Creative community

Dar Leone is a London based design studio founded by Sierra Leonean-American, Isatu Funna. They create and curate a globally inspired range of jewellery, textiles, wallpaper, cushions and objects inspired by Isatu’s travels around the world and her memories of a childhood in Freetown.

With each design, they reimagine traditional West African textiles in unexpected tones of cerise pink, mustard yellow or chocolate brown. While inspiration is global, their production is local. You can find a wide range of designs and lifestyle products in their store and online made in the UK, from fine bone china made in Stoke on Trent to wallpaper printed in Yorkshire.

Dar Leone’s latest collection Didi is inspired by the flower “Bird of Paradise” which blooms abundantly in Sierra Leone. With pops of dusky orange and bright pink, its petals are a visual balm on roadsides, by the beach, upcountry or in city gardens. Fabric is available in six colourways and by the cut-metre.

WEBSITE: dar-leone.com

INSTAGRAM: @darleonelondon

BEEN London’s story started with a coffee cup… or rather, the waste left behind from endless throwaway, single use coffee cups. This problem of waste was one that really got under the skin of former BBC journalist and BEEN London’s founder, Genia Mineeva, who then began exploring the use of recyclable materials and how waste could be repurposed to create something new. It was here she discovered the exciting and untapped potential of innovative recycled materials that rescued landfill-bound items.

Since its launch in 2018, with the help of Kickstarter, the BEEN London has won multiple awards for their efforts in sustainability and captured the attention of many with their timeless, yet fun and vibrant, designs for the everyday.

Through creativity and innovation, the brand is changing the narrative on waste, rescuing materials such as discarded tannery offcuts, post-consumer waste plastic and even pineapple leaves and apple skins.

WEBSITE: been.london

INSTAGRAM: @been.london

WE ARE ENVIRONMENTAL

When you’re done reading this newspaper, please reuse it. Here are some suggestions:

1. Frame the artwork on the back cover.

2. Use it as a wrapping paper.

3. Use it for paper mache.

4. Use it for analogue collage.

5. Send it to a friend who needs cheering up

WEBSITE: estila.co | studioestila.com

INSTAGRAM: @estila.co | @studioestila

6. Give it to your local library.

7. Give it to your local school or college.

8. Leave it at your local lifestyle store.

9. Shred it and put it in the compost.

10. As last resort, recycle it responsibly.

Get In Touch

Tell us your story: editor@estila.co Website: estila.co