Sunday Times | The Edit Autumn/Winter '19

THE EDIT N 12

Autumn / Winter ’19

autu m n/ w i nte r N 12

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contents TRE ND S 16. T RE N D

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18.

28. FE AT U R E

african luxe grows up

O F BE AU T Y trends and innovations

20. TREND

25. O PI NI O N

31.

14. TRE ND

electric brights

#blackgirlmagic

FEATURE a fur-free future

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bohemian safari B E AUTY TRE ND

PROFILE photographer

32. FEATURE

karl lagerfeld’s books

FAS H ION 50. TH E NEW RO MA NTI CS pretty in pink B E A UT Y 61. THE FUTURE

thebe magugu: african studies

O N N E UTRA L G R OU N D earth tones

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38. RELATI O NSH I PS

polyamory

CO LO URS O F TH E SEASO N unorthodox palettes

S K IN dior’s peter philips

JACKET, R15 000; TROUSERS, R5 200, BOTH MALIPARMI AT CATHERINE GAEYLA; SCARF, R3 350, PAUL SMITH

TREND mismatched prints

T R E N D desert sand and burnt amber

B E AU T Y N E WS iconic updates

34. P R OFIL E 39.

12.

T R E N D monochrome silhouettes

teddy girls

’80s rebellion dana scruggs

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GLOWING

LAST WO RD kirsten goss

ED ITOR I A L EDITOR Sharon Armstrong sharonb@tisoblackstar.co.za CREATIVE DIRECTOR Anna Lineveldt MANAGING EDITOR Matthew

McClure SENIOR DESIGNER Thembekile Vokwana JUNIOR DESIGNERS Manelisi Dabata and Carike de Jager CHIEF SUBEDITOR Theresa Mallinson SUBEDITOR Joey Kok BEAUTY EDITOR Nokubonga Thusi LIVING DIRECTOR Leana Schoeman FEATURES WRITER Nothemba Mkhondo JUNIOR FASHION EDITOR Sahil Harilal FASHION ASSISTANT Keneilwe Pule FASHION INTERN Nombuso Kumalo FINAL EYES Elizabeth Sleith, Lynda Stephenson, and Karin Mosselson PUBLISHER Aspasia Karras GROUP GENERAL MANAGER: SALES AND MARKETING Reardon Sanderson MANAGING DIRECTOR Andrew Gill ADVERTISING BUSINESS MANAGER Yvonne Shaff shaffy@tisoblackstar.co.za 082 903 5641 ACCOUNT MANAGERS Letitia Louw (Johannesburg) louwl@tisoblackstar.co.za 083 454 1137; Samantha Pienaar (Cape Town) pienaars@tisoblackstar.co.za 082 889 0366; Gina van de Wall (Durban) vdwallg@tisoblackstar.co.za, 083 500 5325 ADVERTISING CO-ORDINATOR Jamie Kinnear PRINTING Paarl Media Gauteng PUBLISHERS Tiso Blackstar Group, 16 Empire Road (cnr of Empire and Hillside roads), Parktown, Johannesburg, 2193 © Copyright Tiso Blackstar Group. No portion of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the publishers. The publishers are not responsible for unsolicited material. The Edit is published by Tiso Blackstar Group. The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of Tiso Blackstar Group.

All advertisements, advertorials, and promotions have been paid for, and therefore do not carry any endorsement by the publishers.

PRODUCTION PAUL & HENRIETTE FOR CARTIER

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CLASH DE CARTIER RING, PRICE ON REQUEST, CARTIER

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1. CARDIGAN, R899, POLO 2. CROSS-BODY BAG, R79 000, LOUIS VUITTON 3. EQUIPMENT BLOUSE, R6 390, SHOP-LABEL 4. BLAKE SKIRT, R440, YDE 5. GLAMOUR DATE WATCH WITH DIAMOND DIAL ON PATENT LEATHER STRAP, R40 500, TUDOR 6. CLASH DE CARTIER DIAMOND BRACELET, R380 000, CARTIER 7. SOCK BOOTS, R4 899, DIESEL 8. REVERSE CLOTHING LEGGINGS, R750, YDE 9. SHORTS, R699, COUNTRY ROAD 10. KNIT, R799, POETRY 11. MIU MIU SUNGLASSES, R4 090, LUXOTTICA 12. GLOVES, R13 150, PRADA

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TEXT NOMBUSO KUMALO IMAGES ULRICH KNOBLAUCH AND SUPPLIED

Givenchy Couture: experiments with form and texture with / monochrome silhouettes / sharp tailoring / delicate pearls / HIGH-SHINE LATEX and VINYL

INFLUENCERS HAVE TO BE IN SHAPE BE A FOLLOWER

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PRODUCTION Sahi l Hari lal

Lanvin: redefines classic tailoring with / soft silhouettes / plush textures / mismatched prints /

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1. MORRIS & CO BLOUSE, R180, H&M 2. TRENCH COAT, R899, WOOLWORTHS 3. DRESS, R4 000, REPLAY 4. BLOUSE, R2 499, SCOTCH & SODA 5. TOTE BAG, R55 000, LOUIS VUITTON 6. ELLE WATCH, R1 499, AMERICAN SWISS 7. TROUSERS, R3 800, REPLAY 8. BOOTS, R1 499, TREAD + MILLER 9. GINGER MARY TROUSERS, R499, TRUWORTHS 10. DRESS, R1 199, H&M 11. SIMON & MARY HAT, R499, TREAD + MILLER 12. TOP-HANDLE BAG, R50 700, GUCCI 13. ALICE BAND, R150, POETRY

TEXT NOMBUSO KUMALO IMAGES ULRICH KNOBLAUCH AND SUPPLIED

EYE-CATCHING COLOUR

A whole new luxury experience unveiled.

The luxury brands availible at Dore

to name but a few...

Now trading in our new premises - Store U75A, Sandton City, Sandton Drive, T+27 11 783 7316/7/8 www.dorefashion.co.za

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PRODUCTION Sahi l Hari lal

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1. HOBO BAG, R16 995, COACH 2. STUDIO COLLECTION JACKET, R1 499, H&M 3. WITCHERY WAISTCOAT, R899, WOOLWORTHS 4. CONSCIOUS COLLECTION PARKA, R2 299, H&M 5. SHORTS, R599, MANGO 6. BELT, R3 000, MISSIBABA 7. KNIT, FROM R2 999, SCOTCH & SODA 8. WITCHERY BOOTS, R2 799, WOOLWORTHS 9. PATCHWORK BAG, R11 995, COACH 10. WITCHERY JACKET, R4 399, WOOLWORTHS 11. WITCHERY SUNGLASSES, FROM R499, WOOLWORTHS 12. ARTHUR JACK CARDHOLDER, R499, TREAD + MILLER

TEXT NOMBUSO KUMALO IMAGES ULRICH KNOBLAUCH AND SUPPLIED

Isabel Marant: bohemian safari elevates understated sandy hues with skilful layering / textured woollen knits / embellished silver buckles / black leather finishes

EXCLUSIVE TO

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1. TOP HANDLE BAG, R42 500, GUCCI 2. SKIRT, R200, MRP 3. SHIRT, R599, MANGO 4. TROUSERS, R749, H&M 5. SANDALS, R1 650, REPLAY 6. WITCHERY BUCKET HAT, R349, WOOLWORTHS 7. TOP-HANDLE BAG, R7 695, COACH 8. HERITAGE BLACK BAY WATCH, WITH FABRIC STRAP, R48 000, TUDOR 9. STUDS, R199, AMERICAN SWISS 10. BLAZER, R250, MRP 11. DRESS, R2 250, PRINGLE OF SCOTLAND 12. BELT, R999, DIESEL 13. MULES, R14 450, PRADA

TEXT NOMBUSO KUMALO IMAGES ULRICH KNOBLAUCH AND SUPPLIED

Christian Dior: Teddy Girls make a statement with large gingham checks / tartan & tweed prints / buttery leather / PUNK ROCK METALLIC ACCENTS

Available in store and online www.polo.co.za @polosouthafrica

The Edit April 2019.indd 1

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1. DRESS, R1 850, PRINGLE OF SCOTLAND 2. KNIT JERSEY, R899, POETRY 3. BOOTS, R25 000, LOUIS VUITTON 4. SUNGLASSES, R450, POETRY 5. WITCHERY BLAZER, R1 999, WOOLWORTHS 6. TOP-HANDLE BAG, R40 500, LOUIS VUITTON 7. HERITAGE ADVISOR WATCH WITH ALIGATOR STRAP, R84 000, TUDOR 8. TROUSERS, R200, MRP 9. STUDIO COLLECTION KNIT TOP, R1 199, H&M 10. EARRINGS, R199, COUNTRY ROAD 11. BELT BAG, R3 200, REPLAY 12. TOP-HANDLE BAG, R8 995, COACH

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TEXT NOMBUSO KUMALO IMAGES ULRICH KNOBLAUCH AND SUPPLIED

Hermès: transforms leather with discreet geometric patterns / silver stud details / rich colour palette of desert sand and burnt Amber hues / bold mandarin accents

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1. COAT, R1 399, MANGO 2. BLOUSE, R499, TRUWORTHS 3. SWEATSHIRT, R6 799, DIESEL 4. SLING BAG, R5 999, DIESEL 5. KNIT JERSEY, R899, POLO 6. SWEATSHIRT, PRICE ON REQUEST, DIESEL 7. SANDALS, R18 050, PRADA 8. POLO BUCKET HAT, R329, SUPERBALIST 9. EMPORIO ARMANI SUNGLASSES, R2 290, LUXOTTICA 10. BANGLE, R2 880, STERNS 11. HAT, R1 650, CRYSTAL BIRCH 12. ELLE WATCH, R1 399, AMERICAN SWISS 13. HEELS, R16 800, PRADA

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TEXT NOMBUSO KUMALO IMAGES ULRICH KNOBLAUCH AND SUPPLIED

Nina Ricci reimagines winter dressing with oversized relaxed silhouettes / soft wool / satin textures / drape detailing / electric brights

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TEXT Nokubonga Thusi

’80s rebellion This season calls for a little colour clash — we’re talking bright, true-red lips paired with cobalt-blue eyes or powder-blue paint jobs complemented by tangerine pouts

I’M ISOLA MARRAS

The trend: mismatched makeup The inspiration: ’80s David Bowie Seen at: Rodarte, Chanel

rebellion

Top Tip:

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1. CHANEL ROUGE ALLURE LIQUID POWDER IN 962 ELECTRIC BLOOM, R615 2. URBAN DECAY EYESHADOW IN WOODSTOCK, R255 3. URBAN DECAY EYESHADOW PRIMER POTION ANTI-AGING, R335 4. 3INA THE CREAM EYESHADOW IN 303, R180 5. DOLCE & GABBANA DOLCE MATTE LIPSTICK IN 619 RED, R735 6. WET N WILD PHOTOFOCUS EYESHADOW PRIMER, 10ML, R100

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he ’80s knew how to throw all the rules out the window when it came to beauty, and today’s runways are taking notes from that era’s rebellious use of colour. Models at the Rodarte and Chanel shows made mismatched makeup feel super-cool and modern with vibrant colours that both purposefully clashed and worked strangely harmoniously together.

