Skip to main content

Harkiss Designs Accessories Benefit Women in Rwanda


Everything She Wants has a thing for jewelry and accessories, especially when they benefit a worthy cause.  So allow me to introduce Harkiss Designs, created by Harriet Zaffoni.  The 38-year-old native of Uganda started her company as a way to assist Rwandan women, many of whom have HIV/AIDS or are victims of gender-based violence and single-handedly provide for their families.

Everything She Wants: How did you become an accessories designer?

Harriet Zaffoni of Harkiss Designs.
Harriet Zaffoni: I fell in love with East African accessories and started by improving on the original ones to make sure they met the North American market standards.  And boom, I started designing my own. 
ESW: Why did you start your company, Harkiss Designs? 

HZ: Because of my love of fashion, African colors and fabric, I saw that there was potential for me to empower East African women through fashion.  That's how Harkiss Designs was created.  

ESW: Where does the jewelry you sell come from? 

HZ: The jewelry I sell is mostly designed by me in collaboration with a Kenyan artisan named Stephen Mwangi. He brings my designs and ideas to life. 
ESW: What is the jewelry made from? 

HZ: The jewelry is made from various African materials such as banana fiber, Masai beads, semi-precious stones, metal, coffee beans, sisal, coconut seeds, white art stone and others indigenous to the East African region.


Harkiss Designs' jewelry and sandals./Photos by Tracy E. Hopkins
ESW: Tell me more about the charitable benefit to your business? 

HZ: At this time, I employ more than 200 women part time in Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda. Each particular project is allocated to a county and most of the people working on my designs are women. I sell sandals, bags and wallets [in addition to] the jewelry, and each category has a its own group and country that brings the designs to life. After the sales, 20% goes to two foundations: Support HIV/AIDS Rwanda (SHIVR) and Lend A Hand Uganda, which helps to get displaced and orphaned children off the street.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Conway Discount Clothing Chain Closing in New York City

It's the end of an era. Conway discount stores are closing . As of this weekend, a sign on the sole Herald Square location (34th Street btwn 7th and 8th Ave) says the store will close in "7 Days." Before I relocated to New York City, I was introduced to the discount chain while on a bus trip from Baltimore.  I recall the first time I saw Conway's signature pink bags carried by hurried shoppers in midtown. And Miss Foster, the trip organizer and a bargain hunter from way back, took me to the store for the first time. Conway store in the Fulton Mall./Tracy E. Hopkins When I moved here in 1994, my love affair with Conway continued.  I furnished my first apartment with discount knick-knacks and home goods from the store.  And much to my chagrin, in hindsight, I curated most of my wardrobe for my first full-time job from the long-shuttered 42nd Street and Third Avenue store. One regretful ensemble: Lime green and white checkered pants with a matching lime green

Memorial Day Weekend 2023 Cultural Highlight: DanceAfrica Festival at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and Throughout Brooklyn

In her essay, " African Dance is Medicine for the Mind, Body and Spirit ," dancer, teacher and choreographer Cherie Hill wrote, "The more I perform African dance, the more I discover and enjoy euphoria. When the drums are beating and the body is dancing everything fits in sync and I feel limitless and powerful."   Photo by Nate Palmer                                                                                                                         Hill is honored with a portrait by Cecilia Lamptey-Botchway that's on display   at the  BAM Howard Gilman Opera House  during the annual  DanceAfrica Festival .  The festival celebrates Black joy and resilience and the regal power of African dance.  I mark my calendar each year for the  DanceAfrica Bazaar, where I often run into old friends and see familiar faces. In a Brooklyn that has quickly become gentrified, I love to see us walking tall, beaming with pride and to quote Bey, "shining, shining, shining, y

The Re-Education of NeNe Leakes: The Reality Star Talks About College Hill, What Housewives She's Still Friends With and More

I’ve been a fan of The Real Housewives of Atlanta since the beginning.     So I jumped at the chance to chat with original RHOA cast member and breakout star NeNe Leakes.     It’s been a tough couple of years since NeNe parted ways with the show. In 2021 her husband Gregg lost his battle with colon cancer and earlier this year she filed a discrimination lawsuit against her former employer, Bravo. But on the brighter side, the 54-year-old is dating again and starring in the BET limited reality series,   College Hill: Celebrity Edition.    Along with other headline-grabbing reality TV stars including, Big Freedia, Lamar Odom, Stacey Dash and Ray J., NeNe and the members of the cast lived together and attended classes at the historically Black Texas Southern University.     We asked NeNe what it was like to go back to school, what the biggest misconception about her is, which housewives she's still friendly with, and more.   Everything She Wants : What did it feel like being back in