Lalela: A Zulu word meaning “to listen”. Lalela provides arts education for at-risk youth to spark creative thinking and awaken the entrepreneurial spirit!

Art is a powerful universal language that allows us to break through cultural and communication barriers, and open our hearts and minds to the hopes and challenges that connect us all. This very notion is the seed of Lalela Project’s movement – exchanging ideas, art, and music as a way to listen to one another, and understand how to make our world better, together.

This amazing international fashion brand, renowned for its biannual collections of luxury scarves, has launched a range of fine leather accessories. Lalela Scarf has now extended its existing product range to include gorgeous leather accessories that show off inspiring artwork created by at-risk youth who participate in NPO Lalela’s arts education programme. The new leather range includes handbags that double as clutches and bright, funky luggage tags.

“I realised that when scarves are worn, you can’t necessarily see the exceptional artwork,” says Sandy Tabatznik, Lalela Scarf’s design director, “I wanted to create a product that better showcased the beautiful designs by our students. Bags and luggage tags were the perfect medium.” The artwork is digitally printed directly onto the leather, allowing the grain to show through the artwork and give the bags the beautiful and innate natural texture.

The eye-catching pieces are practical and functional – the handbags can be toted around via a stylish metal handle or can be folded and kept under one’s arm as a clutch. The size is large enough to fit an iPad yet elegant enough to take to a dinner party.

With affordability in mind, Lalela Scarf has also created a line of luggage tags perfect for customers of all price ranges. The luggage tags have a nifty aeroplane motif and are sure to stand out on airport carousels. Initially, the brand was looking to create something less expensive for corporate gifting; however, the luggage tags became so popular that they were added to the line. “They make great housewarming gifts, perfect stocking fillers, and are a delight for travellers as they are bright and fun,” says Heidi McCormack, who runs Lalela Scarf’s South African Divison.

Through Lalela’s arts curriculum and critical messaging component, they ignite imagination and teach children how to map and manifest their dreams and goals, launching the possibility of a different future for themselves and their communities. Everyday after-school, in the hours when children are most vulnerable to abuse of every kind, they work to break the barriers of challenge. Their role in arts education is to help blaze the trail in the whole brain thinking with a proven path to innovation and new job creation. Their programs create permanent change with positive outlooks, community role models and the mind-set for our students to design a more certain future for themselves and their communities.

The range and accessories are manufactured in Cape Town, as it was one of Sandy’s goals to create and produce a product made exclusively in South Africa. “I love being able to showcase the incredible craftsmanship of South Africa, support local and further inspire our learners to become entrepreneurs.”

The new Lalela Scarf leather ware really gives meaning to the brand’s tagline ‘apparel with purpose’. The profit from sales of Lalela Scarf apparel and accessories go towards funding the NPO Lalela, which in turn increases the opportunity for at-risk youth to benefit from arts education.

W:  The Lalela Scarf
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