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Go all out with this trend without looking out of place by choosing colours with similar intensities and undertones. It’s go big or go home, so match a cool, true blue with a bold, red lip with a blue undertone. Feeling a bit hesitant to commit fully? Go for a monochromatic mismatch by choosing two different shades of the same colour or two colours sitting closely on the colour wheel, like a fuchsia pink and a red, or a coral paired with a zesty orange.

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IMAGES MAC COSMETICS

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Start by applying a cream eyeshadow or colour eyeliner close to the lash line to create a graphic strip of colour. Build the colour onto the entire lid as your confidence grows.

NE WS SCENT SWITCH

The colder climate might have you longing for a heady, oriental scent to warm up your pulses, but consider changing to a scent that’s a little on the fruity side.

Dolce & Gabbana The Only One 2, part of the floriental fruity family, is much sweeter on

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the nose than its predecessor, The Only One. But don’t be put off: it really comes alive as top notes of blackberry and pear settle into coffee, woody patchouli, and tonka bean. Dolce & Gabbana The Only One 2 EDP, 100ml, R2 035

These iconic beauty updates are better than ever, from skin gems to guiltfree ‘splurge’ products

aying goodbye to the original Urban Decay Naked Palette was tough. But now, the oldie that launched a thousand palettes has birthed a new successor. The Naked Reloaded Palette is a modern update of neutrals that will definitely be a staple this autumn. At a price that’s R155 less than the original, what’s not to love? Urban Decay Naked Reloaded, R695

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Transitioning to winter means that your skin is about to act up.

Protect it from environmental stresses and DNA-damaging free radicals and pump up hydration with these skin-saving essentials.

1. CLINIQUE ID DRAMATICALLY DIFFERENT HYDRATING JELLY WITH IRRITATION CARTRIDGE CONCENTRATE, R570 2. EUCERIN HYALURON-FILLER NIGHT PEELING & SERUM, R500 3. DIOR CAPTURE YOUTH INTENSE RESCUE AGE-DELAY REVITALISING OIL-SERUM, 30ML, R1 685

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hanel Ultra Le Teint We can be quite sceptical when a new foundation that lands on the beauty desk promises to be our perfect match.

Since foundation is the most important part of any woman’s ON THE beauty kit, findE D ITOR’S ing one that ticks SHELF all the boxes is beauty gold.

Chanel Ultra Le Teint certainly does just that with its luminous matte finish; lightweight, colour-correcting formula; and 30 skin-undertone-conscious shades — check, check, and check. Chanel Ultra Le Teint All-Day Comfort Flawless Finish Foundation, R925, available at selected Woolworths and Edgars stores

PHOTOGRAPHY ULRICH KNOBLAUCH AND SUPPLIED

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beauty

TEXT Nokubonga Thusi

opinion

TEXT Pearl Boshomane Tsotetsi

Sharing the #blackgirlmagic You don’t need a hefty bank balance and a high-powered job to be recognised.

Let’s also give the women who do the most with scarce resources the applause they deserve

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n a months-old interview with InStyle magazine, Jennifer Aniston shared an anecdote about Dolly Parton — country doyenne, song-writing giant, actor, author — that’s stuck with me. The two women were having a conversation when Aniston said to Parton: “I don’t know how you do everything you’re still doing”, to which she replied: “Well, I dreamed myself into a corner, and now I gotta live up to it.”

That divine quote is about ambition, hard work, curiosity, and an appetite for constant growth and evolution. If you “dreamed yourself into a corner” and “nobody puts Baby in a corner” (most women have a fighting spirit), the only way out of that tight spot is to do your damnedest to achieve your goals and realise your dreams — no matter how ridiculous or unattainable they may seem.

For many women in South Africa today, our opportunities are endless compared to those our mothers were afforded. The empowered among us can be pretty much whoever we want, when — not that long ago — women couldn’t even open bank accounts without their husbands’ permission (and if you didn’t have a husband, were you even considered a “real” woman?)

For black women, career options didn’t extend much beyond nursing or teaching (and later, policing). But in the past two decades, options for a lot of us have opened up. This is the best time to be a young black or brown woman in our country, and many of us are working hard to achieve success. We have “dreamed ourselves into a corner” and, while that’s fantastic, it also has its drawbacks.

The concepts of #blackexcellence and #blackgirlmagic are meant to be — and often are — inspirational, aspirational, and empowering, but they are also restrictive. It seems our idea of black girl magic is rooted in thriving within the structures of a capitalist society. Black girl magic — or at least the way it’s often displayed and applauded online — is recognised only when it fits into a certain idea of success. Of course, there is absolutely nothing wrong with living the Sandton life or being in a high-powered job — that is excellent — but it shouldn’t be the main way for the strides black women make to be validated.

The idea of “slaying” is great, but why should slaying come pre-packaged with killer winged eyeliner, five-star holidays, vertiginous heels, a job title, and the appearance of money in the bank?

In proving that we can be “every woman”; that we can look good while kicking butt in our careers, we’ve boxed ourselves into a corner where we have to look like the women in Suits and still be Olivia Pope.

Perhaps I am being too simplistic in my approach to the topic, but in a country as divided as ours, and with the wealth and empowerment gaps widening rather than shrinking, we are leaving millions of women in the dust by not recognising that they too are thriving in their own ways.

Not to glorify poverty or suffering, but why don’t we recognise the women who wake up at 3am, clean our homes and offices, and get back to their own lives at 8pm as also being “magical”?

Why can’t black excellence also mean thriving in a world that leaves you very little room to do so?

When women are putting food on the table, clothes on their children’s backs and food in their bellies, with a budget some of us spend on brunch and makeup, isn’t that also magical, despite the fact that they shouldn’t be forced to live like that in the first place? Surely we can also recognise that doing a lot with a little is in itself a form of magic.

Yes, let’s celebrate that G-Wagon or business deal, but let’s also not treat black girl magic as an exclusive, members-only club. What’s the point of magic if you can’t share it?

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ILLUSTRATION L’M ri Erasmus

photography

TEXT Nothemba M khondo

IMAGES Dana Scruggs

Making

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ake a look through photographer Dana Scruggs’ lens and you’ll see rich, dark-skinned bodies in motion, highlighted by hard, natural light. This unique vision goes deeper than aesthetics: it is Scruggs’ form of visual activism; her way of bringing diversity into the frame. “My work comes from a place of understanding — I understand what it’s like to navigate this world as a black person and also to navigate this industry as a black person,” Scruggs says. As a black woman in a white, male-dominated industry, Scruggs is a firm believer in diversity, not only in front of the camera but also behind it. Her work is her own way of chipping away at the barriers that still exist in the creative industries.

In the past 12 months, Scruggs has taken big strides, not only in her career but in making changes behind the scenes. She was the first black woman to shoot for ESPN Magazine’s Body Issue, as well as the first black photographer to shoot the cover of Rolling Stone. Scruggs went from having no editorial work under her belt to capturing Tori Bowie — the fastest woman in the world — and rapper Travis Scott, in just a matter of months.

“It was a sign. It was out of nowhere and it had always been a huge goal of mine to shoot for the Body issue, because it’s iconic,” she says. “To get an opportunity like that when I had zero clients — zero editorial work — it was mind-blowing and frightening in a lot of ways. I knew immediately that I was probably the first black woman to photograph the issue.

“It was the most anxiety I’ve ever felt, but once I did that shoot I just knew I could do anything,” she says. “That gave me the confidence I needed to be able to pull off the shoots that I have in the past nine months and to end up shooting the cover for Rolling Stone.” Since then, Scruggs has gone on to shoot the cover story for the Hollywood Reporter featuring actress Brie Larson.

The Body Issue was a tipping point in Scruggs’ career — it was a long road to this moment when everything changed. The selftaught, New York-based photographer has come far since she first picked up a camera as a means to make some money while going through a difficult period of depression eight years ago.

From taking pictures of her vintage furniture and clothes for her Etsy shop, to doing test shoots with models, to moving to the big city, photography has ended up being a constant in Scruggs’ life, despite the fact she had no intention of becoming a photographer.

“I’m self-taught from the beginning. I didn’t know anything about the industry; I didn’t know anything about how to go about getting clients,” she says. Scruggs struggled for years to get a foothold in the industry and had to work other jobs to make a steady income. But the pendulum finally swung in her favour when she

Moves

“Black men have this vulnerability, this athleticism, this strength.

It was very tangible for me; it was very enticing”

received some invaluable advice from a friend and became more proactive about approaching photo editors and arranging meetings. This is when Scruggs says it all changed.

But before this point, when nobody was hiring her, Scruggs kept going and decided to carve out a space of her own by creating Scruggs Magazine. It took her two years to complete her self-titled publication, for which she wrote and shot all of the content. “It was very labour intensive, but it ended up being kind of my personal manifesto and visual diary,” she says. “It was very personal. It helped me develop my aesthetic and develop where I wanted my work to go. It gave me a stronger, clearer idea of what I wanted to say with my work and what I wanted to say as an artist in general.”

Scruggs Magazine was a project that not only grew and kept her passion for photography alive but also satisfied a need to create work that mattered. “I think with a lot of black people, there has been this erasure of our identity and achievements and who we are as individuals because everything we do is also appropriated,” Scruggs says. “So it was just really important for me to leave a legacy — my viewpoint and my creativity and who I am as a person.”

Although her portfolio has since diversified, Scruggs’ original personal body of work comprises predominantly powerful images of black men. “Black men have this vulnerability, this athleticism, this strength. It was very tangible for me; it was very enticing,” she says. “The love of capturing men — especially black men — and creating and wanting to push myself and be an artist is what kept me going.”

These striking images are how Scruggs defined herself and laid claim to her deserving spot in the industry. And she now sees her lens and position as an important opportunity to make a difference. “Part of who I am now as an artist, is someone who is interested in speaking up about social issues — issues within the fashion industry and the art world,” she says. “I think it’s super important — not just as a person of colour but also as a black woman — that once you get access to these spaces, you’re not just going with the flow and being quiet and hoping they’ll let you stay.”

