My friends Anne de Kerckhove and Ed van de Logt make a fine case study for how London’s cosmopolitan business community can help to harness the city’s unparalleled creative energy while having positive social impact in the developing world.

Anne is a part Dutch, part French-Canadian entrepreneur who has made her mark in the world of digital gaming while also spearheading Irregular Art Beat, a ground-breaking initiative to identify and support high potential design talent. For his part, Ed has spent the better part of a decade scouring the globe for beautiful things made by craftspeople in some of the world’s most far-flung places.

Now, Anne and Ed are taking their trained eyes and setting their sights on the fashion industry. Anedoti is an online retail business which provides a platform for emerging and international designers to reach new consumers using the Internet.

Over the past year, their quest for unique, hand-crafted products has taken them on a veritable world tour.  To share the treasures from their search, Anne and Ed recently hosted a launch event for Anedoti in their stunning London home, and we got a sneak peek at some of the brands they believe in.

As a strong counterpoint to the 600 year old hardwood flooring which was shipped from Holland, their living space is filled with striking contemporary art and design from their young designer protégés from across the globe, a testament to the fact that their passion for design is not just maketing spin.

As I explored Anedoti’s brands, each one seemed to have a little story to tell. As it turns out, Anedoti is a not only a combination of Anne and Ed’s names, it is also a nod to the Italian word, which refers to "little stories" or anecdotes. My favourite story of all came from a brand called Ikken, the product of a unique design fusion, mixing design from Paris’ Place Vendôme with Touareg craftsmanship from Niger.

We recently connected with Baptiste Bataille, one of Ikken’s co-founders, so that he could tell us the Ikken story in his own words and explain how Ikken’s partnership with Anedoti is taking their business to a whole new level. We also found a series of videos on his MySpace page giving us a behind-the-scenes look into this amazing collaboration, bringing together a jewellery designer from Paris, a passionate artisan from Niger, and a London-based supercouple.

What was the genesis of Ikken?

Ikken is a collaboration between myself, Baptiste Bataille, jewellery designer from a village of artisans in Niger and Georges Kamba, a renowned Parisian Jeweller from the Place Vendome in Paris.

We relate the creation of Ikken jewellery and our project in Niger to Incandescence: the heating point at which metal creates light. Ikken wants to bring strength, power, emancipation through its design and its projects. For me, as a creator, the challenge is both artistic and about proving the capabilities of Africa.

A year ago, Ikken set up a unique project in Niger. I developed a line of modern and stylish jewellery founded in Touareg traditions. Georges and I decided to get the jewellery produced in Niger and set out to train local artisans in Niamey in modern techniques of jewellery making. 

Designed in Paris, made by local Touareg artisans in Niger, Ikken combines local African tradition with French design and quality standards. This led to a collection of urban jewellery, made of the highest quality silver, ebony and stingray. From a humanitarian perspective, Ikken generates local employment and raises the skills of the local artisans in Niger, thus creating a long-term sustainable future for them and their families.

How and why did you decide to collaborate with Anedoti?

Ikken had just completed its first collection when I met Anne and Ed in in February 2007. We were looking for marketing and distribution partnerships to grow our business. Anedoti believed in us from the start and fell in love with the Ikken values. We met again in London a few weeks after the show and decided to work together to launch the Ikken products in the UK and Europe. Anedoti and Ikken have many goals in common. The fit seems perfect: hand-crafted luxury, unique fashion forward designs rooted in tradition but targeted to a modern audience. Anedoti brought us immediate exposure.

Our first production run had its challenges and took several months to get finalised to the quality standards we both expected. But Anedoti were patient and helpful. They don’t believe in rushing designers or the process.   

What does each party bring to the table and how does your collaboration work?

Anedoti brings us exposure to a market place and target audience. Anedoti’s website gives us a direct marketing and distribution mechanism that would not be feasible to build ourselves. They also bring practical advice and feedback on the designs to ensure they meet the needs of their customers. 

Ikken brings Anedoti unique products. We will continue to design new collections and innovate on a regular basis so customers can access a greater range of jewellery. The partnership will continue to deepen with exclusive Anedoti ranges and further collaboration on materials. 

What are your plans for the future?

We will continue to build on the partnership with Anedoti. Specifically, we will be launching an exclusive Anedoti range with Ikken, building on Anedoti’s ability to source unique leathers throughout the world as well as growing the men’s collection where demand has been very strong. 

In partnership with the French embassy, Ikken is setting up a full training centre in Niger dedicated to jewellery making. The centre should open in April 2008 a first in Western Africa. 15 artisans will be trained and have at their disposal all the required tools and materials to develop their skills. George will lead the training. We need to grow our delivery capabilities to respond to the market demands created by Anedoti.

Chapter 1 - Rencontre avec les artisans (Meeting with the artisans)

Chapter 3 - Construction de l’atelier Telit (Building the Telit atelier)