|
|
|
Gone Rural’s unique home accessories combine traditional skills with high end design and are hand woven from sustainable, local natural fibres. As our product range broadens we are using more mixed media, partnering other local companies for the materials required. Ceramics, re-cycled glass and metal products are bought in and incorporated into the Gone Rural range 
| Lutindzi grass "Lutindzi" is the Swazi name for the strong, wiry sedge grass coleochloa setifera (Comptons' "Flora of Swaziland", no 512.) It grows high up in the mountains on rocky outcrops, finding moisture in the cracks of rocks. Due to its wiry nature and inaccessibility, it is not eaten by cattle and for centuries has been harvested for the manufacture of rope to tie down roof thatching on traditional beehive huts.
After good rains, the Lutindzi will be plentiful and the women will spend days harvesting it. If the harvesting is planned correctly, there will be enough for the weaver to work with throughout the rest of the year. The harvesting of this grass also leaves the roots intact for the following year, hence there is a natural abundance of this very special resource.
The plaiting of the grass is something every girl will learn, but making the plaits up into floor-mats, tableware and other items is a skill she will learn patiently at her mother’s side. | Sisal Fibre
Sisal Fibre is an invasive weed. Sisal is used in Swaziland to make cattle fences and grows throughout the country. Because it is a weed, it is ideal for craft production since harvesting does not threaten the country's natural biodiversity. Gone Rural has developed unique knitted and woven textiles that are sensitive to the unique properties of the sisal fibre. | 
|  | Traditional Clay The skill of firing a traditional clay pot is alive and well in one of our communities of master potters. A clay pot is made by coiling "fingers" of prepared clay round and round and pinching it into shape. When the clay is nearly dry it is "burnished" with a river pebble to give the surface a polished look. It is then fired in an open fire on the ground for 2 or 3 hours. The shape and design of the pots is characteristically African, while being enhanced by contemporary design trends. | Ceramics Gone Rural's home collections are led by their signature Ceramic and Grass bowls. Gone Rural designs the ceramic bases that are then handmade, painted and glazed made by Ceramic companies in Swaziland. The ceramic bases are taken out to the rural areas where the women expertly continue the design into the grass borders. | 
| 
| Glass Gone Rural has partnered with Ngwenya Glass to create unique glass and grass bowls. All Ngwenya's products are hand blown from 100% recycled glass by Swazi Artist.
http://www.ngwenyaglass.co.sz/ | Copper Exipro - a local engineering company has offered the support to create employment for rural men in Swaziland. Partnering with them we have developed a range of copper products with Exipro contributing with the technical training and skill and Gone Rural designing the collection. | 
|
|
|
|