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Photographer Dana Scruggs endeavours to break down barriers across the creative industries with her portrayal of black bodies

design

TEXT Helen Jenni ngs

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PHOTOGRAPHY R i cardo Si mal

RICH MNISI’S COLLECTION: NWA-MULA MULA: LOBOLA ‘19

global luxury industry is looking for original sources of unique goods, and the continent’s diverse aesthetics and history of sophisticated dress practices lends themselves to this demand.

Now is a pivotal moment for luxury, as the industry faces its dismal environmental footprint. Fashion generates about 20% of the world’s waste water and releases half-a-million tonnes of synthetic microfibres into the oceans annually. It also accounts for 8% to 10% of global carbon emissions. As fashion’s often-designated last frontier, Africa’s approach to the language of mindful luxury can help change the industry’s damaging practices. African purveyors are less about jumping on the eco bandwagon and more about the necessities of working within the local context. They are supporting dying skills, uplifting communities, and protecting environments already under threat from climate change.

This all speaks to the theme Suzy Menkes, Vogue International editor, gave the Condé Nast International conference: The Nature of Luxury. She frames the conversation not so much around the idea that Africa is finally catching up with other regions, but rather on the fact that all worlds now collide in their shared appreciation for artisanship, and in the need to prioritise better production practices. “I have often talked about the power of human hands, and sewing, dyeing, and embroidery. What the West celebrates as essential skills for the highest levels of couture have been part of daily life for centuries across the countries of Africa,” Menkes writes, adding that she hopes that by engaging meaningfully with Africa, the luxury industry will prioritise goods “that promote the protection of our planet [and] meld age-old traditional talent with a digital future”.

The underlying driver for the global sector’s interest in the continent is its rapidly changing demographics and growing urbanisation. With about 70% of Africans under 30, millennials are

becoming early adopters of both homegrown and international luxury brands. They are also spearheading technological advances helping to connect the continent through social media, e-commerce, and cellphone banking.

Add to this that Africa is the second-fastest developing region behind Asia, with an expanding middle class and rising numbers of high-net-worth individuals. The total individual wealth held in Africa is expected to reach $3.1-trillion by 2027, according to the AfrAsia Bank Africa Wealth Report 2018, which also calculates that the African luxury sector generates about $6-billion a year, with South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Morocco, and Egypt topping the league.

So it’s little wonder that the likes of Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Cartier, Coach, Ermenegildo Zegna, Dolce & Gabbana, Prada, and Gucci have invested in stand-alone stores in South Africa, making it the most established gateway for the African luxury market. This Africa focus could also in part account for the greater representation of black and African models on runways and in campaigns, and noticeable collaborations with African influencers and ambassadors. The broader global interest in all things African, from its literature and visual artists to its celebrities and lifestyle experiences, can’t help but be felt in the luxury landscape too. The Wakanda effect is, thankfully, real.

While it’s true that African luxury consumers are just as label-conscious as shoppers elsewhere, they are also increasingly interested in reflecting their adherence to local luxury values in their choice of purchases. Therefore, global brands would be wise to work meaningfully with their African counterparts, and to not focus only on the super rich, but also to consider a more sustainable business model in all senses of the word.

Africa is also ripe in terms of its production capacity. This is an area the continent’s designers have long struggled with, due to the lack of

AFRICAN LUXE GROWS UP Homegrown designers and brands are drawing on the continent’s diverse aesthetics and artisanal traditions to help create a new, modern luxury

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he Condé Nast International Luxury Conference descended on Cape Town earlier in April. All fashionable eyes are once again turning to Africa, considering the continent not only as a source of inspiration and consumers for global luxury goods, but as a creator of them too. This topic has become ever more hotly debated over the past decade as Africa has rapidly grown in creative, entrepreneurial, and economic confidence, but has it now reached its tipping point?

One glance at South Africa’s doorstep attests to much progress, with designer Thebe Magugu shortlisted for the 2019 LVMH Prize. He joins MaXhosa Africa’s Xhosa-inspired knitwear, Pichulik’s artisanal accessories, Sindiso Khumalo’s richly printed womenswear, and Rich Mnisi’s Beyoncé-endorsed designs as some of the luxurious offerings gaining traction both internationally and locally, not to mention stores such as Merchants on Long putting Made in Africa first.

It’s a similar picture in the major cities across Africa. In Lagos, Maki Oh with her sensual Adire (indigo cloth) pieces and Kenneth Ize with his Aso Oke (Yoruba cloth) tailoring are both rising stars who look to home for their textiles, prints, and silhouettes and are coveted as much worldwide as they are in their city’s concept stores such as Alára. Meanwhile, in Accra, Studio One Eighty Nine recently won the CFDA Lexus Sustainable Fashion Award, and AAKS raffia bags sell as well at the city’s Elle Lokko boutique as they do in Urban Outfitters.

What designers and brands such as these have in common is an appreciation for elevating Africa’s vast artisanal heritage and developing fresh approaches to handmade craftsmanship for discerning consumers, wherever they may be.

They are helping to build a new modern luxury through an appreciation of ethically made, beautiful objects that tell their own authentic stories.

As the world shrinks and resources dwindle, the

reliable workshops and tailors and consistent sources of materials. Often, when factories are available, their small orders cannot compete with larger ones from overseas. More insurmountable still is the fact that, across much of the continent, major flaws in infrastructure, such as electricity, transport, and internet connectivity, present huge challenges to productivity and production for most sectors. Just as troubling is the fact that so much of Africa’s precious raw materials and minerals are shipped abroad to be refined, which is where their value then soars.

There are increasing numb e rs o f pro j ects addressing some of these concerns, such as the Ethical Fashion Initiative (EFI), a programme of the International Trade Centre. Its aim is to use fashion as a vehicle to reduce poverty and empower women in developing countries; it’s best known for connecting artisans to international supply chains.

Successes include nurturing

own problems and adopt the mindset of creating brands that will outlive us.”

Katherine-Mary Pichulik, founder of Pichulik (South Africa) “Global brands should be outsourcing production to Africa or collaborating with African brands to provide both market access and revenue and to keep our crafts alive. They must understand and respect the cost and uniqueness

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“Africa is the second-fastest developing region behind Asia” co-ops in Burkina Faso, Mali, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Uganda and facilitating product development for Stella McCartney, Vivienne Westwood, Stella Jean, and Edun. EFI has also just teamed up with Roberta Annan’s African Fashion Fund to launch the €100-million Impact Fund for Africa, which will support African creatives with the resources and investment they require to compete in the global industry.

This is a laudable step, but it will take a truly united effort — from the individual creators up to policy level — for the African luxury space to truly thrive. We speak to eight experts to garner their views on what the industry needs next.

Laduma Ngxokolo, founder of MaXhosa Africa (South Africa) “We must build universities and museums dedicated to African textiles. And we must not emulate elsewhere, but rather establish our own systems that solve our

of our artisanal pieces, and appreciate that the value chain is informal and often requires innovative thinking on procurement and distribution. Finally, emerging African luxury brands need pragmatic mentorship — not just publicity, but programmes and development.”

Simone Cipriani, head and founder of the Ethical Fashion Initiative (Switzerland) “What we want to focus on is a generation of designers who can produce everything on the continent. The Impact Fund for Africa will act like an accelerator to allow designers to grow. We also work with artisans, because it is their work that gives a product its human touch and that enables customers to engage with how it is made. By facilitating them to form social enterprises, they can connect to the supply chain and receive fair wages and decent working conditions.”

Sunny Dolat, creative director and co-founder of The Nest Collective (Kenya) “With Africa’s growing confidence, it is important for us to be seen and feel considered when it comes to luxury products and services. Now there are many luxury brands produced in Africa that prove you can manufacture here. For a long time, we weren’t able to tell our stories, but now we are using design to express our heritage, who we are, and where we’re going. That is the most beautiful thing.”

Leanne Tlhagoane, founder of Re-Fashioning Africa and Fashion Handbook South Africa (South Africa) “African designers are changing luxury by unfolding modern narratives that are derived from cultural heritage, sustainable approaches, and artisanal skill. We must now focus on investment, education, and leadership and look at regional alliances for ethical production that can make commercial sense. Africans are more than just consumers and influencers.”

Diana Opoti, PR executive & founder of Designing Africa Collective (Kenya) “There is a rising luxury consumer, and we are finding ways to reach them through cross-brand experiences. We should realise the importance of local production for local consumption and invest in facilities that help designers to compete.”

Molly Keogh, co-founder Osei-Duro (Ghana) “At this point in fashion the phrase ‘African luxury’ is meaningless. I think luxury is at best a misnomer; at worst it is extremely problematic and totally unsustainable. It is a backwards reach to emulate dying fashion houses. It is more useful to think about elevating locally made fashion through high expectations, research, careful experimentation, and long-term investments in training and relationships. Understanding concerns in the specific context is crucial and solutions cannot be applied universally or top down. Outside forces can provide infrastructure and machinery, but real change must come from the producers themselves.”

Nisha Kanabar, co-founder Industrie Africa (Tanzania) “What many people have overlooked until recently is Africa as a home of luxury: an exporter of storied products and unique experiences. Where luxury once was synonymous with exclusivity and aspiration, today it resonates with a much younger consumer through pillars of authenticity, emotional connection, and environmental consciousness. In Africa, luxury is not about price, but the strength and depth of the story that a brand seeks to tell through its craft: be it a new take on indigenous textiles, a reinterpretation of artisanal techniques, or a genuine understanding of their identity. True luxury brands on the continent are the ones that speak from a place of innovation and clear provenance.”

MICHAEL KORS

play its part in changing the world for the better.

Fortuitously, the rise of new technologies — particularly, faux fur — has made the fake version a good-looking, wallet-friendly alternative. Today, faux is fashionable, just as real fur was back in the day.

Take a look at the teddy-bear coat trend that has taken hold on the runway and in retail this season.

“It’s about time that the fashion industry woke up to the fact that fur is cruel, barbaric, and simply incredibly old-fashioned and unfashionable. The use of new materials and new technology is really what’s exciting in the future of this industry,” said designer Stella McCartney to Women’s Wear Daily.

McCartney has never used fur and she’s not the only one — Victoria Beckham and Kate Spade have also resisted the luxury appeal of fur. And, if the last year is anything to go by, the fashion industry is going to be perfectly fine sans fur.

