About Emerald & Wax

 

Virtue happy at work in design studio.

Emerald & Wax is borne out of my passion for African wax prints that was ignited when as a child I used to sit on my grandmother’s lap in her wholesale African fabric warehouse in Accra. I still remember running around the warehouse surrounded by these incredibly beautiful, vibrant and bold patterns and colours amidst lots of laughter and banter.

These African wax print fabrics are a fondly remembered piece of my childhood that I carry with me always, a piece of my Ghana.

I draw on this Ghanaian upbringing to bring the art and colour of traditional African wax prints and my admiration of japanese architecture with their clean lines to European design, delivering what I like to describe as wearable art for today’s confident woman and also for women looking to bring colour into their everyday lives and wardrobes.

After moving to New York in my late teens, I grew to love Japanese design and architecture, and represents a strong presence in my collections. By combining these Japanese design elements with the unique African wax print fabrics, each piece becomes a bespoke, original and wearable work of art.

I am driven to design and produce each garment so that it is the essence of the Emerald & Wax brand.

My collections are extremely wearable and add both colour and style to any capsule wardrobe.

Separates, simple shift dresses, and colourful jackets combine easily with simple plain pieces that can easily be incorporated into any wardrobe all year round.

A self-taught designer, crafter and maker, I now live on the Wild Atlantic Way in Galway, Ireland, with my 4 growing boys, husband and our very cute and loving dog Loki.

Virtue

Bricks 'n' mortar places where you can actually touch Emerald & Wax creations:

Ro & Vee Barna Co. Galway

Forest & Flock Bantry, Cork

The National Gallery of Ireland Shop  Clare Lane, Dublin 2