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Atelier Fifty Five Tapiwa Matsinde African Interior Design Liz Riley Photography

Dedicated to Modern African Design

The ateliers of Africa are overflowing with creativity and ingenuity. atelier | 55 by Tapiwa Matsinde invites you to discover the soul and stories of African design

Our Mission

To support the development of the African design industry and bring the work of talented designers, makers, and creatives from the continent and its diaspora to the attention of local and global audiences.

Atelier Fifty Five by Tapiwa Matsinde African design consultant Liz Riley Photography

Meet Tapiwa

I feel privileged to be a part of what I call the golden era of contemporary African design, a time when we are witnessing a continent-wide, collective, creative reawakening. I celebrate this creative expression by participating in it and working to expand its reach.

I feel privileged to be a part of what I call the golden era of contemporary African design, a time when we are witnessing a continent-wide, collective, creative reawakening. I celebrate this creative expression by participating in it and working to expand its reach.

Services

By sharing information – about contemporary African design with curators and collectors; about best business practices with makers and creatives, and making connections between these groups of people, I contribute to the growing, thriving world of modern African design.

Atelier Fifty Five by Tapiwa Matsinde African design Consultancy Liz Riley Photography

Consultancy

Consultancy and Guest-Curation

Consultancy and Guest-Curation for cultural organizations that want a deeper understanding of Africa’s dynamic design and creative landscape.

Atelier Fifty Five by Tapiwa Matsinde Creative Entrepreneurs Liz Riley Photography

Creative Entrepreneurs

Resources for the creative business owner.

Creative business support designed to help growing brands, and fledgling creative business owners expand into new, high-end design and lifestyle markets.

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Power is gained by sharing knowledge not hoarding it

African Proverb

Curated Content

Browse through objects, commentary and perspectives of modern African design, chosen carefully and thoughtfully for you. As important as the creations themselves are the inspiring stories, insights, and profiles that enhance our understanding and appreciation of the work.

Atelier Fifty Five by Tapiwa Matsinde African Design Writing Content Liz Riley Photography

Books, Writing, Publications

Capturing the dynamic African design industry.

We collect information to help us make sense of things, and, to create records of what has happened and is happening. I’m proud to contribute to the collection that chronicles and captures the dynamic African design industry.

We collect information and cushion it with context to help us make sense of things, and, more importantly, to create records of what has happened and is happening. I’m proud to contribute to the collection that chronicles and captures the dynamic African design industry.

Atelier Fifty Five by Tapiwa Matsinde buy African Design Liz Riley Photography

Shop African Design

Beautiful products.

A selection of sophisticated products for contemporary living from some of Africa’s finest design ateliers.

atelier | 55 offers a selection of sophisticated products for contemporary living. Thoughtfully sourced from some of Africa’s finest design ateliers.

