Emerald & Wax

Emerald & Wax was born out of Virtue Shine’s passion for African wax prints that was ignited when, as a child, she used to sit on her grandmother’s lap in her wholesale African fabric warehouse in Accra. She still remembers running around the warehouse surrounded by incredibly beautiful, vibrant and bold patterns and colours amidst lots of laughter and banter.

After moving to New York in her late teens, Virtue grew to love Japanese design and architecture. It also represents a strong influence in her collections. By combining these Japanese design elements with the unique African wax print fabrics, each piece becomes a bespoke, original and wearable work of art.

Emerald & Wax collections include kimonos, dresses and colourful jackets that are extremely wearable, adding both colour and style that can be incorporated into any wardrobe all year round.

The wild Atlantic coast of Ireland, her home for many years, is now embedded in her work through her regular use of vibrant blue hues and nature inspired tones.

A self-taught designer, crafter and maker from Ghana, Virtue now lives on the Wild Atlantic Way in Galway, Ireland.