Binky Newman
After 15 years of involvement in various aspects of African craft, Binky Newman set up Design Afrika in 1995 as a way to celebrate the finest handiwork from across the continent. Newman’s passion for baskets has taken her to many remote parts of the continent to track down weavers and learn traditional techniques. In her bid to design, market and promote finely crafted hand-woven basketry and fabrics in an ethical and sustainable manner, she has come to be acknowledged as an expert in African basketry.
Design Afrika´s signature gourd-shaped Kannitraki baskets have been updated for the Salone exhibition by intricately weaving imissi sedge reed together with LOEWE´s specialist material of leather. The floor standing vessels present a proud and bold silhouette, whilst the organic undulating contours and beautiful imperfections of the surface speak to the provenance of the materials and the traditional handmade processes that brought them into being.