OUR MISSION
To reveal the breadth and depth of African design and elevate its prominence in Western style and culture.
Our Vision
We envision a world where authentic African design and specialized handcrafting techniques are widely available to discerning buyers.
Our Artists
We understand one of the leading differentiators between luxury and mass market products is the amount of handwork done by artisans who have honed their craft over years and sometimes decades.
Our Products
We believe the use of natural materials and handcrafted elements results in a finished product that is a testament to the unique qualities found in both the materials originating from nature, and the artisans who make them.
Craft of a Continent
Curated
We believe one of the leading differentiators between luxury and mass market products is the amount of handwork done by the artisans at the source.
Craft of a Continent
Handmade
We offer products that reveal the story about the materials and the makers who transform exotic materials into exceptional pieces of functional art.
Craft of a Continent
Ethical
Our company - as well as our suppliers - take great pride in operating a business with a sustainable model of sourcing and manufacturing. All of the family-owned businesses we partner with pay their artisans a living wage and pay close attention to the sourcing practices of raw materials.
Craft of a Continent
Exotic
We select items from partners who weave together European and African design while avoiding overt references to either. The result is contemporary ‘safari chic’ as we call it.
Craft of a Continent
Sustainable
We are committed to a sustainable business model, whereby the business, its employees and the communities where we operate all benefit. We pay particular attention to the ethical sourcing of the animal by-product, buying only from suppliers who themselves procure raw materials from the right sources in the right way, and do not trade in endangered or threatened animal species
Ngala Trading Timeline
2006
Company founders Nick Geimer and Lawson Ricketts love to say "we didn’t choose Africa, It chose us." A temporary work assignment in 2006 for Nick in Johannesburg turned into a decade-long exploration of and love affair with richness of the vast continent of Africa. Joined by Lawson in 2007, the couple thought "why not live here?" And so they did, making Joburg their home in 2008.
Ngala Trading Timeline
2010
While keeping their day jobs (in finance and education), Nick & Lawson embarked on renovating an historic Art Nouveau property - Cullinan House. The experience exposed them to numerous local craftsmen who were expert wood- and metal-workers, as well as custom furniture and lighting manufacturers.
Ngala Trading Timeline
2012
Inspired by the work on their own home, Lawson switched careers and opened an interior design and home-furnishings store in Johannesburg - Plaid Cabbage Interiors. With a steady stream of international visitors from the nearby Four Seasons hotel, the shop did well from the outset. More importantly, it quickly gained a local following for Lawson's unique blend of modern American staples with an African twist – think plaid with zebra. Lawson and his team went on to design the interiors of many homes and several game lodges over the following years.
Ngala Trading Timeline
2015
Drawn by family obligations to return closer to home, in 2015 Lawson and Nick prepared for a new leg of their African journey. Supported with a sea container full of samples, the pair set off for New York City with a business plan and an idea to grow the footprint of the designers and makers who entrusted them to develop a sales strategy for North America.
Ngala Trading Timeline
2016
Within a few months of arriving in New York, a new business was up and running: Ngala Trading Co. Meaning "lion" in Shengan, "ngala" projected strength and pride. Exhibitions at trade shows in Atlanta and New York were met with immediate buyer interest, and orders soon followed.
Ngala Trading Timeline
2019
The business quickly outgrew the New York apartment and New Jersey storage facility where Nick and Lawson incubated their start-up. By 2017 leases were signed for dedicated showroom and warehouse space, and in 2019 the Company opened its flagship showroom in the New York Design Center at 200 Lexington Avenue.
Ngala Trading Timeline
2022
Despite a few uncertain months due to COVID-19, the Company thrived as customers locked down from traveling furnished their home and home offices. By the middle of 2022 we had outgrown our existing warehouse and acquired our own 10,000sf facility.
Ngala Trading Timeline
2024
We now count more than 200 boutique home furnishing stores and 850 interior designers, architects and purchasing agents as regular customers who purchase from us at least once every 18 months. In the last eight years, several thousand Retail customers have purchased from our curated collection of handcrafted luxury home furnishings, lighting & decor. We continue to introduce new offerings into our catalogue, and now stock more than 500 items that are available to ship next day.
Product Catalogue
This season’s range of décor offers bold new prints, unique structures and vibrant details.
“Our hope is that by continuing to expose new designs and styles, we are showing the variety within African design. There’s so much more than images of elephants done up in colorful beads!"
Lawson Ricketts | Co-Founder
“Each supplier we partner with has committed to the ethical sourcing of the animal by-product. They procure raw materials from the right sources in the right way, and do not trade in endangered or threatened animal species. Not only because it’s important for us, it’s important to our clients."
Nick Geimer | Co-Founder
"I was very lucky to have the opportunity to live in Johannesburg, South Africa. I never dreamed when I returned to the US that I would have the chance to continue to talk about the beauty of South Africa everyday with Ngala Trading's customers."
Natalie Irwin | Sales Director