Reviving Caribbean Craftsmanship Through Modern Design
Saint Kitts and Nevis, a small twin-island Caribbean nation, once had a bustling handmade craft industry that is now in desuetude. Sanara Bussue-Ugboh, a creator and entrepreneur, intends to revive that legacy and has created Lyvelle, a brand of luxury leather handbags and accessories rooted in culture and craftsmanship.
A native of Saint-Kitts, Sanara was always a creative child. As a primary school girl, she would design outfits for her dolls. Her passion for crafts and creation never abated through high school, where she was the only student studying clothing and textiles. Although she had to take a variety of day jobs after graduation to support her family, her mind stayed on design and fashion, and she held fast to her dreams.
To quell her thirst for creativity and fashion, she founded the “House of Savelle” in 2014 on the side of her day job, and started making gowns and swimsuits for pageantry. However, Sanara was more interested in designing and creating than following patterns.
Building the Lyvelle brand of luxury leather handbags
In 2020, the COVID crisis “pushed everyone into panic mode,” she recalled. But for Sanara, who had a son to raise, “the crisis became a moment of reflection and reinvention,” she said. She used the forced idle time to explore how she could pivot the House of Savelle and pageantry work into a luxury leather brand that “would honor her heritage while embracing modern design.”
“I bought my first hide in 2021 at a local craft business,” she said, and taught herself the art of leather stitching and bag modeling. “I had days of crying,” she said. “I did not have the right tools, no specialized sewing machine,” she explained. But she found ways around it and educated herself on leather material and animal skins.
By the end of 2022, Sanara was ready to build her luxury brand under the House of Savelle umbrella. She decided to go back to school to get an associate degree in entrepreneurship and looked for a name that reflected her creativity, identity, and unisex vision. “I played around with words and meanings, then it dawned on me that I have a unique middle name, Lyvelle, that felt both personal and timeless,” she said.
Preserving Kittitian leather working and traditional crafts
Noticing the disinterest of the younger generation for crafts that were once the pride of the islands, like leather work, basket and linen weaving, and crocheting, Sanara wanted to build a brand “that would bring all of that back and so that Kittians could feel proud to have a good quality item that is homemade from beginning to end.”
Most luxury items are imported on Saint Kitts, she said, adding that some artisans still produced leather items but mainly for musical instruments or typical sandals. Nobody on the islands was making leather bags any longer, as the craft was dying, she said.
Although Sanara makes leather accessories such as coin purses, hand-painted pouches, belts, luggage tags, and passport holders, Lyvelle’s core creations are handbags, which come in ever-changing shapes and collections, inspired by Sanara.
She likes to use traditional materials mixed with leather for her unique creations. Ratan, woven straw, macrame, nankeen (a yellow variety of cotton), wood, and even recycled T-shirts are among her favorite additions to her bags. She is also exploring how to use indigo, the island’s traditional dye, in her creations. The multi-talented artist produces hand-painted leather items capturing local flowers, scenery, and cultural motifs, “transforming each item into a story of place and identity.”
Ethically sourced materials to create timeless designer handbags
Sanara is adamant about ethical sourcing of her materials. As a matter of principle, “I source cow hides only from family-owned or women-led businesses, ensuring that the materials I use come from animals that were not exotic species killed for their skins, but rather a by-product of the meat industry.”
She uses wood coming from local carpenters, or wood significant to the island, such as mahogany, or driftwood. She collaborates with artisans from neighboring islands and Ghana for basket weaving.
According to Sanara, her customers “are people who are looking for something that is unique, creative, and functional at the same time.” “My customers view their pieces as heirlooms, meant to be passed down through generations.”
Although Lyvelle is a luxury brand, Sanara said she makes sure some of her collections are designed to be affordable to all. Her bags are available in three local stores and one in the United States Virgin Islands. She is also building her website so customers can order directly.
St Kitts and Nevis’ Government helping small businesses
A beneficiary of the Saint-Kitts and Nevis Citizenship Program’s grant, Sanara said the government’s efforts are timely and necessary to sustain small businesses that routinely struggle with financial issues. The government also launched “Project Xport,” which she said focuses on fashion and shines a positive light on local creatives.
As a way to give back, she volunteers at Verchilds High School, teaching students about leatherwork and how to turn a passion into a sustainable business.
IP key in promoting Lyvelle handbags beyond borders
Sanara participated in the WIPO Project on Intellectual Property for Women Entrepreneurs in the Caribbean: Creating Value Through IP. She said the project taught her “how IP can elevate a brand’s value.” “It was a total eye-opener.”
After the program, Sanara started the process of trademarking her logo and name with her chosen colors (mustard yellow, navy blue, and white). She also seeks to protect a bag lining reproducing a map of Saint-Kitts and Nevis.
Saint-Kitts is only 68 square miles and Nevis some 36 square miles. The small territory is a limiting factor, and Sanara hopes to expand Lyvelle across the Caribbean, into the United States, and Europe. She dreams of opening a small manufacturing studio and attending famous fashion weeks, like New York and Paris.
“Lyvelle is not simply a brand. It is a revival of heritage. A celebration of identity. A modern expression of Caribbean craftsmanship,” she said.
