PINDO

Category Product design + Design Education
Year 2019

Photography Margaret W. Zollinger

Participants Liz Wambui Mwangi 

                        Martha Wambui Ndungu

PINDO is a knitted seat pad and the first product launched from Knit Tank. The numerous fringes are an eye-catcher for every stylish interior and a comfortable upholstery at the same time. The yarn used comes from recycled fabrics of the fashion industry.

Knit Tank was launched in 2019 to facilitate the dialogue between designers and artisanal women in Kenya.
As a young, interdisciplinary empowerment project, it aims to empower women through training in design techniques.

Liz Wambui Mwangi (36) is a mother of three children. She cultivates a land of 0.65 hectares with different typesof cereals, fruits and vegetables. Her husband sells part ofthe harvest at the market in the capital, Nairobi, becauseit offers a better price than the country. Together theyown 4 cows, 8 sheep, 30 chickens and 8 rabbits.

Martha Wambui Ndungu (88) has strong manual skills. Before sisal sacks, used for the transport of rice, potatoesand other foodstuffs, had given way to plastic,the fiber was available everywhere. Colored in brightcolors, Martha braided them to the well-known Kikabus(wicker baskets) in various shapes and sizes.She has two cows and 3 pigs.

The [Murang'a County] area where Knit Tank is located has a high unemployment rat in the country.
Cattle breeding and cultivation of the land ensure the livelihood of the majority of the residents. The climatic changes make it more difficult to secure income through farming. Significantly longer periods of drought and heavy, long-lasting rain are increasingly endangering the livelihood.

Knit Tank offers people an alternative way of making a living. Through training and employment, we want to enable women to gain financial controlover their lives. The newly acquired skills empower them to generate additional income, which will improve their role in society and make them more autonomous.

Therefore the focus is social developments that promote a society of equality and self-efficacy on long-term.

At the intersection between design and handicraft, Knit Tank is characterized by a practical and theoretical knowledge transfer.
The combination of traditional techniques and design parameters enables women to translate their skills into contemporary aesthetics.
In the design laboratory, fresh designs are created that give impulses to expand to new product fields. Knit Tank thus promotes the appreciation of the craft in society to ensure the future viability of the creativeindustries and craft innovation of Kenya's rich heritage.

Knit Tank is in the process of being set up.