Shop Updated

Hi there, it's a sixteen minutes after 12 noon here, it's raining not so heavily and the wind is blowing just enough to make the rain seem heavier than it actually is- my kind of weather! I had planed to take a trip to mushin but... I am happy where I am right now :D
I have updated the shop with some Gidan Nodza staples, hopefully I should be able to add more stuff later today, mainly full leather pieces. Check it out you might find something with your name on it.
Ok... the rain just got heavier 


Thank you for stopping by, have a great weekend and HAPPY SHOPPING!!!.

Phone-Shots

A few phone-shots of what has been occupying me lately; bags, leather, more leather and hardware of course.

That bag sold off almost immediately I singed off the last stitch. The style is so simple yet classic in a way, a style you will not tire of quickly *I hope* I have more in different colours and leather type- will post here and in the shop soon. This whole GN full leather bag version has taken off beyond my imagination- Like the Aduke and the Chiaka bags I can't seem to make this one fast enough- will post more pictures soon I promise.

Most times I am in Mushin I forget to take pictures but the pictures up there are from my last trip. I was waiting for my order to be brought in from the ware house and I took these shots to while away time. I never get tired of coming to this leather market, rain or shine I will roll up my jeans and wade through the muck happily. That room is always like that, leather everywhere- Note to readers: In places like this don't be afraid to search, pull, un-furl and take the leather after your heart outside- that way you get a good look at colour, finish, scratches etc

I always keep my hardware i.e rivets, buckles, eyelets, studs, rings, zip heads blah blah blah in clear plastic containers for easy identification but right now I have loads and lots that I can sometimes have several containers of the same type of hardware i.e rivets and eyelets and rings and buckles and ...you get the picture:| I swear my next apprentice will be given the task of sorting, packing and labelling all of'em before he/she can WTF!!! I am trying to see if I can source my hardware from China or Italy (consistency and durability being the watch word) who knows I might auction or give off some hardware cos God knows I've had some of them for years, some still in the nylon bags they ware wrapped in when I got them- the lady that I got them from years ago is actually offering to buy them off me- I kid you not lol! Anyways when I do decide what to do with my excess hardware  you guys will be the first to know.  

 Ok, gotta go, this was supposed to be a quick short post but....oh well I'm still learning how to make that kind of post *rolling eye balls* 


Thank you ever so much for stopping by and always remember to be thankful for what you have.

Ciao.

Drool worthy!!!

I will so ride this bicycle,  Agbero's and Danfo's in Lagos be DAMMED!!! 

Bringing sexy back! Trust Dolce and Gabbana to make me wish I was Bill Gates love child just for the selfish reason of being able to buy this mouth watering healthy mode of transportation without even thinking twice abourrit. I can see me giving the danfo drivers here in Lagos the middle finger right after I swerve in front of them on my way to errrrrrr no not Mushin but somewhere equally posh and sporty and of course EXPENSIVE to spend some more of that Microsoft money.... now I am really ROTFLMAO!!! Middle finger ke! I will become a roadkill even before the drivers realises that I and my posh bicycle are even there. No but seriously this wont be a bad thing to have for those neighbourhood and Allen to Opebi or Inter-Estate runs and errands. 

Pictures via purseblog

If unlike me you have 1700 Euro lying around and think this will make for a great conversation starter then by all means head over to your nearest D&G store to purchase, mean while I will sit here and dream of the day I will be able to buy my brand new, tear rubber pfaff industrial machine. 
As always thank you for stopping by and may all your dreams come true ;D

Chiaka Bag: All New, All Leather

I don't know if its appropriate to say that this is a giant step for Gidan Nodza, maybe it's because I never felt the idea of making a full leather bag was that much of a challenge somewhat. Now don't get me wrong, I am not saying it's a walk in the park... trust me when I say that making a fully lined, zipped bag in any shape or form is far from easy, the biggest challenge for me was mixing leather with brightly coloured, very busy, very patterned fabric, thread, hardware etc in way that works...or that it appeals to someone else other than me... or my mother :$ It could be said that another reason for my "then strong" reluctance in going all leather was because I didn't want to deviate from the original design philosophy of Gidan Nodza which was to infuse African motifs with the latest fashion trends as well as accessories and such. 