“Fur is cruel, barbaric, and simply incredibly old-fashioned and unfashionable”

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The rise of social media has turned the anti-fur movement into an omnipresent issue weighing on the industry and the world as a whole. Social media has given anti-fur activists a line of communication not only to designers and brands, but to anyone who dares to wear fur on social channels.

Gone are the days of Peta activists protesting at fashion shows and throwing paint on precious fur coats. Now protesters flood comment sections and inboxes with disapproving comments and threats of ceasing purchasing and “unfollowing”.

Beyond the influences of social chatter, when you look at the current fashion landscape, there are larger forces at play. We live in a time when it’s become more important than ever for luxury brands to be socially responsible.

Issues of ethical and sustainable practices are paramount: we all need the fashion industry to

Whatever your personal stance, it’s becoming hard to deny that fur is going out of fashion

STELLA MCCARTNEY

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t’s official: fashion and fur are breaking up. The last 12 months have seen a rapid unravelling of the long-standing relationship between the luxury and fur industries, with brands such as Chanel, Gucci, Michael Kors, Versace, Burberry, and Coach, becoming the latest on a growing list to say goodbye to fanciful fur and embrace a fur-free future.

This should come as no real surprise, though it’s been a long time coming. The fur-free revolution had a slow start, although there were some early adopters of the movement, such as Calvin Klein, circa 1994; and the likes of Vivienne Westwood, Ralph Lauren, and Tommy Hilfiger, who followed suit in 2007.

The iconic “I’d rather be naked than wear fur” campaign by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta), starring Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell, also made its mark. That was a whole 15 years ago, and the anti-fur movement has grown in leaps and bounds since then.

And it’s not just fashion brands that are saying farewell to fur: department stores and entire cities are too. Los Angeles became a fur-free city in 2018, and now so has San Francisco — the largest city to go fur-free to date. If that isn’t a clear marker that fur is on its way out, the fact that one can no longer buy fur online from Net-A-Porter, Asos, or Farfetch, sure is.

MICHAEL KORS

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Books

by an icon

Karl Lagerfeld’s love of books went far beyond his own vast personal collection.

He published nearly 50 photo books with German publisher, Steidl

Steidl. Regardless of the product in question, Karl Lagerfeld and Steidl’s founder, Gerhard Steidl, shared an obsession with perfecting the printed object, alongside a healthy disdain for nostalgia: a belief that the best book was always yet to come.

Off the Record, 1994. This is the first photobook by Karl Lagerfeld, published by Steidl in 1994, which marked the beginning of a rich bookmaking relationship. From the portrait of Claudia Schiffer on its cover, to the architecture, landscape, portraiture, and fashion images within, Off the Record shows the breadth of Lagerfeld’s photographic interests, which he would further explore in the following decades.

Schloßhotel Vier Jahreszeiten Berlin, 1996. This collection of 20 postcards presents Karl Lagerfeld’s photographic vision of the famed Schloßhotel Vier Jahreszeiten (today the Patrick Hellmann Schlosshotel) in Berlin’s luxurious Grunewald neighbourhood, which has hosted the likes of Josephine Baker, Romy Schneider, and the Rolling Stones. Lagerfeld explores the Renaissance-style exterior of the Palais Pannwitz that houses the hotel, including details such as stone putti and cast-iron angels, the surrounding woods and lake, as well as the hotel’s elegant interiors. Then, in an unexpected flourish, Nadja Auermann enters as the striking protagonist in several images that inject fragments of mystery into Lagerfeld’s visual narrative.

Casa Malaparte, 1998. Architecture was one of Karl Lagerfeld’s photographic passions. In 1997 Lagerfeld made a series of atmospheric Polaroids of Casa Malaparte, the striking modern home on Capri designed by Curzio Malaparte in 1937. These were transferred to Arches mould-made paper and published by Steidl in 1998.

Tadao Ando – Vitra House, 1998. This book presents Karl Lagerfeld’s photographic interpretation of Japanese architect Tadao Ando’s conference pavilion for Vitra in Weil am Rhein. Lagerfeld’s focus is the myriad geometric forms and details of Ando’s building — be they a cropped flight of stairs, circular marks in slabs of concrete, or tall, glass windows reflecting the moving clouds — while simultaneously providing a sense of the entire building and its place in the environment.

Another Royal Residence, 2007. Another Royal Residence is the intriguing title of this collection of photos — but which residence is it referring to? Lagerfeld focuses on architectural and landscape details — balustrades, steps, sculptures, and urns; palms, hedges, paths, and ponds — many of which, with their bold, almost abstract crops, do not declare a specific location. Only two images help to solve this riddle: in them a fragment of a glorious facade peaks over a wall as it is almost engulfed by a cloud-filled sky — the facade of none other than the Palace of Versailles.

The Little Black Jacket, 2012. This award-winning book contains Karl Lagerfeld’s photographs of celebrities wearing Chanel’s iconic little black jacket with individual flair — sometimes classic, sometimes irreverent, but always Chanel — with each of the protagonists styled

by Carine Roitfeld. Accomplished actors, musicians, designers, models, writers and directors receive the little black jacket treatment, including Claudia Schiffer, Uma Thurman, Kanye West, Tilda Swinton, Baptiste Giabiconi, Yoko Ono, and Sarah Jessica Parker. The book was accompanied by a worldwide travelling exhibition in 2012 to 2013.

Moderne Mythologie, 2014. This is Karl Lagerfeld’s photographic realisation of Longus’ second-century-AD pastoral romance Daphnis and Chloe: the author’s only known work and a source of inspiration throughout the arts, from opera and ballet (Offenbach, Ravel), to painting and sculpture (Boucher, Cortot). Lagerfeld re-enacted literary works in his photography on several occasions, including Homer’s Odyssey, Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, and Colette’s Chéri.

Fendi by Karl Lagerfeld, 2015. This elaborate object offers extraordinary insight into Karl Lagerfeld’s working process as artistic director for Fendi, a position he held from 1965 to 2019. Fendi by Karl Lagerfeld includes a sketch pad of 137 of Lagerfeld’s fashion drawings (selected from an archive of more than 35 000) and a pad of his logo designs for the house. It also features booklets of exclusive interviews with the designer, a poster, and a USB drive of his short films — all packaged in a custom-made, wooden case modelled on the box of oil pastels that invariably graced Lagerfeld’s working desk.

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arl Lagerfeld’s long-standing relationship with Steidl began in 1993 when he received the Lucky Strike Design Award from the Raymond Loewy Foundation, which won him the opportunity to have a photo publication printed by

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can’t say this has been two years in the making: this has been in the making since grade four,” says womenswear designer Thebe Magugu. “Every cell in my body has been geared towards my being a person in fashion and being a designer.” Magugu has been one of the young designers to watch since he launched his brand in 2017, and now the world is taking notice — in a big way. This is his moment: all eyes are on him, and rightfully so.

It has been a whirlwind few months for the young designer, who describes his eponymous brand as “culturally rich, yet modern ready-to-wear”. Magugu has been catapulted onto the international stage with the likes of the British Fashion Council and Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH) taking a keen interest in his talent.

Magugu, dressed in black and drinking rooibos, is sitting in Maboneng on a hot, autumn day. He paints a picture of just how surreal the past few months have been. In the first quarter of this year alone, Magugu was named the winner of the International Fashion Showcase in London (IFS). He was one of 16 emerging designers chosen to curate an installation for their designs, which were exhibited during London Fashion Week.

“IFS was actually a year in the making. It’s such a rigorous programme. My installation was entitled Dawning. I wanted to present an authentic vision of South Africa,” he says. “So my idea was to have three black women around a table suspended in the air with a creed coming down. I wanted to talk about the progress we’ve made as South Africans, starting with the Constitution post’94, which is really inclusive. So I had that printed on a sheet that sort of leads the models into this future.

“I was really shocked to win the overall prize,” Magugu admits. “I know I worked hard for it and the sacrifices were insane, but to win the overall award and to hear [Vogue fashion critic] Sarah Mower’s speech really shook me. I look up to her so much, and for her to say all those things really gave me a bit more confidence.”

But winning IFS was only the beginning. In the very same week, Magugu was shortlisted in the top 20 for the prestigious LVMH Prize. “I had been getting emails from LVMH saying, ‘Please apply for the LVMH prize,’ and in my head, I was like, ‘It’s actually too early: I’m not ready yet and these international kids are doing the most,’” he laughs. But little did Magugu know that his brand would stand out in a field of more than 1 700 applications, and earn him a top spot to interact with some of the industry’s greatest minds.

Over the course of two days, Magugu had the opportunity to engage with and sell his brand to 63 industry experts. Among them were Anna Wintour, Edward Enninful, Carine Roitfeld, Maria Grazia Chiuri, Naomi Campbell, and Susie Bubble. Magugu recalls these dream-like, intimate interactions in great detail and with a resounding sense of awe. “On the first day, the second person to walk in was Anna Wintour. I was feeling so antsy. She was very kind — wearing glasses obviously — so I couldn’t see her: just her bob and her glasses. She came to me and was like, ‘Hi, I’m Anna Wintour’ and I just thought, ‘I know exactly who you are,’” he laughs. “I told her

ILLUSTRATION Thebe M agugu

African Thebe Magugu has a unique vision of the modern African woman. And with his recent win at the International Fashion Showcase and his current position in the top eight of the LVMH Prize, the eyes of the fashion world are on him

Studies about my collection and then we just started chatting.” Since that whirlwind two days in Paris, Magugu has made it to the top eight of the LVMH Prize: he’s just one step away from winning the grand prize, which will be awarded in June.

Witnessing Magugu’s rising star has been awe-inspiring and the praise for his achievements has echoed across the continent. He has gone from being a talented designer who shied away from the spotlight to being recognised and praised by many people he respects.

“Paris was everything I would have ever imagined and more,” he says.

“I met people I’d only heard about on Ugly Betty and the September Issue. It takes people years to meet all these people, and I met them all in one night: that’s insane.”

But it’s been a long time coming for the 25-year-old designer, who notes that the women in his family always knew he would go into fashion. From a young age, Magugu was obsessed with drawing clothes — even his early illustrations were dresses drawn as triangles. With the encouragement and support of his mother, Magugu left his hometown of Kimberley to pursue his love of fashion by studying fashion design, fashion photography, and fashion media at Lisof in Randburg, where the Thebe Magugu brand was born.

Since then, Magugu has made a name for himself as a designer who makes clothes that women truly want to wear. Not only does he know how to cut the perfect dress, his clothes also strike a balance of being fashionable, feminine, and yet still completely wearable.

