Since the invention of her unique range of decorative Chalk Paint™ in 1990, Annie Sloan has been going from strength to strength. She has authored over 25 books, boasts a range of more than 35 paint colours & is regarded as one of the leading decorative paint specialists in the world.
Today I would love to tell you about her brand new colour called ‘Lem Lem’ – a soft green.
A Colour With A Big Heart
This hue is inspired by the gorgeous white fields of alliums that Annie personally discovered during a visit to south-east Ethiopia.
The field belonged to a co-operative of women farmers, funded by Oxfam, who were realising their potential after being provided with loans to buy decent seeds & good irrigation systems. The alliums represented money & freedom. One woman with four children under nine had made enough money to buy a house, cow, ox, a TV (its arrival promoted a party in the village), schooling, and – unprecedented for a woman in this part of Ethiopia – a bank account of her own.
“What I love is when you look at the allium head from the region the overall impression is white, but then you realise there is green underneath & green on the petals… I asked one of the women farmers, ‘what does green mean to you?’ & she immediately said, ‘Growth’ & I thought that was fantastic. I feel that ‘Lem Lem’ is representative of my business – a celebration of the idea of female ambition, will & talent. I have visited an awful lot of smarty-pants places all over the world, & stayed in very nice hotels, but those women in Ethiopia is what life is really about. People who are farming, doing things, dreams being fulfilled,” says Annie.
Annie subsequently formed a partnership with Oxfam for their 75th anniversary & so ‘Lem Lem’ was born. A percentage of the sale of every liter pot sold will go to the charity to support Oxfam’s work & Annie Sloan hopes to raise £250,000 over three years.
The collaboration with Oxfam is the first time Annie Sloan has worked with a charity on this scale. “I just thought it would be wonderful to help. I feel very connected to Oxfam. They are based in Oxford like us & approached me to ask if I would like to do something with paint & the idea flowed from there. I am delighted to support the charity, it was very humbling to see first-hand how people [in Ethiopia] are suffering amid the worst drought in 30 years on my visit.”
So, do you love or loathe Lem Lem? I love what it represents, but the actual colour is not really me.
Yolandi ♥
Images: Supplied.
I love that colour too Yolandi. It looks so fresh without being OTT and after reading the inspiration behind the colour it makes me love it even more. Annie Sloane is one amazing woman
Hi Michelle. I agree – it is so great to see that someone like Annie is doing something so inspirational for the women of Africa. x