Now that I have given in to my customer's request, I must admit that I am glad because the feedback has been overwhelming and of course it made me see that it wasn't such a bad idea to do both-not that I thought it was in the first place but....you know *shrugs*

Now the first attempt was the very popular Chiaka bag, I cant seem to make enough of  this version hence the reason why I opted for it to be the cherry popper :D.

 Front

I love how the effect of the red thread, brown leather edge kote and silver hardware is heightened and sharpened against the very black leather. POW!

 Side

Back 

Base

Anyways *yawn* gotta call it a day, I have a spoilt zip to fix and two bags to finish in the morning. So, what are your thoughts on this here our new addition to the GN stable? I would love to hear them.


As always, that you very much for stopping by and may God continue to bless your hustle.

More Ini-Obong Bag

I am slowly trying to get back into the full swing of things, please bear with me ko :)


Remember this bag? Well I made two more in varied design. I absolutely love the structure of the bag and how it sits well, the top handle adds to the classic appeal of the bag *me thinks ;D* although I think I might have to give in and add a detachable shoulder/ handle. 


Anyways enough talk, enjoy the pictures.

So, which Ini-Obong bag is your fave?

For most the weekend starts tomorrow sooooo enjoy the weekend and have a great week ahead

Patchwork Chiaka: Custom Made and Then Some...

I can't believe it's been almost a month since my last post, Sorry guys :$ Truth is I had a double attack of Malaria and Typhoid fever which still kept me weak even long after I had finished my batches of drugs and in between that I had to meet deadlines and stuff but as they say...the show must go on ko :)

 So, on to the bags, this is another take on patchwork Chiaka. A customer asked for the pouches to be boxed out instead of the classic pocket like pouch, and she also wanted the handles wider than usual. We came up with this and I am happy to report that she loved it :D

Enjoy the pictures

Front

Side

Back

Base

Patchwork Chiaka with a tube like handle that adjust in a buckle

Clear view of side (pouch and handle)

So, which version of the Chiaka bags do you prefer? The new version or this older  version?


On a belated note, hope you all had a fabulous Easter with your loved ones are looking forward to a very satisfying week ahead. 


As always, thank you ever so much for stopping by and may God continue to bless your hustle ;D


P.S
If you haven't, please join our facebook fan page cos for some reason we seem to update it more frequently than we do the blog...weird right? :$

Dinah Bag

Made this a while back and a customer asked for a customized version but this time with center compartment. I would say we have it in the bag yeah :D (pun intended)

 Interior view with center compartment

The bag above has detachable long strap and will fit your laptop snugly....that's if your laptop is not larger than a kitchen sink that is lol!


Its a new week, so what are you guys going to be up to this week? Whatever it is make sure you keep it safe and and I pray that God continues to bless your hustle. 


Thank you very much for stopping.

The Ini-Obong Bag (Aso-Oke)

After making the Green Woven bag and the January Bag I knew I was onto something but then I also knew that I could do more to the concept of weaving and such. So, after much pondering and wondering and trials and sketches and not to mention procrastinating the Ini-Obong Bag was born.


Look closely and you will see that the main body of the bag was made by weaving Aso-Oke fabric and dyed canvas in such a way that a pattern of some sort was formed on the body of the bag *hope that makes sense :$* Due to the thickness of the fabrics involved the bag was finished by hand i.e the gussets sides of the bag, the base and the top rim if the bag were all hand sewn (my fingers were so sore and stiff  days after that lol!)


Also the bag was designed to look like it has two flaps but alas the lower flap is a false flap, partly to accommodate the second leather hue and partly to serve as a base for the socket lock, top handle ensures that the bag is hand held for that *chic* effect! Enough talk,  enjoy more pictures below;

There was a lot of cussing, swearing, worry, aches, pains and  fear while I was putting the bag together but the end result I must admit makes everything worthwhile because it came out just as I conjured it so much so that I can't wait to try out more in hopes that I will do much better than this but till then this bag is being treated like a new wife lol! But seriously I am excited at the possibilities (I know... there should be a comma in there but I am getting cross eyed just looking at it :P) That said I would love to get your thoughts on this here our new wife *wink*


As usual bag has 2 phone pouches, an extra pouch, zipped compartment and a long key ring holder for easy access to your key holder(s)


As always, thank you very much for stopping by and enjoy the rest of the week muah :D!!!

