KONA, the name of a unique new accessories and homeware company in Uganda was inspired by a mixture of cultures, the word literally meaning CORNER in Swahili Luganda and Hindi. So, from a little corner in Africa, two women entrepreneurs, are creating an exciting new brand with a distinctive personality.
LoA spoke to KONA founder, Bhavya Kalsi, to find out more about this unique brand and its love of local artistry and artisanship across two continents.
What does your company do?
We create a range of accessories for women, home decor products, and a few goodies for men and kids as well. We try to bring a complete package for you. We are a Ugandan company influenced by our Indian roots. We are inspired by both cultures and want to promote the art and artistry from both the lands. So we use the local artisans, the techniques, the styles to create the best “ AFROINDIAN” pieces.
"We are a Ugandan company influenced by our Indian roots. We are inspired by both cultures and want to promote the art and artistry from both the lands. So we use the local artisans, the techniques, the styles to create the best 'AFRO-INDIAN' pieces."
What inspired you to start your company?
One thing that really surprised us is that most of the crafts in our craft market were coming from Kenya and Tanzania, and we thought to ourselves we have enough art and craft in our country, why not promote that? And that's how our journey started, with us making bespoke pieces to us slowly start creating a brand that’s proudly Ugandan. We also realised that all over east Africa, Indian culture is infused into a lot of things, be it the food or the language. In fact, saris are a popular form of wedding wear at local weddings. But somehow the infusion of the cultures didn't reflect in the fashion. Therefore, we decided to create this fusion line where we borrowed from the large Indian heritage and merged it with local sourcing to create wearable contemporary design. KONA means CORNER in Swahili Luganda and Hindi. So, from a little corner in Africa we wanted to create a unique brand.
Why should anyone use your service or product?
We try to bring the best of both worlds, Africa and India, together. A mix of patterns, styles, colours, stitching techniques and cloth, our products strike a harmony between Africa and India. We also make sure that the raw materials for our products are sourced locally and handmade. This ensures employment to local artisans. As we grow we are also creating new skills sets for these artisans by teaching them different techniques.
"KONA means CORNER in Swahili Luganda and Hindi, so from a little corner in Africa we wanted to create a unique brand."
Tell us a little about your team
Bhavya Kalsi had a career in advertising for 12 years as a creative, and left that job to pursue her dream of having her own brand. A creative, an entrepreneur, and a mother of two, she drives the brand out of Africa.
Nimisha Kalipurayath is an ex-Copy Supervisor at Ogilvy in Mumbai. Now, she is a New Products & Brand Development Manager at Kultureshop, a freelancer, a stylist (worked for A.R. Rahman), and is the other half of the KONA brand out in Mumbai.
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And, do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
No, we don’t come from an entrepreneurial background per se, but we’ve always seen our mother being creative by running various ventures, so we guess we had it in us somewhere. Our journey has been like a roller coaster. We believe that women are key to the growth of any country. In our little way we can proudly say we are pretty much a women-only company, creating livelihoods which are securing the futures of the families connected with us. We try our best to empower women. We fall. We get up. We believe. We conquer.
"We try to bring the best of both worlds, Africa and India, together. A mix of patterns, styles, colours, stitching techniques and cloth, our products strike a harmony between Africa and India."
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
We want to be a brand that’s globally recognised. We want to create beautifully finished products from locally sourced raw materials. We are in the process of creating two separate lines - the first a luxury line, and the second a high street fashion line. We would like to collaborate with more international brands and be stocked in big name, global fashion meccas like Bloomingdales, Harvey Nichols, etc.
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
When people see our products and double check to see if it's really made in Uganda. Or simply seeing how they are pleasantly surprised at how the two cultures fuse so beautifully together in our designs and products.
"We believe that women are key to the growth of any country. In our little way we can proudly say we are pretty much a women-only company, creating livelihoods which are securing the futures of the families connected with us. We try our best to empower women."
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
Don’t let anybody else define what you can or cannot do! Just dive in - being an entrepreneur is not a a goal or a milestone, but a journey which starts with a simple step.
Contact or follow KONA
FACEBOOK | EMAIL konaaccessories@gmail.com
Why LoA loves it….
At LoA, we love those women entrepreneurs who are deeply inspired by the countries and the cultures they come from, and who reflect those cultural roots in their creative process and in the products they create. Bhavya Kalsi and Nimisha Kalipurayath, founders of KONA - Africa & India, are two entrepreneurs with a genuine passion for the art and artistry of both Uganda and India, and successfully fuse both sources of inspiration to create a range of beautiful contemporary accessory, fashion and home decor products that appeal to those with a love of something different. --- Melanie Hawken, founder and CEO of Lionesses of Africa