One of a Kind. Full of Heritage.
The Lum Collection is a house of handmade African artistry in Katy, Texas. Our first collection is a family of cloth dolls — each one sewn, stuffed, and finished entirely by hand, dressed in Ankara prints, and carrying a name from Mankon, in the hills of Bamenda, Cameroon.
Every Doll Is an Original
No two Lum dolls are exactly alike. A big doll takes sixteen hours of handwork — cutting, sewing, stuffing, braiding yarn hair strand by strand and threading it with beads. Each doll is a single, original piece: when she is adopted, she is gone, and she will never be made the same way again.
Names From Mankon
Every doll carries a Mankon name — the quarters, fondoms, and family names of Bamenda, Cameroon. Swirri, the maker’s own name, leads the collection. Lum lends the house its name. Songwa, Njong, and Fumnju remember the quarters and compounds of Mankon; Nkwen honors its sister fondom. A Lum doll carries her name the way a person does — as identity, not decoration.
The Collections
Big Dolls — 16.5 in
Sixteen and a half inches of presence — the flagship dolls of the house, each in her own Ankara dress and crochet sandals.
Small Dolls — 8.5 in
The little sisters — eight and a half inches, barefoot, and full of the same handwork in miniature.
Matching Sets
Big-and-small and sister-and-brother pairs in matching fabrics — made to be given together.
Made to Be Given
A Lum doll is a gift with a story: for birthdays and baby showers, for daughters and granddaughters, for anyone who wants a child to grow up holding a doll that looks like heritage feels. Each doll arrives as the exact doll pictured — the one you chose is the one who comes home.
Handmade in Texas
One of One — Never Repeated
Ships Across the US
Secure Checkout
The House Is Growing
The Lum Collection begins with dolls. More collections of handmade African artistry will take their place beside them — each with its own story, each made to last. This is only the first room of the house.