Educated at a school which championed outdoor living and imaginative play, designer Tessa Graham has turned those ideas into a new line of South African made toys. With sales on the up, at home and abroad, we met the mother and son behind this story of challenge and hope.
With the birth of her son, Sam, in 2019 and after experiencing the global pandemic of 2020, Tessa saw a need for toys to be created and manufactured in South Africa. As most of our country’s toys were being imported from abroad, Tessa had a strong desire to keep things local and help support and employ South Africans. Through this need and passion, she created Envirokid.
Envirokid specialises in designing and manufacturing toys for children that encourage both creative and outdoor play. The brand tries their best to use raw environmentally conscious materials with most of their designs consisting of a combination of woods, leathers and steels to create durable products made to last.
From her own schooling experience, Tessa developed a deeper understanding of the value of encouraging creative, outdoor and imaginative play especially in younger children. At Envirokid, they hope that their designs can inspire creativity and curiosity in young minds. The main influence behind the business was Sam, who was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis.