Cruising the turquoise waters of Lamu

How did I embark on this wonderful Kikoy journey?

About four years ago my husband and I visited some great friends in Kenya. We visited Cape Town first and explored the spectacular Garden Route, camped out at the Masai Mara Game Park in eco tents along with the nightly visit of a baby hippo! and then we arrived at the Kenyan coast.

The Lamu Archipelago is just about as exotic as you’ll ever see. The graceful dhow boats rely on triangular canvas sails to navigate the coral reefs. The water is the colour of turquoise.
Hugging the waterfront are traditional Swahili buildings made from blocks of cut coral embedded with tiny shells, wooden floors supported by mangrove poles and hand-carved white wooden shutters for the windows. Lavish Persian decorations are carved into the plaster walls and each dwelling is fronted by large, carved wooden doors. The narrow, winding streets are draped with fragrant frangipani and colourful bougainvillea and each family own a donkey or two! who wander home to their family each evening.

This is where I first saw the beautiful traditional Kikoys being worn, loved and implimented for 101 uses!
I had never seen such gorgeous wraps. The colours were exquisite. I loved the traditional designs believed to be influenced by Arab traders from North Africa and Oman, and I loved the robust yet soft quality of the natural cotton weave.

A lovely feature of the Kikoy is that the local Swahili hand-knot their own Kikoys to wear and this is why the fringes of all my Kikoys are hand-knotted.
By ensuring all Rockpool Kikoys, beach towels and robes are made and sewn in Africa, I am providing income and work security for all the community and I have made wonderful lasting friendships.

Good friends snuggling up in their warm Kikoy beach towels

In case you are looking for www.rockpoolkikoy.com.au, our website has moved to www.sarong.net.au.

Always keep a stack of Kikoys on hand

Shady peppermint trees, perfumed roses, agapanthus, new native plantings and tiny orchards with rows of bright green resting wheelbarrows.  The annual Perth Ladies College Open Garden Day was held on a beautiful sunny day in September and Rockpool Kikoy was there with a fantastic stall displayed with colourful kikoy sarongs and beach towels.

It is a great opportunity for serious gardeners and landscape designers to view the latest gardening trends and for novice lovers of plants to see a gorgeous array of different garden styles in large acre settings over Mosman Bay.

It was a wonderfully happy day with my stall set up in a beautiful garden where everyone congregated at the end of their walk to buy early christmas gifts and enjoy a cup of tea and a delicious array of cakes and slices.

Ningaloo Kikoy sarong can be a fabulous scarf for all ages

As cool as a kikoy! A fabulous article was writted by Nial McIlroy in the iconic West Australian Newspaper Travel Liftout. If you missed the article with a gorgeous picture of the model wearing the Desert Daisy sarong  (momentarily replaced by Wattle Flower until it is hopefully back in production soon), read it again here.

The West Australian 2009 ‘As Cool as a Kikoy’ (Click here)

Glamorous, cool and versatile - Desert Daisy Kikoy

Summer has arrived! Sunshine, beaches, picnics and lots of happy times ahead to spend with friends and family lazing around with our feet up!

Sharon Wearing True Blue Kikoy with 'Merle', the Blue Heeler puppy (click to enlarge)

It is not to say that I have not been busy. In early august my sister joined me from Mingenew and we had a fantastic road trip up to the FeNaClng Festival in Karratha to sell Kikoys.

I met lots of brilliant people! – thankyou for your hospitality and friendship, we had a really lovely time.

The spectacular Pilbara was ablaze with colour from the vibrant red Sturt Desert Peas and purple Mulla Mulla to the flocks of tiny green budgerigars sweeping across the brilliant blue sky.

Part of the fun was picking up a beautiful blue heeler pup from Brickhouse Station and delivering him to their new owners who had driven down from Derby for the Festival. It was pretty hard to give her up.

But the highlight was definitely meeting Jo and Joe who bought two beautiful Kikoys to wear to their beach wedding in Perth early next year. Congratulations and Good Luck to you both!

Tip: A gift of two Kikoys make a unique and gorgeous wedding present for both the bride and groom. Most lucky couples honeymoon in a romantic beach setting and the kikoys are easy to pack and a happy reminder of their special honeymoon.

Flattering Kikoy beach dress (Sorbet)

On Australia Day fifteen friends swam and waded ashore from a boat at Rottnest Island to walk to the Basin for a swim and a lazy afternoon in the sun.

An interesting fact was that there was not a towel between them!

Colourful Kikoys were draped over their bodies in so many different ways…as sarong wraps, folded in half on hips as little mini skirts, easily tied into a dress and ldraped over their eyes and shoulders to shield the sun.

They all dived into the crystal clear water and swam and duck dived and followed little schools of tiny fish darting over the shelving coral.  They laughed and exchanged gossip and floated on their backs in the gentle cool swell.

Back on the beach they toweled off the sea water with their Kikoys and then spread them on the warm, soft sand to lie on as they chattered and dozed until the afternoon shadows of the pine trees signalled it was time to wander back to the boat.

Who needs a beach towel when you have a Kikoy sarong?

Beautiful Kikoys, Pink Everlasting, Frangipani & Sorbet

Soft and stylish 'Rockpool' Kikoy to wear on the plane.

What do I pack? I used to cram my suitcase with too many clothes. There were always too may possible scenarios the holiday may take. And at the end of the journey my case was always full of items I had never worn.

The resort wear I needed most had to be something amazingly beautiful and versatile to wear and make me look a million dollars. It must also be small to pack, really small!

This is how I discovered the Kikoy. What an amazing sarong this is. 100% cotton with a soft, fine weave in the fabric means the Kikoy grips securely when tied. No wardrobe malfunctions for me.

From the moment I board a the plane I always drape a soft Kikoy over my shoulders, Italian style! “I’m on holiday!”, it says to everyone. Away from busy, routine life, deadlines and dreary weather!

And when the cabin turns chilly, the Kikoy keeps me cosy and warm, shielded from the awful, chilly air vent that is always just out of reach.

I like to to wrap my Kikoy sarong around me as I seek out the tranquil resort pool where a lounge chair is waiting…just for me.  My book, my sunglasses, the scent of my suncream, my kikoy to shield me if the sun becomes too hot and I’m in heaven.

After a fantastic day of doing nothing! I dress for dinner in a wrapped Kikoy sarong dress. Sometimes I accessorize with a string of long beads from the markets (what a great find), a flower from the beautiful shrub by the resort door and I look and feel sensational.

I take a range of colours to mix and match with my clothes. Summer pashmina, sarong and dress, the Kikoy really is my perfect resort wear.

Vogue Magazine described the Kikoy as a “Sarong with Soul”. I’d have to agree with that.