From tropical to subarctic, barren desert to dense jungles, Africa is almost too massive, too diverse to characterize as a single entity. But just consider its broad array of handmade goods and you begin to appreciate the talents and energy of its varied peoples, from the natural resources at their disposal to their long and complex histories.

And thanks to an expanding and more accessible global marketplace, we now see these unique goods finding unimpeded distribution throughout the world—while empowering the artisans who make them. Intricately-woven, elephant-grass baskets from Ghanaian makers such as Woven Worldwide and Savannah Baskets International blend contemporary-design motifs with age-old craft techniques. Stylish handbags, hand-woven from raffia and lutindzi grass, by such makers as AAKS and Khoko Eswatini, spur us to reconsider the pillars of high-end fashion accessories. And unlike the mass-produced homewares and accessories populating the world's shelves, each of these goods tells the story of the artisan who made them.

As we gathered in Nairobi to capture these unique products for our special photo portfolio, we couldn't help but notice how different all the products were, and yet how they all seemed to fuse seamlessly together. The colors, the textures, the unyielding attention to detail. It's enough to convince us that maybe it is possible to capture an entire continent in a single photo shoot.

Photography by Maganga Mwagogo.