THE EARTH is a beautiful place to live in especially when it is well preserved and taken care of. 20-year-old Steffa Dusenge, a fashion designer believes this so much so that he is contributing to environmental conservation by creating a collection of bracelets that he named ISI (meaning earth). His purpose is to remind people to take care and conserve the earth for a better future. Dusenge, a high school graduate and owner of a company that makes bracelets ‘High Kingdom’ (HIIGHK), had the idea of creating this collection during the 15 days of the lockdown. “I was motivated by the need to protect the planet in which we live, so I said to myself ‘why not create bracelets that are eco-friendly to nature and that will represent fire, water, soil, forest, and the world, to remind the people about the beauty of the earth,” he says “We exist because the earth is healthy. Thats why we have to take the first place to encourage people to take care of the earth through our accessories for our better future,” Dusenge added. He chose to design eco-friendly bracelets because using those products improve the quality of life. The bracelets are made of stones obtained locally from volcanic rocks and other environmentally friendly sources and so are all his other collections. “This collection is like all our other collections of high-quality products made up of volcanic rock beads and different gemstone beads,” he says. ISI collection, priced at Rwf17, 000, is not the only collection from his brand. One of the other collections, ‘Rwandan Kingdom’ represents the Rwandan kingdom. These bracelets are both made for men and women and they can be worn with any outfit as they are representable. They are also sold online. Although his collections were previously kingdom themed, Dusenge decided to add the concept of the earth because he believed “the kingdom couldn’t exist without the earth.” “I included the Earth concept because I believe without taking care of earth there can never be a better tomorrow for the Kingdom,” he says. “I earned the skills and inspiration from my family but mostly from my big sister but now I gain skills from different research I do via the internet, my family inspires me a lot,” he further said of his artistic background. Dusenge is planning to showcase his collection when the pandemic has eased. So far he says that the only challenge they have for now is reaching the wide market. “We want our products to be global so that people can know that they exist because till now people find out about us and get surprised because they think these products arent here in Rwanda,” he says. Meaning of the bracelets Fire “The bracelet ‘Fire’ stands for the powerful force the burning flame can have. The effect of this force can be used in a positive manner or a destructive manner, the outcome is up to you. This idea represents how forces can be either beneficial to us or destructive and how taking care and having the correct mindset is the key to a positive outcome.” Water This bracelet stands for the power of water and its vitality as an element on the blue planet. Water exists in many forms, offering a wide range of environments for animals to live in. This is why it is so important for all of us to take a caring approach towards it, and any other actions could have a catastrophic effect on hundreds of species, whether in the oceans, on land, or at the poles. The World This bracelet has central beads that resemble our beautiful planet Earth. It can be seen as a reminder of how precious this place that we live in is. The Forest This bracelet represents the importance of our green nature in the ecosystem of our planet. The role of plants in our world is the key for all of us to live as it rainforests and other ecosystems has to stop immediately if we want to preserve the beauty of planet that serves as our home.
