Time to relax. The end of year is here!
Hello Saahel Family and Friends,
My last post was dated end of May, beginning of June 2021. Seven months later, here we are at the end of the year, and about to start 2022. Time flew by… I hope first and foremost that you are all doing very well, that the year was good for each and everyone of you and that you are positively anticipating stepping in the new one.
Although I haven’t written much these past months, Saahel’s team didn’t stop working. At a personal level, I was tied up with the writing of my first novel, SALOU, which is now complete and about to get published. This initiative stole away a few moments dedicated to my other activities, but I am pleased to share my author’s website with you today www.morenikemcfaal.com – the story of SALOU is dense and riveting, and hopefully, you’ll enjoy reading it when the novel gets released. Stay tuned.
While writing and editing my book, I still kept overseeing the Workshop in Lomé to make sure our collections, current and future, were given the space and attention they need. The new collection for women – DAHRA, is still in the making. In our online boutique we currently have two beautiful evening dresses, perfect for occasions like Christmas and New-Year, but also for the period in between -- those days when you are in relaxing mode and ready to get to out to parties, or evenings with friends. With the dresses came a gorgeous purple and blue coat, suitable for this season as well as for spring. The coat is made out of woodin and has a very contemporary touch to it. And finally, there is the long blue skirt which will find its place in your suitcase if you were to fly to a warm destination for vacations. Imagine the desert, the dunes of sand, the blue skirt, and a top tank! I let you picture it…
Well, next year, the Spring Collection, still DAHRA designs, will be completed by additional day and evening dresses, coats, skirts and pants. A dozen of new items are currently being sewn. Classy and easy to wear. Still in cotton and woodin, mixed. Timing? Probably April. New designs - Saahel’s Indigos or les indigos de Saahel in French will become a permanent collection that you’ll be able to access anytime in Saahel’s online boutique.
Indigo is a dyestuff originally extracted from the varieties of the indigo and woad plants. Known throughout the ancient world for its ability to color fabrics a deep blue, Egyptian artifacts suggest that indigo was employed as early as 1600 B.C. and was found in Africa, India, Indonesia, and China. The dye imparts a brilliant blue hue to fabric. In the dying process, cotton and linen threads are usually soaked and dried 15-20 times. After dying, the yarn may be sun dried to deepen the color. Indigo is unique in its ability to impart surface color while only partially penetrating fibers. When yarn died with indigo is untwisted, it can be seen that the inner layers remain uncolored. Demand for indigo dramatically increased during the industrial revolution, in part due to the popularity of Levi Strauss's blue denim jeans.
Well today – and almost in an exclusive fashion, Saahel is creating an Indigo Collection which will harbor some traditional pieces for men and women, but mostly, modern outfits made out of indigo mixed with other cloth and materials. Saahel’s team wishes to keep it as its “permanent collection” around which roam, cyclically, “floating collections” that renew themselves every four to five months.
So, we will keep working to meet our production deadlines and greet you in the boutique end of March, beginning of April. In the interim, I promise to get back to our blog posting to keep you informed on our progress and share your ideas. Apologies for those months of silence. You’ll have the opportunity in 2022 to purchase this high quality line of clothing the moment they land in our online boutique.
Don’t forget: Saahel makes clothes. You design fashion.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2022 to you all! Thank you for your kind support!!
Very best.
Morenike McFaal - Founder & CEO