Mikuti

Sneak Peek!

2011-11-08T11:23:00.000-08:00

After 2 months of trekking back and forth between Tanzania & Kenya developing new products for our SS 2012 line, we're uber excited about all our delicious new arm candy...here's a little preview. We've combined the local vibrant wax fabric that we love with banana bark! Don't worry, you won't have to wait for spring, we'll be having some great holiday sales.

Haute African Fashion

2011-08-29T20:56:00.000-07:00

We're LOVING this write up from Fashion Week!

African inspired prints seem to be a reucurring definite for 2012 up and coming Summer fashion, and Mara Hoffman with her African- inspired tribal print swimwear no doubt illustrates this trend. Hoffman during the 2012 Mercedez Benz Swim Fashion week revealed her swimwear line which boasted of a great use of geometrical pattern and print, refreshing injections of colour and artistic ethnic flavour. The collection was complemented with beautiful accessories by Mikuti, a jewellery and accessories brand inspired by the beauty of the Swahili Coast and the magnificent landscapes of East Africa, with ethical production initiatives in Tanzania.

http://www.hautefashionafrica.com/tatafo/african-inspired-mara-hoffman-swimwear-2012-collection/

Interview by Love Twenty

2011-08-29T20:48:00.001-07:00

Interview by Love Twenty:

http://www.lovetwenty.com/2011/08/one-on-one-with-erika-fruend-from.html

M stands for Mikuti & MTV Fashion!

2011-08-29T18:45:00.000-07:00

We were thrilled to be on MTV's Fashion, Beauty, and Lifestyle blog!

Here's the link:

http://fora.mtv.ca/2011/07/m-is-for-mikuti/

Mara Hoffman & Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Miami!

2011-08-29T18:37:00.001-07:00

July was an incredible month for us! The incomparable Mara Hoffman asked us to accessorize her show for Swim Week in Miami and obviously we said yes! Her designs speak to our inner 'Journey Girl' reminding us why we love to travel and seek adventure in far away lands.

A little place called Guest House...

2011-03-09T19:43:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, we trekked down to the Washington, D.C. area to scope out some stores, meet some new friends, and catch up with some old ones. The trip was a success, but for more reasons than finding new potential stores in the area to carry Mikuti goods. We were reminded about why we do this work, and that small groups of people can and are making differences all the time.

Lucky us, we got to visit our old friends at Guest House.

Friends of Guest House is a community based non-profit in the Alexandria, VA area that provides a temporary home for women recently released from prison who are in need of basic support services to facilitate a new start in life and successfully transition back into society. Mikuti has a very personal to connection to this organization; not only are they greatly contributing to the empowerment of women, they are also working incredibly hard towards informing the surrounding community of the outstanding issues of incarcerated women and the misconceptions society has at large. They have been acknowledged by the Catalogue for Philanthropy and received numerous leadership awards. They are leaders and outliers in social change, social action, and social justice; 3 things we love.

So a big shout out to Guest House, with lots of love, from Mikuti!

Please be sure to check out their website and see the incredible work they are doing:

http://www.friendsofguesthouse.org/index.php

Our biggest fan!

2011-03-09T19:41:00.001-08:00

What is Kumihimo?

2011-02-28T19:10:00.000-08:00

Kumihimo is a Japanese form of braid-making and we have taken it and mixed this technique with African wax fabrics! We couldn't more excited to debut this other part of new line....coming soon!

More Magazine's March Issue - Best Trends Under $200

2011-02-27T19:03:00.000-08:00

Mikuti Bangles featured in March's issue of More Magazine for best trends under $200!

Afri-Love Interview

2011-02-01T18:48:00.000-08:00

Erika was recently interviewed by Lulu Kitololo, founder of Afri-Love, a website dedicated to everything beautiful that is Africa. This website is not something to be missed.

You can read the interview at:

http://www.afri-love.com/2011/01/interview-with-erika-of-mikuti.html

Accessories Magazine!

2011-01-25T16:51:00.001-08:00

Mikuti Bangles featured in the January/February issue of Accessories Magazine!