“I always try to make my clothes “I do a lot of research aesthetically beautiful but also really and exploration around functional, to sort of merge with the day-to-day pressures of being a working my collections. I’d woman,” he says. like to think there’s But what makes his clothes even an intellectual more endearing is the thinking behind edge to what them — Magugu’s unique stories.

I do” Each season, the narrative is embedded in the fabrics, the seams, and the silhouettes. “I want my clothes to be quite nuanced and refined: not only in their construction, but in their inception as well,” he says. “I do a lot of research and exploration around my collections. I’d like to think there’s an intellectual edge to what I do.”

Whether they are inspired by his personal experiences or are created as a form of social commentary, Magugu’s considered and researched collections are always named after university subjects.

From his graduate collection, which was called Pattern Making, to his runway debut, Home Economics, and the subsequent collections, Geology and Gender Studies, Magugu’s collections invariably tell a story. “I have a very deep respect for education. When I was developing my brand in school, I started wanting to name all the collections that I would do after university subjects to carry on with that educational theme,” he says.

Magugu’s latest collection is aptly titled African Studies. “It’s about merging motifs and references, prints and cues from my heritage and South Africa in general,” he says. “I paired that with really tailored and modern shapes. The global eye is on South Africa right now, so I wanted to create a collection that paints South Africa and that vision of Africa in a very contemporary way.”

In a time when the global gaze is set on Africa, Magugu uses each of his collections to teach his own unique lessons in considered and wearable luxury — the Thebe Magugu class is in session, and everyone is starting to take notes.

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elbourne residents favour a very specific fashion colour palette  black.

This is according to the managing director of Witchery, Simon Schofield, whom we interviewed on a recent trip to Australia. Schofield is, incidentally, wearing a sharply tailored, cobalt-blue corduroy suit and a crisp, white shirt for the interview. His trousers are a dapper length (just above the ankle) and he wears a colourful, silk pocket scarf — so he’s not your typical Melbourne purveyor of monochrome.

Schofield and his team have just returned from a whirlwind trip to take in all the major fashion weeks across Europe and they’re full of ideas about where to take the brand next.

Lately, when it comes to colour, the design team at Witchery, which has standalone and concession stores at Woolworths in South Africa and a number of stand-alone stores across Australia, is getting more adventurous. “The key inspiration for the coming collections is colour,” enthuses Witchery’s head of creative and design, Gavin Gage. “It was interesting to see which colours are coming on the runways. Two years ago, Witchery was a very neutral brand, but as we’ve evolved, we’ve injected more colour into our collections and the customer has loved it.”

Colour has been the starting point for each of the coming collections, Gage says. “Winter wear this season is full of rich and vibrant levels of colour that have continuity through the ranges and create a story through the winter season.”

Schofield adds: “The Witchery team works with a colour agency in London, which goes to influential colour talks around the world to understand which tones will be sought-after each season. It gives us a unique point of view in the retail clothing market to be able to look that far forward. It allows us to be brave with our choices.”

While this gives the brand a valuable head start in terms of the direction of its designs, the Witchery customer returns time and time again to the brand for another reason too — the immaculate quality of the clothing, from the details of the designs to the finest fabrics.

There is almost always a compromise built into businesses. In the clothing industry, if you’re going to have the very best designs and fabrics, the price is usually at a premium.

However at Witchery, the customer gets the best of both worlds. The team has built the brand around the idea of a specific type of woman who appreciates both style and quality, but at an affordable price. Through years of expertise they’ve managed to negotiate the best prices possible

PHOTOGRAPHY MOTLATSI MAOMELA MODEL KEFILWE MABOTE

advertorial

PHOTOGRAPHY MOTLATSI MAOMELA MODEL KEFILWE MABOTE

from their fabric suppliers. “Our value equation resonates with the South African customer,” Schofield says.

“She is a working woman who wants affordable, aspirational clothes, but with a distinct edge of fashionability.

She is confident, strong, and knows just what she wants to wear and what she is willing to pay for.”

Gage adds: “The Witchery quality is amazing and the customer sees this clearly when you compare the

brand to competitors in the market.

Yes, we all follow similar trends based on runway looks and the seasonality of colour, but we bring the colour palette together in the outfitting and the details, coupled with the elevation and the quality fabrication. The end result is exactly what our customer loves and has grown to expect from the brand.”

Witchery is conscious of every element of a working woman’s life.

“We’re constantly stretching ourselves from a lifestyle perspective,” Schofield says. “We’ve seen great success with our ‘dress party’ collections, stretching the work-wear business outfits into something more elevated, fun, and sophisticated for after work. We call it our ‘desk-to -dinner’ ethos: put on a heel, change your silk floral blouse into something with sequins, and you’re good to go.”

Witchery has also launched the

The Check Suit Edit From desk to dinner, Witchery has created the ultimate winter wardrobe

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“weekend-to-wedding” solution — from absolutely casual, when the Witchery woman is relaxing at home or walking the dog, to being glamorously dressed up for a special occasion. “The capsule collections, called Limited Edition, allows the design team to take some risks, especially from a fabric perspective,” Schofield says. “For example, this winter we have a 100% wool coat coming for the first time at a very good price. These limited ranges almost always sell out.”

Because of the great quality of the brand, Witchery items remain wardrobe classics. “Our customers buy pieces they love in fabulous fabrics like silk, cotton, cashmere, wool, and mohair and they stay in their cupboards forever. Classic coats or cardigans can be updated every season with a scarf or blouse in that season’s colour or pattern,” Gage says. “I get excited when I see a customer wearing a piece that’s three or four years old — and she’s still wearing it with confidence and with a new element.

Fashion is very important to us, but we always ensure that there’s a ‘classicness’ to it with the seasonal appeal.”

At Witchery, a great deal of work and thought go into making sure that the brand succeeds. A large amount of time, energy, and expertise extended by Schofield and his team go into reading the zeitgeist, creating must-have pieces, and offering the best possible prices for the best possible fabrics.

“The Witchery woman has a great sense of taste and sophistication,” Gage says. “We’re designing for her lifestyle; empowering her to feel confident every day. She’s also approachable… never too austere or cold.”

And finally, what should every woman have in her wardrobe this winter? Gage says that beautiful knitwear and high-quality coats are a great starting point. “Invest in a luxurious coat and layer with beautiful, soft dresses or blouses underneath.

Then layer outerwear, such as knitwear, over the top to finish the look.”

relationships

TEXT Jessi ca Brodi e

ILLUSTRATION Cari ke de Jager

What it’s like to be married and divorced by 30, with a foray into polyamory thrown in for fun

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went the non-traditional route. I married the man I had loved since I was a teenager at Home Affairs, without our families. We had been engaged for two years, together for seven, but I had loved him since I’d laid eyes on him when I was 15. I believed I always would.

Our life had not been easy and it had also been wonderful. It was the kind of relationship that seems all too common in many people’s late twenties. A sort of mad, “what the hell are you doing together?” relationship with meteoric highs, and vertigoinducing lows. I had very low self-worth and he was a philanderer. Neither of these facts was addressed, but we loved each other fiercely. We figured we would figure it out. We did, in the end.

The philandering was handled by bringing it into the open. The lying was as big an issue as the

transgressions. My husband began to reveal his affairs and, while I worked very hard to conquer my roiling jealousy, I didn’t make much progress.

Years later, I met Himself. It was a slow-burning romance that I didn’t see coming, a tiny miracle. I have never had the desire to have fleeting encounters, and so I brought my nervous, tentative new feelings to my husband. He was wonderful: gentle, encouraging and non-judgmental. It was understood that Himself would be a part of our lives.

Thus began my foray into polyamory. I was in a romantic relationship with each of them, but they were not romantically involved with each other. Any kind of non-monogamous relationship brings up mental images of swinging and group sex (which, if it is your thing, go for it), but behind our closed doors there was more of a domestic paradise than a hedonistic one.

At this point, we did what seemed sensible and got neighbouring houses. I would spend half the week with Himself, and half with my husband. The three of us had dinner together most nights. I felt as if I were learning more than I ever had about human interactions, because polyamory requires introspection and communication to succeed. I felt as if I had won at relationships. They balanced each other out: all that was missing in one was present in the other. Himself got the stability of love and a family and my husband was free to have casual experiences without my emotional implosion.

I loved them both, and they loved me. We would sit and giggle in bars and buy each other groceries and care for each other. We shared a domestic worker, a dog, a washing machine. We topped up each others’ electricity accounts. I have never had the desire to have children, but I place a very high value on family, and felt as if I were building one of my own. I was also smug about being outside society’s general expectations and having lots of really amazing sex. I was riding high.

Unfortunately, while I felt as if I were sailing on the high seas of progress, everyone around me saw my dinghy headed for a cyclone. Himself left first, after two years. It was agonising: the saddest, most brutal heartache I’ve ever had.

Worse still, my husband and I were growing apart. In almost every space, we wanted very different things. We disagreed on children: he was pro, I was against. On lifestyle, he was an extrovert and a heavy drinker; I was neither. We disagreed on which country we should live in. We disagreed on finances. We were drowning.

During therapy, our fears were confirmed. Faced with a future of radical compromise the youthful, loved-up us was at a loss. We had outgrown each other. He wanted us to separate; I was prepared to toil to save us until one of us expired from my frantic efforts. His leaving was extremely sad, but undoubtedly for the best. For us, “making it work” was going to be more Siberian salt mines than a labour of love.

We had loved and known each other for half our lives. For us, the failure was not that we were lazy, or complacent. We failed because we tried to do something that just did not work. And that’s a failure we both can live with. I wish more divorces were viewed this way: as a valiant, if unsuccessful, attempt.

The increasing number of “starter marriages” and divorces is a reflection of the long-overdue reckoning in the power dynamic between men and women. Women no longer feel dependent and beholden, and men no longer feel obliged to stay.

This shift is most likely going to result in a lot more marriages like mine. Love can last a lifetime, or a year, or 15 years, or a night. And marriage should as accommodating: we will always love, but we may choose not to marry.

