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Wakamba Bag

September 18, 2021 By In Bags No Comments

The rarest piece I saw in the Banana Republic Archive was this example of the Wakamba Bag. How rare? It was only featured once, in the Summer 1986 Update. “Using an ancient method unique to their region, the Wakamba women of Kenya twine these sisal bags by hand after dying the fibers with natural bark dues. At our request, they added the silver-plated conch and solid metal studs. Sturdy and capricious, each bag is woven in its own distinctive stripe pattern.”

About The Author

Robyn Adams
Robyn’s fascination with Banana Republic began in 1984 when her Alaskan adventurer father began buying their clothing and giving her their catalogs. She loved the clothes, and as an artist, she was drawn to the illustrations. Robyn went on to study illustration at an art college in Banana Republic’s hometown of San Francisco, CA, and she worked for years as a background artist for animation. She is now based in Oakland, CA and works as a graphic designer and illustrator. She has been collecting and archiving at Abandoned Republic since 2011.