Veronica Gakio making bespoke jewellery worn by celebrities
Veronica Gakio’s workshop on Kilome Road, Nairobi churns out cufflinks you would find hard to imagine are made in Kenya.
Founded two years, she has refined the workmanship techniques used in the making of her jewellery, fashioning the items from horn, brass and semi-precious stones.
At the workshop, I watch as she guides her brand partners on the alignment of a necklace they are crafting. Its centre must sit right under the hollow of the neck for its wearer to dazzle.
“Being keen on details is important to me,” she says.
Ms Gakio is the founder of Ankole Luxury, a sustainable Kenyan brand that creates bespoke jewellery and accessories that “tend to prompt conversations.”
She describes her pieces as investment buys and also versatile.
Ankole Luxury: Redefining Elegance with Handcrafted Jewelry and Bags
Ankole Luxury sets itself apart from competitors through its meticulous attention to detail and quality. Every piece of jewelry undergoes a thorough quality check, ensuring no scratches, poor symmetry, or mismatched colors. The use of locally-sourced materials such as repurposed horn, brass, and semi-precious stones adds a distinctive touch to each item, making them truly unique.
Ankole Luxury: Featured during the Corporate Council on Africa Business summit Dallas, Tx 2024
Thrilled to share that Ankole Luxury was interviewed by the USA State Department, highlighting our journey of crafting exquisite jewelry and crochet bags for the USA market. Our interview was featured at the Corporate Council on Africa during the US-Africa Business Summit 2024. Grateful for the recognition and excited for what the future holds! #AnkoleLuxury #USAAfricaBusinessSummit
Celebrating The Artistry of local craftsmanship
BY CONNIE ALUOCH- NATION MEDIA
Ankole Luxury
Is a sustain-able handmade Kenyan brand that celebrates the artistry of local craftsman-hip, specialising in jewel-lery crafted using ethically wired ma-terials which include repurposed horns, brass and semiprecious stones. The brand was founded in 2019 by self-made entrepreneur Veronica Ga-kio. Combined with brass accents and adorned with semi-precious stones, the jewellery embodies individuality and refined craftsmanship. In its commit-ment to empowering communities, the brand collaborates with skilled local arti-sans, fostering a partnership that brings authenticity and tradition to every cre-ation.The brand also collaborates with women from rural communities to cre-ate hand-crocheted bags that are accen-tuated and finished off with genuine Kenyan leather to enhance quality and durability The brand has accessorised personal-ities such as Sheila Mwanyigha and Dr Sylvia Mona Akinsu.
all skills passed down by women in our communities. Which local and international fashion brand would you love to collaborate with and why? We are keen on partnering with bou-tique hotels in Kenya due to their fre-quent influx of tourists,offering an excel-lent opportunity to showcase our brand to an international audience within the local mariceL Additionally Neiman Mar-cus is known for showcasing horn and brass jewellery made in Kenya, making it a perfect fit for our brand. This collab-oration could significantly amplify our reach and visibility on an internation-al scale, opening up new avenues for growth and aposure.This collaboration would not only amplify our brand visi-bility but also support local artisans on a global scale.
Which international fashion plat-form would you love to participate in and why?
Participating in Tribal Chic this year was an incredible experience, and I’m eager to return next year to further showcase our brand. As for internation-
How does your brand empower our local artisans?
At Ankole Luxury, we pride ourselves in empowering our local artisans. Our brand, rooted in sustainabilityshowcas-es the exquisite craftsmanship of Ken-yan artisans. We extend our mission be-yond jewellery, fostering collaborations with women from rural communities. By partnering with us, these artisans gain the means to support themselves and their families, contributing to the preservation and celebration of their tra-ditional skills.
How do you pay homage to your African mob in your creations?
Ankole Luxury is known for crafting jewellery from hom,brass,and semi-pre-cious stones alongside crochet bags. We honour our African heritage in our de-signs.Our ancestors adorned themselves with horns and brass jewellerySinspiring our creations. Additionalhc the art of cro-cheting bags was traditionally practiced by women within our communities, a skill we proudly incorporate into our work as a tribute to our roots.This intri-cate crochet technique used in crafting our bags is reminiscent of the tradition-
Which local and international fashion brand would you love to collaborate with and why?
We are keen on partnering with bou-tique hotels in Kenya due to their fre-quent influx oftourists,offering an excel-lent opportunity to showcase our brand to an international audience within the local marketAdditionally Neiman Mar-cus is known for showcasing horn and brass jewellery made in Kenya, making it a perfect fit for our brand:fhis collab-oration could significantly amplify our reach and visibility on an internation-al scale, opening up new avenues for growth and exposure:this collaboration would not only amplify our brand visi-bility but also support local artisans on a global scale.
Which international fashion plat-form would you love to participate in and why?
Participating in Tribal Chic this year was an incredible experience, and I’m eager to return next year to further showcase our brand. As for internation-al exhibitions, I’m planning to attend “NY Now”to exhibit. New York is a glob-al fashion hub, and “NY Now” attracts a diverse range of industry professionals and buyers from around the world. It provides an unparalleled platform to in-troduce our brand to a wider audience, forge valuable connections, and expand our presence in the international mar-ket. I would also want to take part in New York Fashion Week.