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DRESS, R3 700, KAREN MILLEN; EARRINGS, R250, ZARA

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PRODUCTION Sharon Armstrong

PHOTOGRAPHY Travy s Owen

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Make a new kind of statement by swapping sedate, winter shades with warming, earth-inspired neutrals

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COAT, R1 299, NICCI BOUTIQUES; SHIRT, R6 595, PAUL SMITH; EARRINGS, R250, ZARA OPPOSITE PAGE: COAT, R9 500, KAREN MILLEN; POLO NECK, R80, MRP; TROUSERS, R1 999, SCOTCH & SODA; SPECTACLES, R249, ALDO ACCESSORIES; SNEAKERS, R4 395, COACH

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SUIT JACKET, R1 199; SUIT TROUSERS, R999, BOTH FOREVER NEW; WITCHERY CAMISOLE, R899, WOOLWORTHS; CHAINS, FROM R2 499 TO R4 499, ALL AMERICAN SWISS; SLIDES, R120, MRP NEXT PAGE: JUMPSUIT, R1 599, GUESS; BELT, R244, POLO; EARRINGS, R250, ZARA; AGL SNEAKERS, R7 000, SPITZ

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PREVIOUS PAGE: SUIT JACKET, R3 399; SUIT TROUSERS, R2 499, BOTH SCOTCH & SODA; POLO NECK, R80, MRP; SUNGLASSES, R2 395; SNEAKERS, R4 395, BOTH COACH THIS PAGE: PHENOMENA COAT, R1 199, YDE; POLO NECK, R400, COTTON ON; TROUSERS, R429, H&M; EARRINGS, R250, ZARA; BELT, R3 395, COACH; BAG, R6 895, MICHAEL KORS; NINA ROCHE SLIDES, R2 995, SPITZ

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PHOTOGRAPHY TRAVYS OWEN/LAMPOST PHOTOGRAPHER’S ASSISTANT LUNGHELO MLATI MAKEUP LIZ VAN DER MERWE/RED HOT OPS MODEL DEJA/BOSS JUNIOR FASHION EDITOR SAHIL HARILAL LOCATION WITKLIPFONTEIN ECO LODGE, WITKLIPFONTEIN.CO.ZA

COAT, R1 499, H&M; POLO NECK, R299, COTTON ON; EARRINGS, R3 200, THAT’S IT

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PRODUCTION Sharon Armstrong

PHOTOGRAPHY Steve Tanchel

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DRESS, R59 500; JACKET, R50 000; BAG, R16 700; SOCKS, R1 900, ALL GUCCI; HOGAN SNEAKERS, R8 590, PREVIEW

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PAUL & JOE SHIRT, R11 800, CATHERINE GAEYLA; BLAZER, R20 295; TROUSERS, R12 595, BOTH EMPORIO ARMANI; HOGAN SNEAKERS, R3 590, PREVIEW

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BLOUSE, R19 700; JACKET, R41 900; SKIRT, R61 900, ALL BOTTEGA VENETA AT 2A; SCARF (WORN IN HAIR), R2 690, BURBERRY; STOCKINGS, R190, FALKE; HEELS, R2 790, PREVIEW

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KENZO COUTURE DRESS, R21 200, CATHERINE GAEYLA; BODYSUIT, R5 950, WOLFORD; SCARF (WORN IN HAIR), R2 550, LOUIS VUITTON

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JACKET, R40 300; TROUSERS, R36 100, BOTH PRADA; HEELS, R3 590, PREVIEW

PHOTOGRAPHY STEVE TANCHEL/RED HOT OPS PHOTOGRAPHER’S ASSISTANT THEMBA MOKASE HAIR SAADIQUE RYKLIEF, USING BALMAIN HAIR COUTURE MAKEUP LESLEY WHITBY/LAMPOST MODEL LUISA/TWENTY MODEL MANAGEMENT JUNIOR FASHION EDITOR SAHIL HARILAL FASHION INTERN NOMBUSO KUMALO

Tshepi Vundla Tshepang Mollison Cassandra Twala

G O T O timeslive.co.za/sunday-times/lifestyle/the-edit/2019-04-15-win-a-coach-handbag T O W I N A C O A C H H A N D B A G

COACH LOVES SOUTH AFRICA

AVA I L A B L E AT S A N DT O N C I T Y A N D V& A WAT E R F R O N T. S A N DT O N C I T Y 0 1 1 8 8 3 1 2 0 3 V& A 0 2 1 4 1 8 2 4 9 2

SPRING COLLECTION

PRODUCTION SHARON ARMSTRONG PHOTOGRAPHY SIMZ MKHWANAZI/LAMPOST PHOTOGRAPHER’S ASSISTANTS SIPHO NKOSI AND THEKISO MOKHELE HAIR SAADIQUE RYKLIEF/LAMPOST MAKEUP LESLEY WHITBY/LAMPOST JUNIOR FASHION EDITOR SAHIL HARILAL FASHION INTERN NOMBUSO KUMALO

stockists N 12

au tu m n/winte r

FASHION

2A 011 325 4545 Aldo Accessories 011 784 6546 American Swiss 021 938 1918 Burberry 011 326 7835 Cartier

cartier.com Catheryne Gaeyla 011 447 2550 Coach 011 883 1203 Cotton On 011 784 0218 Country Road woolworths.co.za Crystal Birch therealcrystalbirch.com Diesel 011 783 0882 Dolce & Gabbana 011 326 7808 Emporio Armani 011 268 0219 Falke falke.co.za Forever New 011 883 4585 Gucci 011 326 7928 Guess 011 685 7000 H&M hm.com/za Karen Millen 011 784 2937 Louis Vuitton 011 784 9854 Luxottica luxottica.com Mango 012 548 9712 Michael Kors 011 883 0078 Missibaba missibaba.com MRP mrp.com Nicci Boutiques 011 783 7661 Paul Smith 011 268 0352 Poetry poetrystores.co.za Polo 011 883 6126 Prada 011 326 7517 Preview 011 884 0401 Pringle of Scotland 011 444 2270 Replay 011 884 6727 Scotch & Soda 011 784 3233 Shop Label shop-label.com Spitz 010 493 3955 Sterns 011 685 1441 Superbalist superbalist.com That’s It 011 268 6674 Tread + Miller treadandmiller.co.za Truworths 011 783 9117 Tudor tudorwatch.com Wolford 011 325 6457 Woolworths woolworths.co.za YDE 011 784 0375 Zara zara.com/za

* Prices and availability were checked at the time of going to press. Sunday Times The Edit cannot guarantee that prices will not change, or that items will be in stock at the time of publication.

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beauty

SEQUIN DRESS, KATE SYLVESTER; TOP, NAGNATA; ORANGE VISOR, HALO

innovation

TEXT Nokubonga Thusi

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PHOTOGRAPHY Jesse- Lei gh Elford

GUNMETAL JACKET; GUNMETAL TROUSERS, BOTH GREY BY JASON WU; BLACK VISOR, HALO

THE FUTURE OF BEAUTY Beauty trends are evolving and skincare junkies will love the renewed focus on wellness

01.

Targeted customisation Facial treatments used to have a “one size fits all” approach, through which therapists and clients relied on a set of processes and techniques and hoped for the best — but not anymore. Beauty is becoming the perfect vehicle for customisation, as celebrating individuality is the trend right now and customising treatments and products according to your unique skin needs is becoming the norm. Dermalogica and Clinique are two brands that are bringing product customisation into both professional and home spaces.

Dermalogica introduces this into the professional beauty space with its Pro Power Peel collection, which allows therapists to create bespoke peels to match your skin concerns.

The collection consists of a prep and a neutralising solution, as well as three peel formulas: UltraBright Peel, which targets dullness with Lactic acid; AdvancedRenewal Peel, which reduces the appearance of fine lines with glycolic acid; and PowerClear Peel complex which targets pigmentation. Clinique’s threestep method gets a reboot with five active cartridge concentrates that can change your usual Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion, Oil Gel, or Hydrating Jelly to target uneven skin tone, irritation, fatigue, texture, or lines and wrinkles with the click of a cartridge. 1. Clinique ID range, R570 each

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cheek colours; lip transformers that could change your usual cream lipstick into a matte stamp of colour; and liquid foundation formulas dispensed from a compact, bouncy cushion for buildable coverage.

The arrival of the digital sphere was a game changer for the beauty industry, as well as our everyday lives.

Beauty apps such as Modiface took the concept of tried and tested to a new level, allowing consumers to see how makeup shades, hair colour, and nail-polish would suit them in real time before committing to a purchase using augmented-reality technology.

Over the years, beauty also gained a serious conscience, inspired by the new generation becoming more philanthropic and threats to the global environment causing consumers to reconsider the way their buying patterns affect the bigger picture. Brands have been forced to yield to consumers’ demands for clean, harmless beauty and consider their effect on the world’s increasingly overpopulated landfills.

“I think people are becoming more conscious of the choices they make as consumers. The move to a healthier lifestyle relates not only to what you buy, but also to the consequences of the ingredients and production of these products,” says Hannah Rubin, founder of local, natural skincare brand Skin Creamery. “When consumers choose products that are natural or organic, it means that they are made up of safer ingredients, which won’t interfere with the body’s natural system.”

From gender fluidity to tech-infused beauty routines, the crystal ball of the beauty industry displays a celebration of individuality, innovation, and social responsibility. The social trends influencing product innovation are still charged with environmental consciousness and a global interest in Asian beauty, but as wellness and beauty spaces begin to meld into one, there is also a shift towards improving quality of life and adopting a skin-first philosophy. Brands are promoting a need to slow down and practise longer skincare rituals, inspired by traditional methods from Japan and China, and the luxury of personalisation.

01

“T

he medical-aesthetic industry is constantly growing and there are many companies conducting research on ingredients to treat ageing; pigmentation; acne; and dry, sensitive skin,” says Karen Bester, medical trainer at Lamelle Research Laboratories. “I am very excited by new treatments that are able to combat genetic damage caused by the sun and the environment. There could be many effective treatments for ageing and hyperpigmentation on the horizon, as we understand how genetics and cell pathology create these ‘diseases’ in the skin.”

These are just some of the innovations bubbling away in the beauty industry that could influence how we consume products and adapt our beauty routines and lifestyles accordingly.

The beauty industry has made great advances since the days of superficial beauty, which favoured unnatural aesthetic enhancements and skincare that was pro-youth at any cost. Due to the discovery of new, natural-ingredient alternatives, the incorporation of beauty influences from all over the world, beauty inclusivity, and consumers wanting products that are efficacious and easy to customise, the beauty-product offering is now even more exciting.

When Korean beauty arrived in the Western market, it opened the doors to a multitude of innovations and products that would then open up the global beauty market to the influences from Japan and China. The skincare experience suddenly became sensorial, with texture-morphing formulas that allowed us to cleanse our faces with a solid, oil-based balm that changed into a milk cleanser with the addition of water or apply a solid mask that transformed into a bubbling formula packed with active ingredients in a few minutes.

