Creatively Sustainable: Yvette Kissi & Kapdaa-The Offcut Company

In collaboration with the amazing team and artisans at Kapdaa - The Offcut Company , I began the journey to creatively reduce textile waste during my creative process.

We developed a unique line of handcrafted bespoke notebooks using a diverse range of textile samples which would have otherwise gone to waste.

Derived from complex and intricate mixed media paintings, sampling is an important part of the design process, crucial to identifying appropriate fabrics and refining the details and colours of each textile design.

Whilst I believe in letting the development of a painting, design or collection naturally take and change course, I became increasingly conscious of the amount of fabric samples I had accumulated.

The goal was to recycle each offcut in a unique and sustainable way as I am aware of the environmental impact these textile offcuts would have if they were simply discarded and to my delight Kapdaa was interested in collaborating to do just that.

The nature of the prints featured in this collection mean that each notebook, even when cut from the same cloth/design, has its own character and is one of a kind.

Featuring digitally printed and hand printed work, the collection has a range of designs, forming two sub collections:

Architectural Abstraction features designs inspired by the geometry and structural forms found in the built environment.

F L O W is a body of work currently in development in which all designs are derived from complex abstract mixed media paintings.

Not only has Kapdaa been instrumental in breathing new life and giving a purpose to my beloved fabrics, they are also committed to ethically supporting artisans in Mumbai, India by keeping their handcrafted skills alive. As an artist and designer who uses and values the role of handcrafted techniques in my own design process, this is something I am glad to be a part of.

I'm very excited to be releasing the collection at the beginning of November 2019 and I will also have a small selection available at

Kingsgate Workshops Winter Open Weekend

(22nd-24th November). With FSC-certified sustainable and recycled plain paper, these A6 notebooks make the perfect gift (or treat for yourself).

Shop The Collection

Ghana: Home & Heritage

Ghana.

A few things have happened recently that have made me think of Ghana.

I have been taking family trips to Ghana for as long as I can remember, and they have always served as a welcome break from the noise of life in London. A time to not only reconnect with family and soak up some much needed Vitamin D, but also, in more recent years, a time to reconnect and realign creatively.

My most recent trip in October 2017, was a chance to celebrate and experience my dear friend’s wedding (and create something very special for their big day, more on that later) but I had a strong desire to explore more of Ghana outside of Accra and experience some of its rich craft & cultural heritage. Having visited Aburi, Cape Coast, Akosombo and Elmina on past trips, I became more curious about the craftsmanship that I’ve seen in the textiles, jewellery and traditional crafts that reside in Ghana, mainly within the collections of my mother, grandmother and aunts.

As a young child visits to Grandma Esther’s house in Kaneshi where my mother grew up were extremely common for myself and my sister. There is one visit in particular that I remember quite vividly. Grandma Esther spontaneously decided to dress my sister and I in traditional Kente cloth and Ashinɔ (traditional beads) and have a mini photo shoot! She carefully picked out each piece and I remember watching her sort through her vast collection of Ashinɔ to find the perfect piece for each Kente cloth. Even at a young age, I couldn’t stop staring at all the amazing colours and details of the different pieces she had, each piece unique and beautiful in its own way.

Her influence in my Mother’s style became clearer to me as I grew up and quietly observed the way she presented herself and her love for traditional African prints, and Ashinɔ. I started to pay more attention to how these influences present themselves in my ma’s style and started to share and document the beauty in the details, thus creating #nanaebum, a portion of my Instagram dedicated to her as well as the heritage left by my late Grandmother.

As an artist and designer, seeing these rich, dynamic colours, prints and traditional jewellery has inadvertently influenced the way I create, what my eye is drawn to and the value I place on creating.

I realised this much more on my last visit to Ghana.

Over the next few posts I will be sharing more from the Ghana: Home & Heritage series including my visits to Krobo Odumase and Bonwire where I experienced the process and craftsmanship of traditional crafts first hand.

I am excited to go on this journey with you.

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