Studio DNA
South African Products
Wendy Visser has worked in the fashion industry for 15 years in places such as Paris and Los Angeles. A visit to South Africa instilled a passion for the country which resulted in a permanent move to Cape Town along with her family (Dillon and Jada are the names of her two young children). She has harnessed her talent and international design flair and fused it with traditional African crafting techniques. Each item is hand made with love in the Heartlands of the Zulu nation, KwaZulu-Natal by talented ladies who are keeping their families self sufficient and fighting against the ravages of HIV and AIDS.
The unconventional designs of these pieces marries beautifully with the use of semi precious stones, rock crystal, silver and traditional Zulu beads.
Wendy has recently launched a unique line of hand stitched t-shirts for both men and women which have been received with much acclaim.
Mielie's range of fabulous off-beat handbags and accessories are handmade from recycled materials. Using as little machinery as possible, many jobs are created. Since its inception in 2002, the organization has grown to a group of about 30 people, some of whom have epilepsy. Working from home means that mothers can be with their children and transport costs are kept to a minimum.
To make the products, many age-old and time-consuming fibre-craft techniques, such as hooked rugging, crochet and knotting are employed.
Why Mielie? Mielie is Afrikaans for corn, the staple diet of most South Africans, and probably the first item on most of the weaver's shopping list. The hooked rug products also feel like kernels on a corn cob.
The RockChic range of jewelry includes cutting edge, individual pieces that are synonymous with global and current fashion trends and which are crafted entirely of natural materials. The range includes turquoise, coral, African jade, carnelian, peridot, agates, quartz crystal, fluorite, fossils, rose quartz, amethyst amongst other natural treasures. RockChic hand craft’s a unique range of jewelry using only the finest quality that nature has to offer. Interesting vintage elements are also to be found in their unique jewelry.
The ladies of RockChic, Kathleen and Michele, imbibe each piece with Capetonian warmth and beauty.
Fearless entrepreneur, Carien Phyfer, started her brave venture in 2002. With the help of her mother, she began training any local unemployed women who were interested in learning the beading techniques and designs necessary for her original line of footwear.
Shoes of Flavour was launched with great success, supplying many top South African designer stores and the demand has grown steadily so that now, 66 women are employed in the production of these quality, hand beaded shoes. Customers have been absolutely impressed with the comfort and durability of these works of art and end up owning more than just one pair!
XHENOGA products are handmade by women from all over the Cape Peninsula who get together every day to make extraordinary pieces and affect a difference to their own lives and those around them. In a studio filled with laughter; uplifting song and lots of talking, their pain, struggles, fears, love and dreams are shared and proudly woven into each functional art piece.
Xhenoga’s line of product ranges from jewellery to handbags, from cushions to wall hangings. The common “thread” amongst all these extraordinary items is the use of warm Copper wire and High Quality Beads and Crystals.
Xhenoga’s aim is to provide each women who works on the accessories with a sense of entitlement, confidence and security.
Khayelitsha (which means “New Home”) is a township just outside Cape Town which has over 1 million residents. An estimated 30% of the population is unemployed, of which 60% are under the age of 30.
The organization seeks to develop people, especially unemployed people, socially, economically, emotionally and spiritually. Their vision is to see the injustices committed in the past, in South Africa, as well as in the rest of Africa, reversed. Through providing a program that recognizes human dignity and the human right to live a meaningful life, they aim to assist individuals to regain their self respect, by empowering them to provide for themselves and for their families.
The unique handbags, cushions and wrap skirts are sold to the public through Khanya Kreations, an outlet to promote the distribution of these fine, hand-crafted products.
Afri-can and the Unity Project
While craft holds many potential benefits for low income groups in South Africa, it is also undoubtedly an area of exploitation. This exploitation relies on the willingness of craft artists to accept some pay rather than the frightening prospect of none at all.
Apart from their aesthetic appeal, AfriCan designs also depict the immediacy of life for the majority of South Africans who live on and below the poverty line. As such, the pricing of AfriCan products is scaled to avoid exploitation and to provide a realistic sustainable income for our craft artists.
Refuse Workers - collect the discarded tin-pulls. Refuse workers and unemployed people at certain Johannesburg dumps are adding a substantial percentage to their monthly income by collecting tin-pulls for AfriCan. We have three men collecting tin-pulls for AfriCan at present, and in the festive season demand outstrips supply.
Edna Phiri - African: Management of production, training and quality control. Edna is a partner at African, and as her responsibilities evolve she will eventually manage the company. The ultimate aim of AfriCan is for Edna to be the majority shareholder, with Robyn Field as a minority stakeholder and marketing consultant.
Robyn Field - Unity Design: Marketing, administration and strategic focus. Unity Design is a multimedia design and editorial company. As well as managing the AfriCan project, Unity runs a gallery from its offices in Melville, focusing on art and 'craft as art'. Unity has been running AfriCan as its outreach project for four years.
iNini Glass started when Nini Jerman ended up in a one-horse mining town with her geologist husband. Inspired by the vast and desolate environment, she gave expression to her creativity by experimenting with glass and colour. Due to the growing demand for her products, she trained unemployed people of the local community in the skills of kiln-forming glass.
Today iNini Glass is based in Somerset-West, outside Cape Town in
South Africa. They produce funky glassware that is both practical as
beautiful. Their range includes a variety of platters, plates, bowls, tiles,
wall-attached lights, lampshades, chandeliers and jewellery. Colors
range from soft hues to bright contemporary. Designs range from
classical timeless to funky and playful. Any design or logo can be done onto the glass that makes it the perfect corporate gift.
Establishing a strong presence on the South African décor scene, Nini has collected a number of prominent accolades such as the prestigious House & Leisure's Bright Young Things Designer Award and the Fair Lady's Business Start-Up Award.
Light from Africa is a ceramics project benefiting the communities of South Africa by providing economically viable skills and using those proceeds to care for children who have been infected or affected by HIV/AIDS.
All over the world, a burning candle is a symbol of peace, unity and hope. Building on this theme, Co-founder Carole Turner-Record explains:
“The name Light from Africa came to us once we had decided that our ceramic studio would concentrate on making items that can hold a candle. Concentrating on a product which gives 'light', seemed the perfect symbolism for what we were trying to do sending the Light from Africa into the rest of the world, offering hope. The logo, developed by Nicki Holmes royal academy-trained artist, took this a step further by introducing the shape of Africa as the light.”
Lumela Afrika was born (lumela meaning hallo in the Sotho language) in May 1995 with the main focus being to create meaningful and sustainable employment for single mothers from previously disadvantaged communities. Lumela Afrika focuses on empowering single mothers from the surrounding townships of Orange Farm, Sharpville, Evaton and Sebokeng in South Africa. The Lumela range consists of both functional and decorative items. Every Lumela piece is a one – of – a kind work of art. None are completely identical – as products are hand drawn and painted by different "artists". There are in fact 7 people at any one time working on a product as it moves through the production line. Over the past 3 years Lumela Afrika has been actively involved in supporting various children's homes/orphanages. Homes that support abandoned and abused black children as well as aids orphans. This has been in the form of financial contributions as well as the donation of our products as gifts. The homes that we currently support financially and with product are Angels Aid and The Right Now Youth Foundation. Bright, funky, fun, original hand decorated enamel tableware and gift accessories which include plates, bowls, mugs, sugar pots, milk jugs, tea pots and trays in a wide range of designs. Designs include wacky jungle, crazy kids, dizzy daisy, bugs zoo, under the sea and the contemporary African "squiggle" design.
