Africa Hernandez Martinez, Design Process

Africa’s collection is based around native pagan festivals in Spain, and in particular from the region of Murcia where she was born and raised, such as el Bando de la Huerta (Murcia). She also explored the Carnival of Lanterns (Navarra), Jarramplas (Cáceres), and Masquerade of Mecereyes (Burgos). As a child Africa spent many days and nights at these illustrious celebrations, and she has fond memories of the bewitching smells of incense fuelling the air and the rich textures decorating the costumes of the pagan spirits.

An essential aspect of her design philosophy is the sourcing of second hand and organic fabrics to avoid landfill waste and protect the Earth from pollution.

All my second-hand fabrics are sourced from car boot sales around Spain as well as her parent's house, where she found the most fantastic vintage brocade tablecloths, duvet covers and bed throws. The range of materials includes Piñatex as a sustainable replacement for leather made from the leaves of pineapples.

Some of the craft techniques are handmade and aimed at small run production by women in her neighbourhood in Spain to help them improve their low income due to their rural location. The shoe designs are based on a traditional Spanish shoe called Espadrilles, which have a natural rope sole and canvas upper. The canvas upper will be replaced by Piñatex material to give it a modern twist brought by its texture and colours as well as its durability.