Fashion, Food and Furniture: A Night with Panesar Kenya

Pic by Catherine Muchira 

Now, part of being a nomad does involve socialising, although this probably hasn't been all too evident in my recent posts! The evening of Thursday, the 5th of November found me attending an invite-only event entitled 'Fashion, Food & Furniture' at the Rouge Deck, hosted by Panesar Interiors. I was allowed a plus one, and decided to make my best friend tag along with me.

I must admit, when I first received the invite, I was a little curious to see how the 3 themes were meant to fit together, but everything flowed seamlessly on the day of the event! I must admit, I was quite impressed.

The Fashion

Pic by Official Photographer

The clothes on display were designed and created by Njema Helena, a company that was formed by a mother and daughters team in honour of their late daughter and sister, who passed away from cancer a few years ago.

The designs were absolutely beautiful, and I loved the modern take on traditional African prints. There were a few models wearing the designs, and they all looked gorgeous! I really couldn't pick my favourite.

The Food

Pic by yours truly 

As if the fashion and furniture weren't appealing enough, the food was amazing too (and if I'm not mistaken, catered by the Rouge Deck)! There were canapes served throughout the night; smoked salmon, duck spring rolls, cucumber rolls, and a few others. There were three cocktails being served at the event: mojitos, rum cocktails, and cosmos. Surprisingly enough (given my love for mojitos), my favourite turned out to be the rum cocktail! Must try get my hands on the recipe at some point...

While the food and cocktails were really good, I think the dessert absolutely won the day. While I tend to crave savoury rather than sweet things, I do appreciate good desserts. The chocolate mousse pictured above was HEAVENLY, and especially so because of the crumbly, salty topping. My mouth is actually watering right now- Pavlovian reaction much?

The Furniture 

Pic by Official Photographer

Pic by Official Photographer

Before the event, I deliberately avoided doing any research on Panesar, as I wanted the evening to inform my opinion. In a very typically Kenyan fashion, Panesar is a family-owned company, and is now being run by a third generation of Panesars. Unlike most other family-owned companies, however, it was evident that the current generation is very much enjoying what they're doing!

As we entered the event, we were showed how some of their sofas are made, and there were pieces at various stages of production that we could look at. I was excited to find that they do bespoke furniture and interior design, which explained some of the furniture we saw.

As a writer, I predictably fell in love with one of the desks on display (unfortunately, while lusting after this piece, I forgot to take a picture). It was easy enough to picture myself sitting on it for hours and writing... productivity wouldn't be hard with that one!

The second desk pictured above was actually designed based upon a lady's shoe; anyone notice the red underneath?

All in all, the designs were gorgeous, and I was impressed by the passion and knowledgeability of the staff, from the designers to the owners. The event was a lovely networking event, and I'm glad I got the invite (thanks Darshani)! Would I recommend Panesars to someone looking for a unique statement piece? Yes, definitely!