Give me a TO Baby!

2011-01-05T16:52:00.000-08:00

TIME OUT NYC!!

Last summer our good friend Courtney bought her friend some Mikuti rings for a gift. We got lucky that she was wearing them when Time Out featured her stylish ways. Thanks gals!

SNEAK PEEK!

2010-12-30T18:12:00.000-08:00

Um...Hello. Do you have a map? I just keep getting lost in your beauty.

Casted in recycled aluminum, (an airplane wing to be frank), hand shaped, cut, with traditional Masai beading. We're in love.

Happy New Year!

2010-12-30T17:28:00.000-08:00

Wow…what a year. As it comes to an end I can’t help but think about all the individuals who have deeply touched us. They’ve given us their time, advice, wisdom, and belief that Mikuti had and still has potential, along with a solid future ahead.

Mikuti has been and continues to be a serendipitous venture– so watch out 2011 – here we come.

Much gratitude and appreciation to all!

Banana bark hats?

2010-12-28T19:11:00.000-08:00

This was a day, an afternoon, a moment, where I wish I would have had a video camera to capture the laughing, and the look on our faces when we arrived in the sacred banana hut. We were greeted with hats constructed of banana bark, one for each of us. We are so lucky to work with individuals who enjoy a good laugh and a great sense of humor!

Inspiración

2010-12-19T16:39:00.000-08:00

I was incredibly inspired by every Masai Women I saw on my trip, whether it was the jewelry they were wearing or making, or the colors and patterns of the beads. I wanted to find a way to merge Masai tradition with Manhattan...and my friends, we can't wait to show you how we've done this!

Nairobi

2010-12-19T16:19:00.000-08:00

During Swahili Fashion Week, we were privileged to meet Adele Dejak from Nairobi -

the brains, beauty, and designer behind the line Magik Grace.

We decided to go visit her and enjoyed an incredible 3 hour private shopping event.

This line is hot and not something to miss out on!

Another highlight, we got to walk across the border from Kenya!

Swahili Fashion Week

2010-12-19T16:02:00.000-08:00

We trekked down to Dar es Salaam on the 4th, 5th and 6th of November to check out Swahili Fashion Week, which is is a platform for designers - both fashion and accessory - from Swahili speaking countries to showcase their creativity, market their art and capture the spirit, style and essence of the Swahili coast. Needless to say we were impressed with the usage of the different textiles and some of the gorgeous jewelry we came across. The creativity and design in this region is not something to be missed!

Swahili Fashion Week - Cute male models

2010-12-19T12:01:00.000-08:00

We couldn't resist...

Swahili Fashion Week - more pics

2010-12-19T11:05:00.001-08:00

Swahili Fashion Week - behind the scenes

2010-12-19T09:59:00.000-08:00

Swahili Fashion Week - Setting up the night before at Karimjee Gardens, in Dar es Salaam.

Post Election

2010-11-01T11:41:00.000-07:00

Tanzania is in the midst of their election! People went to the polls on Sunday and the results have started to come through. These pictures were taken outside of my apartment. Opposition takes Arusha!

Whirlpool, Maytag, or Kenmore?

2010-10-28T10:32:00.000-07:00

Doing business development in Tanzania comes with a few challenges, language, public transportation, paying too much for fabric, oh the joys of choosing to source goods from a developing nation. But nothing is as challenging as doing laundry. The infamous spackle bucket, the dread I feel as I go head to head with this as it serves as both my wash and spin cycle.

Do not pay attention to the man behind the curtain

2010-10-28T07:25:00.001-07:00

Well, first it's a banana bark curtain and second the lovely woman behind these gorgeous window treatments is Mama Kara. Mama Kara was the brains behind the original Mikuti bracelet that led to the development of Mikuti last summer. Since then, Mama Kara has formed her own small women's group. They do various work together; keeping chickens, cows, and vegetables. They built this little meeting room for themselves and I just love going here throughout the week. I have been thrilled to reunite with her and love the way she helps us develop products. This woman could build anything out of bark. She also make me delicious lunches, and sells me her fresh eggs - I'm pretty spoiled here.

