Process
Heritage.
The Akamba people, also known as The Rope People, have inhabited the remote mountainous regions of the Kenyan savannah for centuries. They are famous craftspeople, hunters and long distance traders.
They are also one of the few communities in Africa that still practice this ancient hand weaving technique, which has been passed down through generations of women. They sustainable harvest the bark of the mighty Baobab and meticulously spin it into a beautiful natural textile.
It takes 4 weeks for a group of 30 women to weave 155 yards of material – 5 yards each. (Five yards=One duffel bag)
The whole process including harvesting, spinning, dyeing and weaving, is all done by hand. And no two 5-yard strips of fabric are the same thanks to the Baobab’s tremendous colours and textures and each artisan’s personal techniques. The resulting fabric is also hard wearing, all-weather, flame repellent and of an incomparable quality.
Once we have meticulously selected the fiber, we export it to BUYU’s production workshop in the USA, where we work with a family of accomplished craftsmen to assemble our line of luggage combining Baobab with the finest American leathers
We have managed to transform a rugged age-old weaving technique from Kenya, Africa and refined it without sacrificing authenticity.
Our BUYU Collection includes finely constructed weekend bags and totes that look stylish in a city setting yet functional enough to be worn when trekking through a game reserve.