Lady Safiya In All Her Glory

Happy New Month folks, wow! I can't believe it's March already :o Sometimes I wonder, as kids did time use to move this quickly or is it because as an adult, there are a lot more things to do and at stake such that before you take a breather it's half way into the year ALREADY!!! and you haven't even seen that movie (that is now old) yet...or tried out the Chinese restaurant that just opened near your street...or read that novel...or or GOSH!!! So much to do so little time *sigh* I wonder what "time" is trying to catch up with rushing off like this.

Moving on... I promised to post the full pictures of the Lady Safiya bags that I did months ago so here goes. I made three versions, for one version the difference is very clear from the others, and the remaining two have a slight tinsy winsy difference (apart from size, leather type and belt(s) placement, which are very obvious...DUH :p!) that can easily be missed unless you made the bags or you are in possession of both and even then you have to look closely :p

 All three versions

See more pictures after the jump and who knows you might be able to see the slight difference in the close-up pictures

Another Take On Patchwork Aduke

This version of Patchwork Aduke was personalized for a customer. Apart from her name tagged on it she also wanted the pieces joined to be smaller, I guess it turned out alright :D

 Name Tag Close Up

 Front

Back

Side View

Interior

Gidan Nodza

Bag snaps shut, has 2 phone pouches, an extra pouch, zipped compartment and a long key ring holder for easy access to your key holder(s) 

So, which version of the Aduke's  is your favorite?

Lady Safiya Takes Another Bow

This bag I made towards the end of last year, I guess in all the excitement I forgot to post or say anything about it, all I did was put it up on facebook (be a fan and you get to see many bags before they are even posted here :p) The owner saw one of my patchwork bags in Houston and asked that I make her another version of this and you will agree with me that it came out smoking!!! Wow, same bags but totally different right?

I don't have interior shots (my bad :|) but I will tel you the components: bag snaps shut, has 2 phone pouches, an extra pouch, zipped compartment and a long key ring holder for easy access to your key holder(s)

Not because I made it but I think the croc embossed blue leather nailed it for this bag, what do you guys think? Would really love to know :D

Ciao

P.S

Fusion Lifestyle Quarterly Shopping Event is taking place tomorrow (Sunday 12th February) here in Lagos at THE GRAND BALLROOM, EKO HOTEL AND SUITES, VI, LAGOS EVENT from 12noon to 7-pm. So if you haven't bought or you have bought but still want to add more gifts for your valentine or you want to treat your self or loved one just for the heck of it, I would advise that you attend the show cos the outcome is always ALWAYS overwhelming. 

Gidan Nodza Pilot Training

After so many enquiries *clears throat* we at Gidan Nodza are delighted to announce a request for applications from the general public for the Gidan Nodza Pilot Bag-Making Training Programme.

The programme is scheduled to commence on the 5th day of March 2012 for a minimum duration of  between six months to one year,  for a tuition fee and open to interested parties who possess some experience in tailoring.

Candidates must also be prepared to be fully engaged and present for the duration of the programme at least 4 working days a week.

Entry forms should be downloaded at here at  http://www.gidannodza.com, filled and submitted on line to houseofnodza@gmail.com

Sooooo....good luck then:D

The January Bag

I just realised that I haven't posted these pictures yet, I made it since last year but I guess it got lost in my archives what with all the excitement of my getting hitched, the fusion show, new year and of course the Moments with Mo interview :D. 
I wanted to try something which I had been itching to do, so I did and it worked out as I  better than I expected and so it's back to the drawing board. 

I would love to know what you think though. 

As always thank you very much for stopping by and have a grrrrrrrrrreat last full week of the first month of the new  year hehehe...