ABOUT
Founded in 2019, Serafi gives new life to upcycled materials.
The idea was born in 2015 when our founder, spending time in Zimbabwe, learned that
beautiful animal hides were going to waste. Government-regulated culling
seasons and the southern African meat market often cannot repurpose the exotic
hides they produce due to low demand, and the effort and cost of making usable
leather or other hide products have been left to small operators that can
usually only handle a portion of the hides produced.
While the people of the region prioritize putting all parts of the animal to use and
make sure nothing goes to waste, transforming the hides from these animals into
a workable, high-quality material takes time, and is an expensive undertaking.
That’s where Serafi comes in.
We carry out a circular atelier fashion business model through the process of upcycling: taking material that already exists and making something entirely fresh rather than sourcing new raw
materials for the process.
In our case, this means meticulously
sourcing surplus hides from vetted contacts (CITES-certified where applicable)
and using these hides to craft each bag by hand. Every Serafi piece is then
marked with an engraved Unique Identification Number - a code that can be used
to trace the lineage of the material back to its origin.
10% of the profit from every Serafi purchase goes to fund conservation and
anti-poaching efforts in Africa to ensure that these animal populations remain
a wonder of our world.
The "SERAFI" name comes from seraphim angels in the book of Isaiah.
Isaiah 6:
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”
At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”
Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