Makeup took the same approach, with multipurpose cherry stains that doubled as lip and

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Gut instinct

Eastern rituals

Sleep potions

The cool effect

The wellness trend has given rise to a multitude of products whose sole purpose is to beautify us from the inside out. Together with juice bars, clean eating, and natural skincare, gut health has found its way into the beauty space as a crucial component for a healthier complexion. “The restoration of skin flora is critical: skincare that will act as a pre- and pro-biotic for your skin. There are natural bacteria that grow on our skin to protect it from pollutants or other environmental extremities. Skin care products that contain a probiotic will definitely be on the rise in 2019,” says Dr Judey Pretorius, founder of the Biomedical Emporium. Probiotic-infused skincare is gaining popularity and brands such as Exuviance, Elemis, and Elizabeth Arden want you to slather them on as a secret weapon. They can protect the skin from environmental aggressors, combat premature aging, and create a harmonious balance of microbiome or bacteria on the skin’s surface, which regulate crucial bodily functions such as disease prevention. 1.Elizabeth Arden Superstart Probiotic Whip to Clay Cleanser, R455 2. Elemis Superfood Pre-Biotic Gel Cleanser, R595

Beauty influenced by the East is here to stay: Korea and Japan’s hold on the global beauty industry has become more than just the famous K-beauty 10-step skincare routine.

Sheet masks became popular when the world first became obsessed with everything Korean beauty.

But now our handy, non-drip beauty favourites have received an update and pack much more bang for our buck than ever. Pond’s and La Mer are infusing powerful brightening, hydrating, anti-ageing and resurfacing serum formulations into the convenience of a sheet mask. The Pond’s serum sheet masks infuse 30x serum intensity,and includes active ingredients such as retinol and niacinamide. La Mer crams its sheet mask with Japanese skinhugging technology and a hydrating, Miracle Broth-infused treatment lotion. The influence of Asian skincare rituals has also introduced facial-massage tools such as jade rollers, which not only provide healing properties from the different crystals used — whether jade, rose quartz, or opalite — but also encourage the recreation of the sensorial rituals at home. These rollers also promote lymph drainage in the skin, inspired by traditional Eastern methods.

1. La Mer The Treatment Lotion Hydrating Mask, R2 100 2. Jade Roller, R365, takealot.com

Beauty sleep takes on a literal meaning, as studies in sleep behaviour show that the answer to youthful, healthy skin is right on your pillow. Brands such as Payot and Dermalogica have been taking notes and developed products that protect the skin from sleepdepriving and ageing lifestyle habits and help to optimise its natural, overnight regeneration process.

Payot’s Blue Techni Liss range combats premature ageing caused by blue light emitted by our cellphones and devices with LED screens with horehound extract, hyaluronic acids, and encapsulated chaste-tree extract. Dermalogica’s Sound Sleep Cocoon contains Persian silk-tree extract, tamarind seed, and wu-zhu-yu to aid the skin’s reparative processes.

It includes instructions about facial-massage rituals to help to trigger the body’s sleep-inducing hormones. 1. Payot Blue Techi Liss Concentrate, 30ml, R765 2. Dermalogica Sound Sleep Cocoon, R1 399

For some time, the buzz words in aesthetic treatments have been laser, radio frequency, and ultrasound. These procedures use heat to reduce fat build-up in the skin for body sculpting treatments, or encourage collagen production by triggering the skin’s natural regeneration process through tiny injuries caused in the skin. Now, the aesthetic industry turns to all things cool as cryo technology is the new way to lift, tuck, and melt away.

Fat-freezing treatments such as CoolTech have been on the market for some time and allow doctors to reduce fat tissue using a monitored cooling system that isn’t as uncomfortable as having increasing temperatures used on the skin.

The device uses a vacuum handpiece to cool a fatty area and slow down blood flow, causing the fat cells to die over a number of sessions. Cool Lifting is a treatment made popular by Hollywood celebrities such as Kim Kardashian.

It uses blasts of high-pressure CO₂ at low temperatures through a gun-like tool that causes a similar injury response in the skin as heat would, to stimulate regeneration.

1. Cool Lifting device; treatment from R950, depending on size of area thelaserbeautique.co.za

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PHOTOGRAPHY JESSE-LEIGH ELFORD/VIVIENS CREATIVE STYLING MARGOT ROBINSON HAIR AND MAKEUP SAMANTHA P/VIVIENS CREATIVE MODEL LUCY BLAY/CHADWICK MODELS

beauty

TEXT Nokubonga Thusi

blue

purple

This season’s colour palette is an unorthodox mixture of the bright hues of summer and the deep, moody tones of winter 1.

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CHANEL LE VERNIS NEON NAIL COLOR IN 648 TECHNO BLOOM, R455

WET N WILD MEGALAST LIQUID CATSUIT METALLIC LIPSTICK IN ACAI SO SERIOUS, R100

SORBET GET LIPPY LIPSTICK, R140

URBAN DECAY AFTERGLOW 8-HOUR POWDER BLUSH IN BITTERSWEET, R410

3INA THE NAIL POLISH IN 137, R110

L’OCCITANE DELICIOUS LIP SCRUB IN RASPBERRY CRUSH, R285

SIR JOHN X WBEAUTY LIQUID EYESHADOW IN RED, R250

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CATRICE ART COULEURS EYESHADOW MATT IN 80, R55

SIR JOHN X WBEAUTY LIQUID SHIMMER EYESHADOW IN BLUE, R250

LCN LONGWEAR EYESHADOW IN MARINE, R635

URBAN DECAY EYESHADOW IN PEACE, R255

CATRICE GALACTIC GLOW TRANSLUCENT EFFECT NAIL LACQUER IN 01, R70

GOSH METAL EYES IN TURQUOISE, R111

GLO MINERALS EYESHADOW IN OCEAN, R325

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CHANEL JOUES CONTRASTE BLUSH POWDER IN 440 QUINTESSENCE, R725

URBAN DECAY NAKED CHERRY EYESHADOW PALETTE, R875

ELIZABETH ARDEN BEAUTIFUL COLOR MOISTURIZING LIPSTICK IN PINK PUNCH, R299

SIR JOHN X WBEAUTY MATTE LIQUID LIPSTICK IN LIGHT MAGIC, R150

LCN LIPGLOSS IN PINK CUPCAKE, R400

DR HAUSCHKA BLUSH DUO IN 02 DEWY P E AC H , R499

CHANEL ROUGE COCO FLASH IN 86 FURTIVE, R655

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CHANEL ROUGE ALLURE LIQUID POWDER IN 962 ELECTRIC BLOSSOM, R615

URBAN DECAY 8-HOUR AFTERGLOW POWDER BLUSH IN BANG, R410

SORBET MATTEFY ME LIQUID LIPS, R150

CATRICE BROWN COLLECTION NAIL POLISH IN 03 GODDESS OF BRONZE, R60

DR HAUSCHKA LIPSTICK IN 10 DAHLIA, R499

GLO MINERALS JEWELED EYE PENCIL IN MERLOT, R259

ESSENCE MELTED CHROME EYESHADOW IN 06 COPPER ME, R65

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MAVALA CRAYON LUMIERE WATERPROOF EYESHADOW IN BLANC ARGENTÉ, R187

CATRICE CHROME INFUSION NAIL LACQUER IN 01, R70

ESSENCE ALL ABOUT MATT! T-ZONE PRIMER STICK, R75

GLO MINERALS EYESHADOW IN SILVER MIST, R325

GOSH METAL EYES IN SILVERSTONE, R111

RVB LAB ESSENTIAL EYESHADOW IN 01 WHITE SHIMMER, R380

3INA THE NAIL POLISH IN 166, R110

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MAVALA NAIL COLOR PEARL IN 107 BLACK NIGHT, R87

CATRICE ULTIMATE DARK LIP GLOW IN 010 ONE SHADE FITS ALL, R100

ESSENCE SHINE LAST & GO! GEL NAIL POLISH IN 46 BLACK IS BACK, R30

GLO MINERALS CREAM EYELINER IN EBONY, R325

REVOLUTION THE LINER REVOLUTION, R120

BLACK UP DOUBLE EFFECT LIQUID LIP COLOR IN 01, R370

FOSCHINI ALL WOMAN DEFINING MASCARA, R119

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black

2.

beauty

W

hen the new year kicked off, the house of Dior was already gearing up for the launches of a multitude of game-changing products: some we had eagerly been awaiting, and others we didn’t even know we needed.

As creative and image director of Christian Dior makeup, Peter Philips is the man behind some of the beauty world’s most iconic looks — spanning the houses of Chanel, Dries van Noten and Raf Simons — and his approach has always been one that placed experimentation, aesthetic integrity, and beautiful skin at its core. Philips is inspired by the multi-faceted, adventurous Dior woman and it’s usual for him to challenge the beauty status quo with lipstick shades such as green, yellow, and grey, or draw inspiration from pantomime characters such as Pierrot, to set a new standard for eyeliner.

“When I do a look for shows of Dior haute couture, Dior men, or any other designers it is always at the service of the vision of the fashion designer: it’s not my show,” he says. “When I do a look for Maria Grazia, it’s her vision, her catwalk, her show, and she needs to tell her story. So together with music, lights, set design and hair and makeup, we all work together to make her vision understandable.

“But I have my own style and I always try to

TEXT Nokubonga Thusi

How to create the perfect, glowing skin

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Dior’s Peter Philips ushers in the season with an innovative, luminous twist on the house’s iconic matte foundation keep some accessibility to it,” he adds. “When I do conceptual makeup, I try to not forget that there’s a human somewhere inside, so it’s not a full masquerade for me. I always try to keep a realness to it: most of the time, it’s in the skin. Once you make sure that the skin looks alive, then you can add any kind of conceptual element to it and it doesn’t become a barrier — it becomes intriguing.”

From age six, Philips was inspired by the elegance of old movies, which informed his passion for art and fashion design. “I loved to watch old movies.

The way women behaved; the way women dressed — everything was elegant, magical, and idealised.

That triggered something in me [and I realised] I wanted to do something in beauty or fashion,” Phillips says. “The whole package intrigued me, but going to the shows as a dresser for Belgian designers was where I discovered the backstage. I saw the hair and makeup team and I thought, ‘Oh, that looks exciting; I could do that,’ and that’s where it became clear for me that that’s my place.”

From backstage artistry to product development, Philips is one busy man. He took a few minutes inbetween preparations for Paris Haute Couture to chat to us about his latest creations. The road to holding a Dior product in hand is one of inspiration

and reinvention, as regulations governing existing ingredients change and product formulas improve.