Read The Edit, Be Inspired

- S2 Ep 3 Building on the Legacy of the Family Business and Nurturing the Next Generation with Audrey Forson
  In this episode, I chat with Audrey Forson. Audrey is a furniture designer, and the managing director of Tekura, her family’s business in Ghana. Taking over the helm from her mother Josephine who started Tekura with the support of her husband Kweku, Audrey is now taking the business to the next level. In our conversation, we talk about family business, the meaning of legacy and the importance of leaving something for, and nurturing the next generation. On getting involved with the family business Audrey says that design was something she always wanted to do and how growing up with the family business happening in the back yard drew her attention and she spent time seeing what was happening. While at school she asked her parents to let her become an intern at Tekura and worked her way up from filing, cleaning the gallery, sourcing materials for the artisans and more. This hands-on experience helped her learn all the different aspects of the business and to eventually step into the role of managing director the position she currently holds. Tekura started as a purely export business and after taking over she decided to focus more on the Ghanaian and wider African market. She has also been able to gradually input her creative skills to help develop the company’s design collections. Self-taught Audrey has had had the opportunity to collaborate with Cheick Diallo, and Hamed Ouattara whose skills and experience have helped her guide her development as a designer. Audrey is also using her platform with Tekura to help nurture the next generation of designers and entrepreneurs. She actively shares her advice and what she has learned to help those following in her footsteps avoid the errors she made. Tekura does internships with some local universities and polytechnics enabling students to engage with the more practical side of a design business, showing these budding designers how to make a living from their creativity. By doing this Audrey highlights the importance of doing good with what one has inherited from the ancestral past and the responsibility one has to pass it onto the next generation. We talk about: Stepping in to take over the family businessHow interning at the business while still at school helped her to learn the different aspects of the businessLeaning on the job as a self-taught creative and designerThe stories Tekura is telling and how the business has a deep link to her heritageThe importance of market awarenessThe production cycle and tailoring products for the different audiencesNurturing the next generation of designers by giving back and sharing her advice and experiencesThe importance of understanding the business side of designWhy legacy matters, creating businesses that can be passed onto the next generations to each take forward “I see African design as the mother of all designs… Design really is who we are, the stories we have to tell.’ – Audrey Forson Links and resources mentioned in this episode Cheick Diallo Hamed Ouattara Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology – Rural Arts Where you can go to find out more about Audrey and Tekura: https://www.designtekura.com @tekura_designs You can listen to the podcast on iTunes (iOS) and Stitcher (Android) And before you go I have a favour to ask, if you could take a few minutes to do the three R’s that is: rate it, review it, and recommend it to anyone you feel would benefit. It will really make a difference and I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks again. Tapiwa Pin for later... Read more...
- S2 Ep 2 Having the Courage to Step Away from Your Dream and Start Over with Lola Ukinamemen of Agnes & Lola
  In this episode, I chat with Lola Ukinamemen. Lola is the founder of the fashion and lifestyle brand, Agnes & Lola, a platform that pioneered the retail and therefore availability of African fashion to international audiences. Since then Agnes & Lola has undergone significant changes as Lola went back to the drawing board closing it down for a while before returning to start over from scratch. In this conversation we chat about letting go, having the courage to walk away from a dream when things are not working out as you hoped. Dealing with the internal shame of giving up and coming back stronger. Lola started her brand because she found it hard to find and buy the African Design she was seeing, and excited by what she was finding she wanted to showcase her finds. I am going to show Africa in a positive way became her mantra. Driven by passion Looking back Lola acknowledges that she was driven by passion. And that in her naivety she rushed headlong into a venture without pausing to do proper due diligence. This unpreparedness led to problems as the business grew, pointing to how she battled with a lack of control over designers and their collections, and how when she received CNN press her website crashed as it was unable to cope with the increased traffic. The challenges made her feel lost and soon led her to question her dream. As a result, she made the difficult decision to walk away closing down Agnes & Lola and starting another brand, Ife’s Closet. But it wasn’t the same and taking this step caused her to feel a deep sense of shame in having failed and also in having let others down. Lola soon realised that she missed Agnes & Lola. Named after Grandmother and herself Lola could not ignore how much her identity was wrapped up in the brand and mission. So in a journey that has taken 10 years, Lola returned to Agnes & Lola, reviving the brand in a new direction that is more in tune with how she wants to see it develop. And that is by designing her own collections and producing them in Nigeria in partnership with local tailor and communities. The new version of the brand displays her confidence and her acceptance of self and not being afraid to show who she truly is and to stop worrying about what others will think. We talk about: Spotting a gap in the market to retail African fashionHow Agnes & Lola became a journey of discovery of selfThe naivety of starting out with passion but not doing the due diligence required to start a businessBeing unprepared for the visibility that comes with PR recognition Acknowledging when things were not working and knowing it was time to step awayExperiencing the shame of stopping and feeling like she was letting everyone downRecognising what went wrong the first time round Appreciating the importance of family, in particular, what she could have learned from her grandmotherChoosing to revive Agnes & LolaRegaining her passion and sense of identity in the new version of Agnes & Lola I am going to show Africa in a positive way. – Lola Ukinamemen, Agnes & Lola Links and resources mentioned in this episode Chichia CNN Myleek Teele Finding Paula Where you can go to find out more about Lola and Agnes & Lola: https://www.agnesandlola.com @agnesamdlola You can listen to the podcast on iTunes (iOS) and Stitcher (Android) And before you go I have a favour to ask, if you could you take a few minutes to do the three R’s: that is rate it, review it, and recommend it to anyone you feel would benefit. It will really make a difference and I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks again. Tapiwa Pin for later... Read more...

“

If you can envision it, you can accomplish it.
If you can imagine it, you can reach the heavens!

African proverb