The Cowry Shells: A Whisper of Heritage

There comes a moment when passion can no longer remain invisible, when it must be woven into the way we present ourselves to the world. This journey of rediscovery is the continuous unveiling of love for my beautiful African continent.

 Growing up in Congo, I was surrounded by the brilliance of wax fabrics, patterns and colours that have always been a part of me. Yet living in Europe, with its ten months of cool, unforgiving weather, I often asked myself how such vibrance could be reimagined into a wardrobe that fits my daily reality. 

I longed to wear pieces that reflected my heritage without becoming costume, that carried my continent’s beauty without cliché, garments that whispered of my roots while speaking fluently in the present.

 This is how my love story with the cowry shell began.

 For centuries, cowry shells have traveled across Africa, carrying many meanings. Once a currency of trade and wealth, they also lived in the spiritual realm, tokens of fertility, protection, and divine connection. Their curved, delicate form echoes the feminine, the womb, the origin of life. Chiefs wore them as symbols of power, women as charms of beauty and blessing. They adorned garments, crowns, and rituals; they connected the physical with the spiritual, the personal with the ancestral.

 To me, cowry shells are more than adornment. They are heritage made visible, my homage to the motherland, my way of celebrating not only Congo, but the shared history of Africa’s peoples and cultures. In their shape I see identity, in their history I see resilience, and in their quiet beauty I find the balance I seek: to wear my heritage in a way that whispers, not shouts.

 This is why cowries have become my signature. A reminder stitched into my creations that elegance, femininity, and heritage are not separate, they are one.