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A short-term cure it may well be, but there is nothing quite like a bit of intensive retail therapy to put the fizz back in your feel-good factor. But would you put Kenya at the top of your shopaholic’s preferred venues list? Probably not. How wrong you would be though because some of Kenya’s retail revelations are deeply desirable, very affordable and make uniquely different gifts. Perhaps the best buys are to be found amongst the handicrafts: multi-coloured Masai beadwork belts, bright sisal baskets, the ever popular cotton wraps for men and woman known as Kikoys and Khangas (which just about do everything from interior design to high fashion), evocative carvings from elephants to antelopes, soft carved soapstone in colours from cream to rose, semi precious stones such as malachite, rose quartz and Tanzanite, lots of ‘big’ jewellery made from everything from banana leaves to cow horn – really high on impact and ridiculously low on expenditure and sandals from jewel-beaded to cow-horn-strapped. Kenya also boasts a thriving cottage industry which turns out everything from beautiful scented candles made from Masai beeswax to sheepskin slippers made from highland fleeces plus some authentic hand knitted, woven and dyed woollens, subtly woven Kenyan cotton, beaded and painted leatherwork, eco friendly paper goods and some interior design options. Choose from avant-garde wrought iron, hand blown glass, beaten copper, woven rugs, hand-thrown terracotta, iron and reed work furniture, sisal matting, dhow wood daybeds, Swahili chests, ostrich-egg lampshades, hand painted bed linens, colour washed oven-to-tableware and a treasure trove of contemporary African art. As for the fashion,
Kenya has a team of dynamic young designers who are rapidly making a name
for themselves by turning local leather, cotton, beadwork, knits and silk
– into haute couture. So next time you fancy a shot of neat retail
therapy, mixed with some blue skies, bright sunshine, wild adventure and
sybaritic luxury head to Malindi. |
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