Philosophy
You Khanga is an Italian brand of slippers and ballerinas founded by the CEO Veruscha Rossi and the creative director Benedetta Ceppi.
After her studies, Veruscha has travelled worldwide to Australia, South America, United States, Europe, and especially in Africa; here, she met her husband and in 2006 she moved to Malindi.
In 2010 she decided to come back in Italy and she drew inspiration from her experience in Africa to produce objects using khanga, the typical African fabric.
Benedetta is a professional stylist, graduate in fashion design at IED in Milan; she started her career as intern in the accessories dept at ITIERRE group. She also worked as stylist at Modaonline.it and Mondadori publications; she loves travels and since childhood she became habitue of Kenya and Malindi, where she returns at least once a year.
Hence the idea to tie her two worlds: Africa and fashion.
You Khanga mixes Italian and African cultures, proposing slippers and flats, made of original khanga fabric, designed according the Italian know-how.
Khanga is a rectangle of printed cotton, in bright colors, decorated with sentences, proverbs and riddles, written in Swahili; but it is also a lifestyle for African women because khanga can be a dress, a hat, can be used to carry babies on their backs, and even to decorate homes.
Each product is unique for a simple reason, because the khanga is no equal to another; they are similar but not identical; creations have their own identity because there are no serial processing or laser prints in Africa so that each pair of shoes will have an unique cloth.
The mission of creative duo is to contribute as much as possible to the development of local populations; even the packaging is made of khanga, strictly produced in Kenia.
Part of proceeds will be employed in charity projects, dedicated to Kenyan women and children, supporting the Asante Sana Roberto orphanage of Mambrui.
© Images copyright: You Khanga and rightful owners.
