Naa Sheka Yoga Mat Bags

The Bags

Naa Sheka bags are convenient, with a shoulder strap, an outer pocket for your cellphone and keys and plenty of room inside for your yoga mat. They’re unique, patched together with wax-printed cotton fabric or repurposed cotton flour sacs from West Africa, so no two bags are alike (they’re also lined with nylon, which forms the perfect waterproof (aka sweat-proof) barrier for those damp yoga mats post class).

That’s not all. Naa Sheka bags are socially conscious, too, providing workers in Ghana, where they’re made, with jobs and fair wages. Plus, the company donates a portion of its profits to Bless the Mic – an organization committed to uplifting the lives of Ghanaians through music, spoken word and entertainment.

The Material

We’re currently carrying two styles of Naa Sheka bags; both are 100% cotton. The first is made with a traditional type of Ghanaian textile, which uses wax to prevent the coloured dyed used to pattern it from reaching all parts of the cloth (the wax also gives the fabric a nice “shimmer”). The second is created from re-used flour sacs; according to the company, some of the bags arrive in Canada with traces of flour still clinging to them (don’t worry – the one you buy from BYV will be gluten-free)!

We recommend you care for your Naa Sheka bag by hand-washing it every so often and hanging it to dry.

The Founder

Naa Sheka Riby-Williams (“Nash” to her friends) was raised in White Rock but went to university in Ghana, where her dad was born. While in that country she fell in love with the warm spirit of the people – and their clothing. She was so inspired by the detail, style of fabric and the traditional textiles she saw that, when she returned to Vancouver, she decided to start her own fashion label, designing clothes and yoga bags. Nash, a Bikram Yogi herself, understands what details are important to add her products, like the nylon lining inside every Naa Sheka bag that forms a waterproof (aka sweat-proof) barrier for those damp yoga mats post class.

You can read more about Naa Sheka at www.westafricanfashion.com.

We’ve seen some of you yogis carrying Naa Sheka bags … leave a comment and let us know what you think of yours!