today can be seen in the modern design used to make karakul garments.The first consignment of 10 ewes and two rams from central Asia via Germany arrived in the then South West Africa on September 24 1907.For the years to follow, the karakul industry made an outstanding contribution to economic growth, social infrastructure development as well as sustainable agriculture in most parts of Namibia.”Now, 100 years later, it is time to celebrate this great event.Today Swakara pelts are worshipped by fashion houses and consumers all over the world, and I can assure you that the producers from Namibia are very proud of this achievement”, Kobus van Wyk, Chairman of the Karakul Board of Namibia said at the glitter event on the Sagafjord boat in Roskilde, Denmark.As farmers co-operative, Agra collects and sorts Swakara skins and sells/markets it in Copenhagen.Agra is the sole exporter of Swakara since the inception of the co-operative, and works closely with the Karakul Board of Namibia in marketing and promoting this special product world wide.Agra’s contribution towards the centenary celebrations of the Karakul industry brings the total value of the sponsorship to approximately N$85 000.The first award went to Andreas Lenhard, who has actively supported Swakara since 1986.He became well known for a joint programme he launched together with the Karakul board under the campaign “Swakara for the world”.This campaign significantly helped Swakara to stay on the international scene during tough times, and Lenhard and his team went out of their way to stage a perfect programme promoting Swakara internationally for three years in a row.The second award went to Gerhard and Wiebke Mill, who received a Golden Lamb award for their outstanding contribution over the past 27 years.The husband and wife team is said to have initiated a host of promotional initiatives, and also promoted the message that fur is a material just like textile calling for modern designs and other forms of creativity, a message which they taught in many seminars in China, Frankfurt and even Namibia, and which today can be seen in the modern design used to make karakul garments.The first consignment of 10 ewes and two rams from central Asia via Germany arrived in the then South West Africa on September 24 1907.For the years to follow, the karakul industry made an outstanding contribution to economic growth, social infrastructure development as well as sustainable agriculture in most parts of Namibia.”Now, 100 years later, it is time to celebrate this great event.Today Swakara pelts are worshipped by fashion houses and consumers all over the world, and I can assure you that the producers from Namibia are very proud of this achievement”, Kobus van Wyk, Chairman of the Karakul Board of Namibia said at the glitter event on the Sagafjord boat in Roskilde, Denmark.As farmers co-operative, Agra collects and sorts Swakara skins and sells/markets it in Copenhagen.Agra is the sole exporter of Swakara since the inception of the co-operative, and works closely with the Karakul Board of Namibia in marketing and promoting this special product world wide.Agra’s contribution towards the centenary celebrations of the Karakul industry brings the total value of the sponsorship to approximately N$85 000.