The 2021 Accessories Council Design Excellence Award for Best Social Impact was presented to Akola for its stunning Unlock-it bracelet. We were so lucky to have had the pleasure of interviewing Lesli Gabor of Akola on the amazing story behind the brand. Lesli Gabor’s passion for the brand did not go unnoticed, and we could feel her desire to teach us more about the importance of the social impact the brand works hard at achieving.
Akola is a women-owned business that focuses on sustainably responsible material sourcing and hand craftsmanship, which began from an encounter with a Ugandan woman named Sarah during a trip that the brand’s founder, Brittany Merrill Underwood, took to the country. Akola’s Unlock-it bracelet is beautifully made from the brand’s signature horn material, with a clasp that seamlessly opens and closes with a colorful gemstone.
“The idea for the company came from the story of Sarah,” said Gabor. “At Akola, we continue to connect with the women in Uganda and women here as well. We want the jewelry these women make to be personal to them.”
We were interested in hearing about the process of making Akola jewelry and how long each piece takes on average, because all pieces are made and carved by hand. Gabor explained, “Each bead takes ten minutes to be rolled and is passed to several women to be inspected, dyed, braided and rolled.”
When we read about Akola’s mission on the brand’s website, we learned that Ugandan women made the original jewelry pieces under trees when the brand began, and we were curious to hear if that was still the case. Keeping true to Akola’s brand of hand craftsmanship and authenticity, its products are still made in Uganda by women. The brand now has a building in Uganda as well as huts for the women to work safely in.
From Akola’s website, we also learned that the company uses safe, responsibly sourced and ethical raw materials for its Unlock-it bracelets and other jewelry pieces. We wanted to learn more about the process of obtaining, designing and the overall use for these tools.
“The Akola cow horn is our number one material. We cut, carve and boil the bone to use it for our bangles,” Gabor said. The company also used recycled glass, palm leaves that are cut and dyed, sickle from guava plants and natural gemstones to make its jewelry. Hearing about the natural materials that Akola uses felt like a breath of fresh air, after the fashion industry has used and abused many resources to make man-made synthetic materials.
For our next question, we asked Gabor about the inspiring mission of supporting women at Akola. She told us how the company focuses on giving back to its employees in Uganda by paying them livable wages, educating their children and collaborating with other women-owned businesses. “Every purchase has a direct social impact,” Gabor added.
For our final question, we asked Gabor if she had any advice to bestow on us as aspiring fashion professionals. She told us to stay curious and aware of what is happening around us. “Know your DNA and stay true to yourself. Maintain connections and understand that no means no for now,” she said.
We greatly appreciate the time Gabor spent with us. We both left with a newfound love for the brand and its inspiring mission. Akola has gained two giant fans who cannot wait to see what other artistic ideas the brand comes up with next.
