Lucy Mulima of Aya Goods
Inspired by tradition, driven by contemporary design
Aya Goods is an eclectic range of ready-to-wear apparel and leather accessories. Established in 2015 and based in Cape Town, Aya Goods seeks to fuse a contemporary African design aesthetic with traditional craftsmanship, as a means of both preservation and celebration.
Founder of Aya Goods, Lucy Mulima, is inspired by tradition and driven by contemporary design. Aya Goods sources fabrics from all around Africa and uses local, high quality tailoring to create her distinctively modern items. Her ready-to-wear apparel and leather accessories speak a language that is rooted in good design for the eclectic woman.
Behind the name
The name Aya is derived from the Twi language of the Ashanti people of Ghana in which it translates to “The fern”. Within the Adinkra visual symbols originated by the Akan, Aya represents endurance and defiance of difficulties in all aspects of human endeavor. It stresses the need for human beings to be strong-willed, self-reliant and resourceful in order to meet the uncertainties of life. This is the spirit that Aya Goods strive to exemplify.
We asked Lucy:
What do you love about your work?
I love the fact that it gives me a platform to share and showcase my
ideas while hopefully adding value to the African fashion/cultural narrative.
Where do you find your ideas?
My ideas are largely informed by my lived experience as a young black
pan-African woman in the 21st century. I live in a vibrant African
city, with a rich and not so savoury history so it’s always interesting to
explore the nuances that be, in the daily hustle and bustle – that, and random
conversations.
Who inspires you?
This changes depending on the context of my work, but I find a lot of
inspiration in the African lived experience; people seem to possess this innate
hope and resourcefulness and African women in particular, continue to defy, persevere
and even thrive, against the odds with a deep awareness of our humanity and the
role this plays in the grand scheme of life. So you can say the African woman
inspires me, keeping in mind that Africa is not a country – if I had to name
one, it would be my mother.
Your favourite material/s?
I love cotton in all it’s many variations, I generally have a preference
for natural fibers overall so the list is long. With Aya Goods, I work a lot
with African inspired wax prints and other woven materials, usually handcrafted
using traditional and natural dye/colouring methods.
What are your aspirations for the future?
For now, I’m focusing on setting up Aya Goods as a sustainable and
thriving fashion business with the aim of becoming a *NB port of call for contemporary
ready-to-wear African fashion.
What do you expect from the Kamers’ show/s?
I’m excited to be taking part in the Kamers Joburg Spring event - really looking forward to engaging with customers and sharing some Aya goodness.
Anything else you want to mention?
Find Aya Goods on facebook.
Follow Aya Goods on Instagram