Love Grows Where My Rosemary Goes

2010-10-28T05:35:00.001-07:00

No, no, not Edison Lighthouse - the herb. I wish I could make this blog a scratch and sniff because the aroma of this little piece of rosemary has filled my kitchen with delight the past few days. The women of Machumba Village, (one of the areas where we work), grow heaping bushes of rosemary and last summer they would often give me snips to take home. Well, they haven't forgotten that it's my favorite - they sent me home with this last week - what a treat!

Animal Instincts

2010-10-17T19:52:00.000-07:00

I’m obsessed with snakes, crocodiles and leopards – jewelry that is! Do I have Mexican actress Maria Felix (1914-2002) to thank? Probably not, but the beauty made it look so good. I love a woman not afraid to layer!

Most of her extensive collection she commissioned from Cartier. It’s rumored she took a baby crocodile to their rue de la Paix store to be used as a model for a necklace. Now that’s getting exactly what you want!

A friend knows the song in my heart and sings it to me when my memory fails

2010-10-07T20:01:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that this time last year Mikuti didn't even have a logo. We've been spending a ridiculous amount of time planning for this upcoming trip, either having marathon Sunday meetings or sleeping with notebooks next to our beds. The hard work has come together and we are incredibly excited about what lies ahead. The other day I received an email from my dear friend Rachel. Let me explain that there a few individuals who have truly seen Mikuti come to life, Rachel is one of them; she threw the first Mikuti party, and she owns more Mikuti Jewelry than I do. Last fall she tagged bracelets with me in the middle of finals. In the winter, she told me that I was completely crazy and listened to idea after idea while she poured glass of wine after glass of wine. In the spring, when we were co-writing a paper together, I made her stop in the middle because I started having a hypo-manic moment about bracelet sizes and feeling the need to create a picture description, scan, and email off. The other day she sent this to me, reminding me of all little things Mikuti has been able to work through even though the barriers of language, time zones, cultures, and oceans are very present. Just another reason why friends are so important - Thanks Rach, we heart you.

Things have started to become REAL SIMPLE.

2010-09-30T20:19:00.000-07:00

Mikuti Bangles gets a shout on the REAL SIMPLE blog!

"Out of Africa...literally. These stylish bracelets are made out of Banana trees by women in the Meru District of Tanzania. Each piece is all natural and all-fabulous! A portion of the sale profits go right back to the community and to the artisans. Do good, while looking good."

We're glad to hear you love them as much as we do!

Here's the link:

http://simplystated.realsimple.com/simplystated/2010/09/shop-my-fashion-week-snapshots-.html

Tanzania via Bryn Mawr

2010-09-25T18:32:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago we trekked to a little town outside of Philadelphia called "Bryn Mawr". We were greeting open arms and margaritas, what a Sunday! We met so many new friends, Betsy Von Awesome being one of them!

Thanks for the shout out!

http://myredrooster.wordpress.com/2010/09/16/world-travel-tanzania-via-bryn-mawr/

Morris County NOW

2010-09-19T16:06:00.000-07:00

Founder Erika Freund was recently interviewed on Morris County NOW - New Directions for Women Television Show, it was the 203rd taping! All the the shows are archived in the Sophia Smith Collection at Smith College in North Hampton, Massachusetts.

Here is a picture of Erika and some of the ladies after the taping.

*For more information about Morris Count NOW:

http://www.morriscountynow.org/mc-shows.shtml

That's what friends are for...

2010-09-09T18:43:00.000-07:00

Last year I spent a week on an isolated beach somewhere in Nicaragua. To be honest, I'm still not sure where I was exactly. But, none the less, it was a great week filled with corona, mangos, lobsters, and cute surfers. I was lucky enough to meet Mr. Beadle, this incredibly charming and ridiculously interesting photographer from Vancouver -- who would have thought the friendship would have blossomed the way it has.

http://www.brettbeadle.com/blog/2010/09/09/mikuti/

Mikuti loves Mr. Beadle and deeply appreciates his shout out!

