In 2003 Louise moved to Dakar, Senegal and lived there for 5 years. In 2003, after many visits to the local artisan village ”Village Artisanale” in Dakar, where the local artisans make and sell everything from handmade bags in snake, crocodile and lizard to wooden carvings, masks and silver jewelry, she met Momar. Funnily enough Momar has one of the “ugliest” stalls in this market, very simple, pr
etty dirty and some not so inspiring bags hanging outside. Louise later learned that this is his secret weapon…he does it on purpose as it brings him luck he says. He is one of the most successful bagmakers in the artisan village. In fact his father was the “president” of this local artisan village and handed down the role to his son. Today, Momar has clients in the US, France, Belgium, Japan, and Denmark. Initially, Louise bought one bag made of Nile Monitor Lizard. Her friends loved it and soon she placed a second order for 10 bags for friends and family. As word spread, she started showcasing the unique bags and Momar’s talented craftsmanship in bag parties in Denmark. People were fascinated by the quality and exoticness of the skins, unbelievable prices, and the story of Momar and his young team. In 2013, Louise finally launched KENZINA, a full time business dedicated to providing exclusive handmade bags at modest prices, whilst respecting both the producers and the environment as well as the Danish and Senegalese culture. Louise Brodersen is Danish, but has lived in London for 17 years, and in Dakar, Senegal for 5 years. In Dakar, Louise met Apape, and their first daughter Inaya was born in Senegal. After this they moved back to Denmark and their second daughter Kenza was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. KENZINA is therefore the inspiration of the beautiful mix of Danish and Senegalese culture and tradition. Together with our Senegalese friends, KENZINA makes the most beautiful, luxurious and unique handmade bags and belts in genuine Python snakeskin, Nile Monitor Lizard and Crocodile at modest prices. All bags and belts are crafted in Senegal and imported into Denmark with CITES certificates. A CITES certificate is a guarantee issued by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention, that the sustainability of the specie has been studied and the species exported is not classified as endangered but as sustainable. They thus keep a control of the quantity of skins being exported so they can keep record of the sustainability. KENZINA can not yet brag about being FAIR TRADE, but CAN brag about adhering to Fair trade principles. We work in close partnership with local artisans, with frequent dialogue and communication. We respect Senegalese tradition and culture, collaborating to develop new product designs and concepts. We assure transparency in our pricing: with the artisans in West Africa knowing the sale price of the final product, taxes, and the factor shops use when the products are sold in shops. This means they constantly know how much of the “cake” they are receiving. We provide partial payment up front to our artisans to finance their purchase of high quality, raw materials (skins, dyes, textiles to line the inside of the bags). It also helps to cover the payment of the local craftsmen for their work. Each artisan has a particular model they craft and is paid for each finished bag. Each bag takes approximately 10-14 days from start to finish. The skins are bought from a local ”skinman” that has bought them from local hunters. Our crocodile skin comes from an ecological crocodile farm founded in 1988 by a Frenchman, Gerard. On an area of 15 hectares, the farm includes fruit trees, horticultural crops, crocodiles breeding and is also a home to various animals. After being brought to the “village artisanale” the skins must undergo a somewhat long process before they are ready to become bags. First the scales are removed from the skin. Then the skins are put into a big bucket with ”neb neb”, locally grown (name of variety?) seeds that are more well known as a traditional remedy for toothaches. The skins soak in this traditional mixture for 3-4 days before being washed in water and left to dry. After this the skins undergo the tanning process. First they are put into another bucket with ”pate d’arachide” which is a natural mix of water and locally made peanut paste. . After this it is washed in laundry detergent 3 times, and then stretched out on a big wooden plank. At this point the raw matte skin is ready for crafting into raw matte bags. An ebony stick is used then to polish the skin if the natural color will be kept. Alternatively, the skin is dyed into the desired colour. Finally a skilled craftsman begins cutting out the pieces that will be sewn together to assemble the bag. Who is the designer? Sometimes we choose models that our local artisan has created. Other times we design the bags ourselves, considering our customers’ tastes and needs. Most often it is our customers who have the “perfect bag” in their minds that we then discuss with the local artisans to have a prototype made. Some of these prototypes often end up being part of the classic collection. Our clients’ ideas are what led us to launch Kenzina’s first, “Design your own bag” competition on Facebook, where our Facebook friends can share their designs. We then select which designs are made into prototypes. If your prototype is picked to become part of our new collection, you will win a free bag of your design!
