SIRIKAI

Sirikai means cowrie shells in the native Samburu language and signifies beads. Think bucket bag but taken to a whole new aesthetic level. The inspiration for this bag has come from a gourd which is a traditional "bottle". A gourd is typically a sizeable fleshy fruit with hard skin used to drink water, milk and blood. Gourds have a round belly with a narrow neck and top. Gourds can be found in many parts of Kenya; the Maasai, Marakwet, and Pokot, amongst other tribes in the Northern, Southern and Rift Valley regions.

Beadwork is a technique that has lived for generations that we want to preserve through our creative designs. Claudia K, our creative director, had the vision to make this bag come alive with a beadwork pattern of diamonds symbolising wealth, similar to how pastoralists who are an inspiration to this bag view cattle as their source of income and wealth.

Beads comprise different colours and have various meanings: orange for friendship, warmth and beauty, white for health, milk and purity, red signifies bravery, strength and blood, and black refers to the colour of our people, unity and solidarity.