My instagram followers probably know this already, but I still want to write about my
#AsahBara mug!! because two months later, and the hype hasn't died yet!
I discovered Asah-Bara on instagram, literally through the "discover" button. If I remember correctly, I sent them a DM inviting them to my first Rooftop Bazaar, and then one day just as my family and I were leaving our home to go to the Philippine Independence Day Celebration, Xoxa and her friend stopped by to take a look at the rooftop. She came back down saying how much she loved the view, and then she signed up. As mentioned in my previous post about the bazaar, I made personalized posts for the vendors, so looking for pictures for their poster was the first time I really got to go through their page. Their insta-feed is so beautiful!
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| Poster for 1st bazaar |
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| Poster for 2nd bazaar |
I was in love with what I saw! Xoxa is the #BossLady of Asah-Bara. She and her team design mugs, glasses & diaries. Each mug is unique - and yet, you can still see something similar in all of them. Each post ends with "That's the spirit of Asah-Bara", so maybe that's just it! But the patterns - the triangles, the dots, the spirals! Wait, I don't think whatever I write will do justice to their art - this would actually require an interview with Xoxa and her team...so I'll just skip to
the part where I ordered my first mug!
Funny, it took me a long time to decide this. The only thing stopping me was the fact that I was going to leave Nigeria soon - I've lived in 4 countries in 4 years, and each time I moved I could only carry 40kg with me. All the moving has made me a very practical person; I don't buy what I don't need. I also don't like to keep too many things. But the more Asah-Bara posted on instagram, the more I felt - screw this, I'm getting myself a mug because I'll never be able to find anything
like this anywhere else in the world!
I went through their page (for the nth time) to find out what size and design. Did you know Asah-Bara mugs have names? There's the talking mugs; half moons; the midgets... then they also have names for the designs eg. tattoo tribe; babanringa boy (these look like a man's suit), and so many more! Apart from real fabric that's glued so well unto the mug, and the colorful patterns and lines drawn around, another signature of Asah-Bara is the button and the shell. Yep, you'll find a piece of cowry or a cute little (or huge) button stitched very tightly onto the mug. The first time I saw the mugs on display at the first Rooftop Bazaar, I was so scared to touch. Xoxa assured me that the buttons and shells were stitched so well, and that she did a lot of experimenting to get the perfect ink (doesn't peel off/even in hot water) and that the only way the mug would break is if you intentionally throw it on the ground. I always thought that if I got their mug, I'd use it as a decoration...
but guess what; I use it almost everyday!
So what did I ask for? I remember telling Xoxa I wanted the "African-est" design, because the mug would serve as my souvenir from Nigeria. But then I also asked for the color blue, and a shell on a half moon talking mug. Xoxa asked what I wanted written on it? None other than my own hashtag!
And here's the masterpiece:
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| Xoxa is a really really creative & talented lady. She's so colorful and radiates joy whenever she interacts with people! You can absolutely see how passionate she is about her art. I really admire her spirit. *Take a look at her creative display at the second bazaar!* |
This was the very next day after I got my mug (oh, you should know that my mug was wrapped in newspaper, and put in a cute Asah-Bara customized paper bag with their palm logo, and the prettiest business card I've ever seen, a piece of "proof of fabric"...every little detail...from the mug to the packaging shouted "Asah-Bara!" I've never seen anything like this!)
I had my daily chia-yoghurt-jelly in my new mug.
Oh and did I tell you how happy I was to see that I got two shells?!
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| One morning I made pancakes. Pancakes call for coffee as well! When Xoxa saw this picture, she said she was happy to see the mug being used, because most people turn them into decoration. But like I said, I'm "practical" - I don't buy decorations! I only buy what I really need/can use :) |
I captioned this "Asah-Bara meets Manila!" This was literally the morning after I arrived in Manila. Jetlag woke me up really early, so I stood at the balcony, watching the sunrise behind the sky scrapers...with some hot tea!
So, yoghurt, coffee, tea...what else can I have with my beautiful mug? HOT CHOCOLATE!
with little marshmallows melting *puking rainbows!*