Crazy for Coco

2010-09-09T18:37:00.000-07:00

Lately I’ve been trying to figure out where my ambition and inspiration comes from, I mean I love a good banana in the morning but trying to take this tree and turn it into unique, beautiful jewelry is not as easy as one may think. I decided that I needed to seek out guidance from a tenacious female who had rocked this world. I figured she must have some insight? Right? So I started reading, and reading, and reading - It turns out Miss Chanel and I have more in common than I realized. No formal training, creativity fueled by deep heartbreak, and she never, ever quit. Cheers to the woman who gave us the little black dress – I just love her and I’m planning on getting a bottle of No. 5 this weekend.

“In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different”

New Mikuti Model?

2010-08-15T10:06:00.000-07:00

Mikuti rocked out in good old Port Murray last night, which is a rural farm town in Northwest NJ. Aside from enjoying the Skinny-Girl Sangria and the tasty food made my Chef Walt, we may have found ourselves a new model?

Taking supply chain management to a new level.

2010-08-15T10:01:00.000-07:00

So many people ask me, "how do you get these bracelets here?"

"What do the packages look like?"

Well...here ya go!

Italian Vogue does Gulf Oil Spill themed fashion photo shoot

2010-08-11T16:23:00.001-07:00

I came across this today on the internet and it got me thinking about what being "Socially Active" is and what it means. Does it mean being involved within a community? Advocacy? Or pushing the envelope? I don't have the answer, but this photo shoot sure made me toss and turn last night.

You can see the images here:

http://blogs.sun-sentinel.com/features_fashion/2010/08/italian-vogue-does-gulf-oil-spill-themed-fashion-photo-shoot.html

More Photo Shoot

2010-08-08T20:51:00.001-07:00

Photo Shoot

2010-08-08T19:01:00.001-07:00

Mikuti's Boston Love Affair

2010-08-05T19:02:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we trekked up north to see some old friends, who threw an amazing Mikuti party, stocked with good beer and delicious food. The founder of Mikuti lived in Boston for almost 7 years and she has a soft spot for it and all the great things it offers. Here are her top 3:

Party in the Park - Slope that is...

2010-06-27T19:13:00.000-07:00

Sangria & Strawberry Bruschetta makes for a great summer treat, paired with some friends, new and old + some hot new jewelry makes for a lovely evening! Thanks Rach, for hosting the first Mikuti party and thanks to all who came and made it great - Hello summer, here we come!

Any Time, Any Place....

2010-05-28T09:24:00.001-07:00

Get your head out of the gutter, we're talking about Classic Hoops! These are fabulous for any season or reason - summer, fall, date night, work, the beach - they bring style and a little bit of attitude to every occasion.

P.Y.T.

2010-05-27T19:00:00.000-07:00

These 'Pretty Young Things' are the latest edition! Meet our 'Petite Cuff' - they are adjustable, adorable & when you wear them, we guarantee a cute stranger will ask, "Where did you come from Lady and OOOH won't you take me there...."

Playin' it by EAR

2010-05-27T18:48:00.001-07:00

$20 make you "HOLLA".

We've been experimenting with some different fun & simple summer styles. Not sure which ones we'll move forward with, guess that all depends on you!

You can RING my bell - ell - ell, RING my bell...

2010-05-27T18:36:00.001-07:00

Be sure to get that manicure, we're busting out with some rings for the summer season. These are super cute & look great stacked!

All dressed up & no place to go!

2010-05-27T05:31:00.001-07:00

We're getting our inventory all dolled up for her Sunday best: Flea @ 7ave, between 1st & 2nd Street, Park Slope Brooklyn.

Glam Shots!

2010-05-24T11:58:00.000-07:00

Bracelets have arrived!

Give a little bit....

2010-05-23T09:17:00.001-07:00

Global Kids is an organization that works towards assisting urban youth to become successful students and global community leaders. Mikuti donated a stack of bracelets for the silent auction on May 18th to support the cause because being 'Socially Active' is important to our philosophy!