Jana Leonard, founder of luxury woven décor brand Baskiti

Jana Leonard, founder and creative director of Baskiti. Image courtesy of

Like many parents, Leonard, who juggles a full-time PR consulting job with a 14-month-old, finds herself doing whatever it takes to keep her child occupied.

“I admit that there were times when I became blindsided by creative chaos. One day, my son decided to use our veggies to replace his personal ball collection. Potatoes, onions and sweet potatoes flew through the air, leaving a mess. That’s when I knew I had to find a solution,” she said.

Thus, Baskiti was born – a simple yet clever solution to keep your vegetables (and anything else) out of your children’s reach, while adding a touch of design to any open wall.

Since its inception, Baskiti has grown into a much-loved brand, focusing primarily on custom designs for the hospitality and events industries.

Baskiti is where design meets functionality!

“A big focus for Baskiti from 2024 onwards will be to provide custom woven designs for restaurants, hotels and Airbnb. A huge USP is that we have a team of CMTs who add fabric and leather details to our designs and provide more colour and branding features where necessary;” Leonard added.

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How did you come up with this name?

They say you appreciate something more when you don’t own it, wow is that true! The name Baskiti comes from our nanny’s native language, it means basket in Shona.

What is your vision for this brand?

To become the leading luxury woven decor brand in the hospitality industry, the focus is not on African inspired decor but on luxury with huge impact.

Oversized lampshades, floor lamps, hanging storage racks, side tables, baskets, pedestals and more. Our core focus is combining functionality with design!

It’s not just for decorating, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have some decorative elements – we’re launching scalloped woven curtain boxes this spring and are currently working on some Airbnb transformations and wedding plinths.

What is the biggest challenge you face as a female founder and how did you overcome it?

I wouldn’t say that all the challenges I’ve faced were because I’m a woman, but my biggest challenges have been scaling the business and making financial decisions that have been challenging for me.

When you are not financially inclined (as people need to be in business), it challenges you and your character, but what I have learned is this: Hire people who can do the things you are good at better than you can.

Also, as a woman, I am more in control of my emotions and I have to learn to make business decisions with clear (business) thinking and a little bit of emotion. That being said, any decision I make for Baskiti is never divorced from emotion – customers consume with emotion.

Please tell us about the products you offer

Baskiti originated as hanging storage racks, which is our core product to date, however, we are seeing a shift towards custom designs within the hospitality industry. There are some great local businesses that specialise in African inspired designs, and yes, I love that, but it’s not our style.

We focus on timeless yet modern and interesting designs, using eco-friendly materials whenever possible. All of our products are woven from rattan; it is extremely strong and durable.

Our goal is to serve innovative clients, work with local and international brands, and push the limits. Who believes we can make miracles happen – with just a pair of hands! Without our team, we are nothing, and it is very important that everyone who works with us understands this.

When you want to customize something for a hotel, Airbnb, residence, or client’s home, we are your one-stop shop – interior designers.

Are these products made/produced locally in South Africa?

All of our products are handmade and woven locally in Cape Town, South Africa. Our rattan originates from Indonesia. Our CMT, leather and rattan suppliers are all based in South Africa.

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What challenges do you face in selling your products in the market?

We were lucky enough to have a following from the beginning, however, we could not compete with the big retailers that sell similar items (unfortunately, we have seen some knockoffs) at a third of our price. We do not believe in importing finished products, so our products are marked up higher. I can tell you who makes your Baskiti!

Our biggest focus right now is on being at the forefront of a variety of hospitality sectors – it’s really a new and exciting challenge for us, but I know we are one of the only (if not the only) companies to undertake this type of custom design work, so I’m excited to see what the future holds.

What initiatives or projects are you most proud of and why do you think they were successful?

My most fulfilling project so far has been the seven custom lampshades we made for Mary & Joe of Ballito. It was one of our first large commissions and the experience was absolutely perfect. The clientele was friendly, the creative freedom was supportive, and we paid our weavers well—it was a full-circle moment for me. It was the passion I needed to keep my focus on custom designs for our many clients!

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What does Women’s Month mean to you?

It’s a beautiful reminder of how far we’ve come as women; and how important it is for us to truly tap into our feminine energy.