Art of Connection is a curated gallery sourcing and editing the finest objets d’art & crafts from Southern Africa. They are dedicated to sharing the narratives behind each objet d’art and its maker and are proud to collaborate with the master craft artists from Ilala Weavers.
Ilala Weavers is a family-owned business situated in the town of Hluhluwe in north-eastern Kwa-Zulu Natal. The business trades a range of fibre, beaded and other locally produced handicrafts. Ilala Weavers is best known for its handwoven Zulu basket collections made from ilala palm fibres, crafted traditionally by women in the Zululand and Maputaland regions of northern KZN. Providing income generation opportunities for more than 2,000 people, Ilala Weavers has played an important role in keeping handcraft skills alive in northern KZN through a period during which the local market for these products for home use has diminished to almost nothing.