High Thorn was founded by Georgie Crowe to create products that are inspired by traditional African designs, but with a more contemporary feel, while using natural resources like leather and twigs give the designs an earthy feeling.
At a time when most items for the home are mass produced, all the furniture, lighting and home decor items produced by High Thorn are all made by hand from a dedicated group of men and women in Pietermaritzburg, Kwazulu Natal in South Africa.
High Thorn gives each person in the group the responsibilty for the order allocated to them and the company is structured so each person works for themselves. This is especially important for the women that do the beadwork as they are disadvantaged women who are usually the sole providers for their families and this is their way of earning a living. Here are some of the group at work…
And here is a selection of the furniture, lighting and home decor they make:
