Set of 6 round plates, Makaïva wax print, mustard yellow and black-brown colors

“Mè ka yi kou bo lè lè ko wa?” asks this Fon fabric: who has gone to the afterlife and returned to tell what they saw? No one.

On these round plates, a crown of black-brown branches laden with mustard-yellow leaves and purple clusters runs around the rim, leaving the center white; at the bottom of the deep plates, the branches spread out. Mustard yellow, black-brown, purple, and white make up a piece designed as our tribute to the iconic “Makaïva” fabric.

🍃 One pattern, a thousand names

In the world of wax fabric, the same pattern can circulate under several names. It is often the women who sell and wear the fabrics who give them their names.

• Makaïva (Benin, Fon): a fabric that poses a question: “Who has gone to the afterlife and returned to tell what they saw?” — the answer is: no one.

✨ What the pattern tells

The symbolism of Makaïva invites us to enjoy the present, since no one knows what lies beyond. It turns popular wisdom into a pattern and is passed down like a message to share. It is given as a gift to remind us to savor the moment.

Our interpretation

The design leaves the fabric to become a crown of branches around the edge of the plates, while the branches spread out at the bottom of the deep plates. The colors — mustard yellow, black-brown, purple, and white — give the pattern a graphic presence on the porcelain. Decorated to order in our Alfortville workshop, with the pattern prepared, applied, and glazed by hand before firing. The set is presented in a box.

At your table

Imagine soft light, a natural linen tablecloth, and a table where guests linger around these round plates. Giving this box means passing on a message of wisdom and inviting others to enjoy the present, since no one knows what lies beyond.

Features

• Contents: 6 plates of your choice: 2 large, 2 dessert, and 2 deep plates, or 3 large and 3 dessert plates, at the same price (the photos show the version with deep plates).
• Colors: mustard yellow, black-brown, purple, and white.
• Material: porcelain.
• Large plate: Ø 27 cm, height 3.1 cm.
• Dessert plate: Ø 21 cm, height 2.5 cm.
• Deep plate: Ø 19 cm, height 5.5 cm.
• Box: 1 box measuring 31 × 31 × 10 cm, approximately 3.5 kg.
• Personalization: colors, first name, date, or short message upon request; composition of your choice from the options indicated.
• In case of breakage: individual replacement possible, with the same pattern and dimensions, provided the shape remains available in the catalog.
• In the same pattern: coffee cup, set of 6 round plates.

Write to us to personalize your Makaïva box: a color, a first name, or a short message can extend this invitation to enjoy the present.