Proudly Namibian jewellery

DESIGN business House of Nalo launched their latest collection, ‘Abstracts from the Motherland’, recently.Founder Alba Hamukwaya, known in music circles as DJ Alba, says the collection is inspired by the iconic geographical shape of Namibia.

“We see so many African earrings, but we seem to underrate our own country’s shape. It is beautiful and unique, and I felt we needed to appreciate it more,” she says.

It comes as no surprise then that the vibrant collection is made with proudly Namibian women in mind.

Despite the challenging circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic globally and locally, Hamukwaya believes now is the ideal time to introduce the brand’s latest collection.

“I think there has never been a better time to be proudly Namibian – especially in these hard times. I really appreciate the fact that Namibians are becoming more patriotic than ever. Covid-19 has had the industry face many struggles. It was very difficult at the beginning of the lockdown to finalise orders because of the closure of all our suppliers,” she says.

“The collection was somehow challenging because of its asymmetry, but that’s the beauty of it. It was hard to make it wearable as an accessory item.”

Hamukwaya believes what sets House of Nalo apart from competitors is that they create each design from scratch, using the pencil-and-paper approach.

“We don’t buy items for resale. Every item is handmade from materials sourced from all over the country, and of course using local manufacturers for supplementary materials needed during the assembling process. We are here to stay and make clients happy with our unique items,” she says.

– @rinelda mouton on social media

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