Earring
2018 (designed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Founded by Teta Isibo in 2010, Inzuki Designs is a Rwandan brand based in Kigali, which specialises in bold and colourful jewellery, accessories and interior décor. After studying at university in the UK, Isibo started work as an urban planner in Rwanda. As a hobby she began to create and wear her own basket-weave jewellery designs but Inzuki quickly grew into a sought-after brand, and employs a network of 120 artisans in Rwanda.
Isibo draws inspiration for her designs from traditional Rwandan crafts such as basket weaving and beadwork techniques. She plays with colour and scale to create playful pieces which appeal to a modern, urban audience. The pieces are made from locally-sourced materials, predominantly sisal grass and coloured embroidery thread.
The brand’s name pays homage to this buzzing and industrious scene, with Inzuki meaning bees in Kinyarwanda, one of the four official languages of Rwanda.
Isibo draws inspiration for her designs from traditional Rwandan crafts such as basket weaving and beadwork techniques. She plays with colour and scale to create playful pieces which appeal to a modern, urban audience. The pieces are made from locally-sourced materials, predominantly sisal grass and coloured embroidery thread.
The brand’s name pays homage to this buzzing and industrious scene, with Inzuki meaning bees in Kinyarwanda, one of the four official languages of Rwanda.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Cotton embroidery thread |
| Brief description | Hula tassel earrings, sisal grass, Inzuki, Rwanda, c.2021 |
| Physical description | Two earrings. Each earring has a central circle which is corded with black cotton thread wrapped tightly with prisms of coloured thread spread throughout. The circle is surrounded by long multi-coloured fringe in cotton thread. |
| Gallery label | The creative scene in Kigali, Rwanda’s capital, is buzzing. Through the Inzuki brand, Isibo creates statement adornments using locally sourced materials. Her designs revisit handmade craft techniques, seeing them afresh before applying them to contemporary pieces that meet modern needs. Isibo often does this through playing with colour and scale. Her approach is exemplified in the design of her multicoloured sisal earrings with their exuberant tassels. (T.66 to 68-2022) V&A, Room 40, Africa Fashion (02/07/2022 - 16/04/2023) |
| Summary | Founded by Teta Isibo in 2010, Inzuki Designs is a Rwandan brand based in Kigali, which specialises in bold and colourful jewellery, accessories and interior décor. After studying at university in the UK, Isibo started work as an urban planner in Rwanda. As a hobby she began to create and wear her own basket-weave jewellery designs but Inzuki quickly grew into a sought-after brand, and employs a network of 120 artisans in Rwanda. Isibo draws inspiration for her designs from traditional Rwandan crafts such as basket weaving and beadwork techniques. She plays with colour and scale to create playful pieces which appeal to a modern, urban audience. The pieces are made from locally-sourced materials, predominantly sisal grass and coloured embroidery thread. The brand’s name pays homage to this buzzing and industrious scene, with Inzuki meaning bees in Kinyarwanda, one of the four official languages of Rwanda. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.68:1-2022 |
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| Record created | December 21, 2021 |
| Record URL |
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