Nakate Project Collection Preview

I was invited to attend the Nakate Project’s Spring 2012 jewelry collection preview with my friend Kate of Wear In LA. It was a small gathering, held in a beautiful apartment in Encino. The story of how Nakate Project got its name was in 2010, when Shanley was in Uganda. She met a seven-year-old girl named Cossy Nakate, who suffered from AIDS and was orphaned. Meeting Cossy made a huge impact on Shanley’s life and she wanted to do more to make Cossy’s life (and the lives of the women in Kakooge) a little easier. Nakate Project was launched in 2011. The company now employs over thirty women in Uganda, who hand-make paper beads and create lovely necklaces in a variety of styles and color-ways. I saw loads of color, among them, bright turquoise, browns, purples and oranges. We also viewed additional pieces by Portland based designers Andrea Angell, Jamieson Diemer and California based designer Selena Martino. I want to commend Shanley in her work with the women. I’ve read the blog on Nakate Project’s website and am moved at how the company has changed so many lives of the Ugandan women in Kakooge. For more information on Nakate Project, go here. In the words of the company’s motto: Where will you take Africa?