about.

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how it began...

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namatovu was created during Covid-19 when I found myself in lockdown in London after moving back from rural Uganda. Inspired by an incredibly talented Ugandan seamstress called Esther, coupled with my love for Ugandan culture and design, I decided to put the mountains of beautiful bold kitenge fabric I'd collected over the years from small Ugandan shop holders to good use and began making reusable facemasks in the attic. With every set of facemasks, a visor made from recycled plastic is then donated to a frontline worker in Uganda made by Eco Brixs, a social enterprise focused on addressing plastic pollution and creating employment across East Africa.

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The facemasks are named after some of the women and key workers in Uganda and the UK. The name 'namatovu' comes from the Ngabi bushback clan which friends gave me whilst I lived in Uganda.

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buy less. buy better.

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namatovu has been founded on the belief in buying less and buying better. All of the material in our African Kitenge Range is ethically sourced directly from small scale businesses in Uganda to boost the local economy and our coloured ranges uses unbleached, unprocessed cotton. The packaging is eco-friendly and we're currently working to develop headbands made from recycled plastic at Eco Brixs.

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the recycling revolution

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Covid has led to a surge in plastic pollution with each single use facemask taking 450 years to decompose and 194 billion disposable masks and gloves being disposed of worldwide every month. By using reusable facemasks made to last, we can help reduce this.

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We're not perfect and there's still a long way to go but every little counts - you can find more about Eco Brixs here

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I hope these pieces bring some colour to your day and you enjoy them as much as I do. Thanks for passing by and feel free to get in touch - you can join the recycling revolution on social @namatovu.design.

Gee x