Shake the Dust: a brand with a fascinating story

All brands have a story behind them, but at Shake the Dust it’s a touching tale.

Kathy Shenoy is the creative director of Shake the Dust. She lived in the Kingdom of Swaziland for two and a half years and this was the start of her journey in setting up Shake the Dust. While she was living in South Africa, Kathy was invited to work as a product designer for Philippa Thorne at Gone Rural. Six months into her time at Gone Rural, Kathy was asked by Jiggs & Sholto Thorne – the directors of House on Fire – to help them at the annual Bushfire festival. She co-ordinated three festivals and this led her to meet a huge range of artists, designers, Fair Trade businesses and other contacts across South Africa. In 2011 Kathy returned to the UK to start her own projects. It took a while to decide what that project was going to be, but with the support of the Prince’s Trust Enterprise Programme she has been able to launch the business.

Shake the Dust promotes development and sustainability for designers, producers and the industry, and offers consumers a unique blend of good design with a conscience.  The label sells handmade, luxury accessories that are created through collaborations with British designers and ethical producers in developing countries.

The brand sells some stunning pieces of design. The accessories are truly unique and feature some exquisite prints. For example, this Daisy handmade bag has been hand-screen-printed by Mongoose in Pretoria.

The snoods are simple but effective. This Aztec snood is something that can be worn in summer or winter, and will work really well with this season’s monochrome trend.

Shake the Dust is constantly growing and Kathy was excited at the prospect of working with some new designers: “I’m loving working with Rebecca Desnos, an emerging textile designer with no formal training – she just started experimenting in her kitchen. Her eye for colour and quality is exceptional.” Kathy is also working with her sister: “My sister, Josie Shenoy is a new illustration graduate, and part of the reason I was inspired to start the company. I see so many new graduates come out of institutions and feel like there’s no business of financial support to grow their talents.” 

It’s admirable that Shake the Dust is working in such an ethical way. Head over to the website, even if it’s just to read the story behind this label.

Jenny Rodgers

Visit the website here.