African Olive silk foulard, 68x68

• Olive green with black
• GOTS-certified silk
• Developed in Switzerland & South Africa
• Made in Italy

The African olive tree, Olea Africana, is a related species to the well-known European olive tree. As its English name "Wild African Olive" implies, it is wild and native to all of Africa.

From spring to summer, the tree bears sweetly scented blossoms, and only a few years later does it produce small fruits. The entire plant is usable. The hard wood is prized for furniture, and the fruits are consumed by the surrounding ecosystem, including humans. The leaves are used both as a tea and in medicine. Since ancient times, the leaves have been used to strengthen the immune system, lower blood pressure, combat viral, fungal, and bacterial infections, and much more.

With its well-groomed form and robust growth, the African wild olive is a popular bonsai and landscape tree, suitable both as a windbreak and as a freestanding specimen. In the Platbos, one of the few remaining areas of South Africa's Afro-temperate lowland forests, there are one or two ancient wild olive trees estimated to be almost a thousand years old. The African wild olive is protected in South Africa.

This design is intended to show how related and close the African and European worlds are to each other – despite the distance.

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The Botanik Serie:

The Botanic series is a collection where fresh and vibrant colours were deliberately chosen to accentuate the radiant effect of the organic silk. The series comprises three designs: Fynbos, Kelp Forest, and African Olive. These designs were inspired by the diversity of the South African biosphere.

To present the content of the botany series authentically, we collaborated with the South African illustrator Amor Coetzee .