It began with a phone call. One morning, the iconic Kitengela Hot Glass reached out to us after discovering themselves on the cover of our first LLK issue. It was one of those unexpected moments that make you pause and realise you’ve done something right.

Soon after, our team set out for a field trip to the Kitengela studio just outside Nairobi. For some, it was the first visit; others hadn’t been back in years. But none of us had ever seen it through the eyes of Anselm Croze, the visionary founder and glass artist behind Kitengela. The experience was nothing short of inspiring — an immersion into creativity, craftsmanship, hard work, and raw beauty.

That day, the idea of creating something together was inevitable. 

A few days later, during one of our creative meetings, the concept of a collaboration began to take shape. But it wouldn’t be LLK if we didn’t take it a step further. We wanted to craft something beautiful, functional, and meaningful. That’s when The Hills Signature Collection came to mind – a Kenyan, women-owned brand creating luxury scents that speak of elegance and intention. We had admired their work for some time and knew they would understand our vision perfectly.