Brights or monochrome? Ornate or minimalist? The truth is, home trends ebb and flow and the choices we make about what we adopt and what we gracefully sidestep are deeply personal. Those decisions, after all, are the ones that help make your home you.
That being said one approach to the home permeates all trends and shows no sign of abating: the desire to shop small, shop unique, and support individual makers right across the globe. This desire gave birth to Hadeda.
Hadeda (pronounced haa-dee-dah) has a simple mission: to support as many artisans and communities as possible through the beauty of hand-crafted homewares. Born in the UK to a Capetonian mother and ‘growing up with one foot in England and the other in South Africa’, Hadeda founder Kate Kindersley is uniquely positioned to give the small groups and single makers she works with a platform for their one-of-a-kind pieces.
We caught up with Kate to understand how it all began.
Why interiors? Where did it all start?
The road to where I am today has been winding, but it’s always been interiors. When I first finished University I temped at Condé Nast for World of Interiors and House & Garden, before moving on to a career in interiors PR. In my twenties I left London and moved to Cape Town – I had a South African passport and it felt like my time. I freelanced for boutique hotels providing creative direction and PR. This is where I met my husband and followed him to Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania where we lived for four years. While there, I did an online interiors Diploma with KLC School of Design.
When did the idea for Hadeda emerge?
It was as early as in my late teens. My Mum and I did a charity sale with South African design products which was very well received. We discussed the idea of starting something then but it never happened. In my late twenties, while in Tanzania, it really started to take shape. I had come across so many inspiring artisans and I kept thinking that more people had to see their work. It wasn’t until later though, after having my three boys, that I had the courage to take the plunge and Hadeda was born. It’s all about timing.
The road to where I am today has been winding, but it’s always been interiors. When I first finished University I temped at Condé Nast for World of Interiors and House & Garden, before moving on to a career in interiors PR. In my twenties I left London and moved to Cape Town – I had a South African passport and it felt like my time. I freelanced for boutique hotels providing creative direction and PR. This is where I met my husband and followed him to Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania where we lived for four years. While there, I did an online interiors Diploma with KLC School of Design.
When did the idea for Hadeda emerge?
It was as early as in my late teens. My Mum and I did a charity sale with South African design products which was very well received. We discussed the idea of starting something then but it never happened. In my late twenties, while in Tanzania, it really started to take shape. I had come across so many inspiring artisans and I kept thinking that more people had to see their work. It wasn’t until later though, after having my three boys, that I had the courage to take the plunge and Hadeda was born. It’s all about timing.
“I hope that people invest in the Hadeda collection, not just for the one-of-a-kind product that they love but also because they want to be part of the story behind it. The who made it, where and the why.”
Why did you decide on the name Hadeda?
They are actually a hugely annoying bird found in Southern Africa. Everyone who knows what they are laugh when I tell them that I named my company after them. But I have a soft spot. They are a sacred Ibis bird and although possibly the most unattractive and noisiest – they wake you at 5am with their obnoxious call – I find them strangely nostalgic of my childhood in South Africa.
You had a culturally diverse upbringing. How do you think this has influenced what you’re doing today?
I grew up with one foot in England, complete with a very British family, and one foot in South Africa with a whole different life. This meant I had influence from both – and it truly is a beautiful meeting of cultures. I love the traditional craft of Africa and the resourcefulness of its artisans, using what the land produces to create these absolutely amazing masterpieces.
They are actually a hugely annoying bird found in Southern Africa. Everyone who knows what they are laugh when I tell them that I named my company after them. But I have a soft spot. They are a sacred Ibis bird and although possibly the most unattractive and noisiest – they wake you at 5am with their obnoxious call – I find them strangely nostalgic of my childhood in South Africa.
You had a culturally diverse upbringing. How do you think this has influenced what you’re doing today?
I grew up with one foot in England, complete with a very British family, and one foot in South Africa with a whole different life. This meant I had influence from both – and it truly is a beautiful meeting of cultures. I love the traditional craft of Africa and the resourcefulness of its artisans, using what the land produces to create these absolutely amazing masterpieces.
What role does craft play on the African continent?
It is everything really. Not only does craft create jobs within communities and impart a skill, but there’s a sense of pride in these skills. Every African culture has their own unique weaving techniques using different raw materials. It becomes easy to tell where a product has been made and even by which tribes or communities.
Whilst traditional craft techniques have been passed down from family to family across generations and preserved, each artisan adds their own unique and creative touch to their product. This gives the product a real sense of authenticity and uniqueness that cannot be reproduced in the mass market.
How do you hope people receive Hadeda?
I hope that they feel like they want to be part of something. When I say this, I mean not only in buying a unique, one-of-a-kind product that they love but also that they want to be part of the story behind the product. The who made it, where and the why.
It is everything really. Not only does craft create jobs within communities and impart a skill, but there’s a sense of pride in these skills. Every African culture has their own unique weaving techniques using different raw materials. It becomes easy to tell where a product has been made and even by which tribes or communities.
Whilst traditional craft techniques have been passed down from family to family across generations and preserved, each artisan adds their own unique and creative touch to their product. This gives the product a real sense of authenticity and uniqueness that cannot be reproduced in the mass market.
How do you hope people receive Hadeda?
I hope that they feel like they want to be part of something. When I say this, I mean not only in buying a unique, one-of-a-kind product that they love but also that they want to be part of the story behind the product. The who made it, where and the why.