STORY PRODUCTS by Life-U

The design concepts developed by Life-U have been inspired by the rich diversity found in South Africa. The wire and beading materials are combined with first world materials and technology to create products that retain the spirit of traditional African craftsmanship, with each product telling a unique story of its origin.

Life-U is tapping in on a need to own beautiful, designer products, but also to make a social difference when buying the product. Every time a child or person looks up at the lampshade or wall sculpture he will know that a child or family somewhere in this world is smiling because of him. Life-U wants to make a difference in children's lives in needed areas by developing their creativity.

Story Products make children aware of culture and art at an early stage. It is more than a product; it is an experience, a story experience of how the product came about, where the product came from and the African artist who made it.

http://life-udesign.com/StoryLighting/At-The-Waterhole.html

ORIGIN of Life-U

Carlé Scott Gerber is the founder of Life-U Limited.

http://uk.linkedin.com/in/carlescottgerber

Prior to Life-U she worked as an architect in the United Kingdom. The business named, "Life-U", encapsulates her and her husband's shared African background, the value they place on relationships and the contribution of technology to modern business. (Emails ending with "love you" would be written in the Afrikaans language as "lief jou'; electronic spellcheckers change this to "life you".) Life-U Ltd was born.

http://life-udesign.com/our-life-and-mission.html

Design

Clever and innovative designs enrich life, because beauty is a basic desire of every human being. A feature lampshade in a room attracts attention and creates an ambience and atmosphere that other objects can not achieve. Interesting and beautiful art is an investment.
http://life-udesign.com/StoryLighting/Silver-Lining.html

South African Artists

South African beadwork, once the insignia of tribal royalty alone, has today found a huge range of applications, from the coverings of bottles to near life-size animal figurines. Emerging black entrepreneurs in South Africa have been making complex wire and bead work creations for years as an important source of income, and have perfected the craft.

Life-U aims to create sustainable, meaningful long-term employment for as many unemployed and needy South Africans as possible.

By providing people with a workplace, permanent employment, a sense of purpose and access to resources like skills training and personal development, they are helping to improve the lives of many formerly destitute South Africans.

http://life-udesign.com/manufacturing.html

Wire and Beading

Life-U aims to transform traditional Wire and beading.

Currently, the most commonly available wire and beading objects are animal figurines, or objects which are purely decorative and made only out of wire and beading. Life-U is now using the fusion of contemporary African wire bead craft in conjunction with sophisticated materials, such as woven wire mesh, interesting fabrics and metals, to produce functional and beautiful products.

Most of the work is meticulously done by hand, which gives each product a beautiful hand crafted appearance. This is in line with the Life-U vision of producing works of art rather than mass-produced goods.

The products are art objects. No two items are exactly the same, which give the products exclusivity and true value.

The design concepts developed by Life-U have been inspired by the rich diversity found in South Africa with each product telling a unique story of its origin.

http://life-udesign.com/StoryLighting/African-Raindance.html