But one thing that Philips aims to do is keep products effective and honest.

“We have to take into consideration what a woman expects from a foundation and make sure that foundation keeps its promise,” Philips says. “The same goes for lipsticks, eyeshadows, and mascara.

The claims that we put next to our products always have to be truthful: that, for me, is the essence.

When you create products that keep their promise then that’s success: don’t sell it as more than it actually is and don’t sell it as less than it actually is.”

1.

Combine foundation with oils for a glowing base. “I like to apply it with a bit of oil — the Dior Prestige oil — as a moisturiser, then I still touch up. You don’t need much foundation and you don’t need to powder.”

Diverse shades of foundation have become a talking point, with a perfectly matched base becoming a must-have item in any woman’s makeup kit.

Dior already had an impressive foundation portfolio with pillars such as Backstage, Nude Skin, and the game-changing Forever Undercover. Now Philips has put the house’s 50 years of laboratory expertise to the test with the creation of Forever Skin Glow, which gives an iconic formula new life.

“I’m excited for Forever: it’s one of our big foundation lines. It’s already a good foundation, so to finetune it and make it even better is always a challenge,” Philips says. “Forever is a luminous matte, but some-

2.

Use matte and glow foundations to sculpt and highlight.

“The parts that you contour, I like to use the matte finish and the parts that I highlight, I like to use the glow finish.

Automatically, just in the texture of your foundation, you have a great base to work with that helps to sculpt the face.”

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IMAGES DIOR AND ULRICH KNOBLAUCH

2 ways to achieve Philips’ glow

times when you have fine lines and a foundation is too matte, it can exaggerate the lines. That’s why when you have a glow foundation or luminosity in the makeup, it helps to make the lines look more attractive.”

The foundation trend has gone from super-highcoverage, filter-like matte textures to drenched, dewy finishes, and now the happy medium of luminous mattes is the new hot ticket. It provides a longlasting, second-skin finish that minimises makeup slippage and caking, while infusing a glow that doesn’t translate as oily or too sheer.

But why fix what was never broken? “I think it’s something the market creates,” Philips says. “The story behind Forever Skin Glow is to make sure that we keep supporting the amazing fan base that we have with Forever. We don’t want to disappoint them but we have to show true innovation. It’s not just a practical, well-performing foundation: you can have a bit of sensuality, glamour, and modernity to it.”

The campaign for Forever Skin Glow starring Dior ambassador Natalie Portman speaks to the tactile nature of foundation that makes it seem more than just a base. “It’s not the most exciting product in terms of communication because it’s seen as the base,” Philips says. “It’s not colourful, like a lipstick or an eyeshadow palette, so we tried to add something extra, hence the glow formula.

“We also tried to give it more of a teasing element and a little more sensuality in our advertising,” Philips says. “Skin is not only a protection from the outside, world but it’s also a lot of nerves and pressure points. If you touch someone’s skin, it’s sensual, sometimes.”

Philips shows no signs of slowing down: towards the end of our conversation he hints at upcoming launches from the popular Backstage makeup pillar. We can’t wait to see what he does next.

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last word

“I

TEXT Nothemba M khondo

’m on a constant search for perfect form, texture,

and harmony — in my head and in my hands. I live it so deeply — the ideas flow all day and night. I think it’s a condition: I have to draw and doodle constantly,” says jewellery designer Kirsten Goss. And if her jewellery is anything to go by, Goss is definitely on the right path.

Goss’ perpetual pursuit of the perfect — combined with her love of detail, and her keen eye for captivating stones and exquisitely crafted metals — come together to form the unmistakable Kirsten Goss aesthetic, which is undeniably the secret to her success over the past 15 years.

“It’s a constant push and pull in my mind about what’s next. If we’ve been angular, I push towards soft. If we’ve been seriously colourful, I pull back to pared-down metal. You need your creative biorhythms to work over the seasons. I find a bit of pendulum action good for me. There is always a definitive Kirsten Goss thread between them but keeping it fresh is vital,” she says.

It’s no coincidence that Goss gave the brand her own name.

When looking at Kirsten Goss the designer and Kirsten Goss

Kirsten Goss This quirky and colourful jewellery designer is inspired by everything around her, including her favourite coffee-table books

NUDES: INDEXXI Lid ia Car b on ell

MC ESCHER POP-UPS Cour t ne y W at s on M c Car t hy and M ar t i n H owar d

“Nudes have always inspired people, because we are all obsessed with line and form.

I love the shape of the book: it’s so small, and the nugget shape of the book alone is conspicuous.”

FLEMING’S ARTS AND IDEAS Wi l l i a m F l e m i n g

“I love the impossible geometry and themes of paradox and infinity heightened by the fact that this edition is 3-D”

the brand, it’s not quite clear where one ends and the other begins. Goss’ own lively persona is endlessly mirrored in her work and vice-versa, and this energy is only magnified by Goss’ endless sources of inspiration.

“Inspiration is in everything I see. And touch.

It’s innate. Just like a piano player knows how to hit the right keys, so too a designer’s brain works to reject or embrace every form it sees,” Goss says.

“Inspiration can come from a vintage car, a building facade, cutlery, a shoe, a fish. Whatever it is — it’s all going in (and out).”

Since she started her eponymous brand in London in 2003, it’s been a journey that Goss can only describe as full of “blood, sweat, tears, and howling laughter”. But through it all, she’s managed to rack up a number of milestones, including showing at London Fashion Week, designing a collection for Liberty London, being invited to meet the Queen at Buckingham Palace, winning the award for Most Beautiful Object in South Africa in 2012, and opening her flagship store in the Silo District in Cape Town in 2017.

Now with an international office, a fully fledged e-commerce site, and four physical stores to her name, Goss has cemented herself as a go-to jewellery designer for what she calls “unexpected luxury”.

According to her, there’s still so much to look forward to — particularly a homeware line that has been a long time coming. “You have to keep thrilling, challenging your own boundaries, and doing the unexpected. It keeps it fresh, and keeps them wanting more,” Goss says.

LIFE IS SHORT, ART IS LONG S t e ve n C o h e n

“It is invaluable to explore common purposes, themes, and ideas in every creative discipline. I’m constantly thinking of new ways to explore humanities in my jewellery making.”

WALL AND PIECE B a n ks y

“This is an amazing retrospective of Steven Cohen’s work. He is always pushing boundaries and challenging set notions of identity.”

“I love that despite Banksy not having revealed his identity, his work is unmistakable and always relevant.”

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living

MONUMENT TO THE FALLEN SOLDIERS, KOSMAJ, SERBIA

THE COLOURS OF WINTER AT P R I C E S W O R T H C U D D L I N G U P T O

THE EDIT - LIVING DPS.indd 1

SOLO DAY BED FROM R12 590 ACROBATIC PENDANT R3 995

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LEATHER SCATTERS FROM R486

SIDE TABLES FROM R1 195

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LEATHER POUFFES FROM R2 495

SPOTLIGHT FLOOR LAMP R2 495

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THROWS FROM R495

BLISS DINING CHAIR FROM R4 040

MORE THAN JUST FURNITURE

2019/04/12 14:21

BA LLITO | BED FORD VIEW | BROOKLYN | D URBANVILLE FO U R WAY S | G REEN P OINT | KNYSNA | KRAMERVILLE | NELSP RUI T PO RT E LIZ ABETH | SAND TON CITY | UMHLANG A | WIND HOE K

W W W. W E Y L A N D T S . C O . Z A

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2019/04/12 14:25

editor’s WORDS AND MOODS WO M AG . CO. Z A

a small curation of thoughts and found objects...

Pinterest: L E A N A |

hello

H O M E . CO. Z A

A/W 2019

This issue might not be big, but it sure has substance. It ’s been designed and executed beautifully by our in-house team and our contributors — a group of passionate souls

wonderful quality these days and, as such, it deserves to be mentioned and celebrated.

We hope you find something in here that you want to reread, tear out, and pin up!

WO MAG . CO. Z A

M O BE L L I . CO. Z A

W E YL A NDT S. CO. Z A

HO M E . CO. Z A

LO U I SV U I T TO N. CO M

invested in what they do. This is a rare and

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contents DESIGN Glamour with a dark twist at Alice & Fifth

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TRAVEL Slow train to nowhere

INTERIORS A Cape Town family homestead with space for contemporary design monuments of the former Yugoslavia

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ARCHITECTURE AND

ARCHITECTURE The mysterious

ART Yinka Shonibare’s fantastic batik

E D I TO RI A L EDITOR Leana Schoeman leanas@tisoblackstar.co.za CREATIVE DIRECTOR Anna Lineveldt MANAGING EDITOR Matthew McClure SENIOR DESIGNER Thembekile Vokwana

JUNIOR DESIGNERS Manelisi Dabata and Carike de Jager CHIEF SUBEDITOR Theresa Mallinson SUBEDITOR Joey Kok FINAL EYE Elizabeth Sleith PUBLISHER Aspasia Karras GENERAL MANAGER: GROUP SALES AND MARKETING Reardon Sanderson MANAGING DIRECTOR Andrew Gill ADV E RT I S I NG BUSINESS MANAGER Yvonne Shaff shaffy@tisoblackstar.co.za 082 903 5641 ACCOUNT MANAGERS Letitia Louw (Johannesburg) louwl@tisoblackstar.co.za 083 454 1137; Samantha Pienaar (Western Cape) pienaars@tisoblackstar.co.za 082 889 0366; Gina van de Wall (Durban) vdwallg@tisoblackstar.co.za, 083 500 5325 ADVERTISING CO-ORDINATOR Jamie Kinnear P R I NT I NG Hirt & Carter PUBLISHERS Tiso Blackstar Group, 16 Empire Road (cnr of Empire and Hillside roads), Parktown, Johannesburg, 2193 © Copyright Tiso Blackstar Group. No portion of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the publishers. The publishers are not responsible for unsolicited material. The Edit Living is published by Tiso Blackstar Group. The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of Tiso Blackstar Group. All advertisements, advertorials, and promotions have been paid for, and therefore do not carry any endorsement by the publishers.

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DARK AND MOODY ESCAPES GO QUIET AND COSY Escape the world outside with dark, quiet interiors full of tactility and texture. Rich black leathers and dark moody fabrics create the perfect atmosphere of luxury and relaxation. Furniture and homeware available online and in-store.

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eople who follow interior designer Tristan du Plessis’ work will appreciate his bent for dark and glamorous spaces. At just 31, he has already designed a long list of refined interiors, including Mesh, Hell’s Kitchen, Kong, Coco, and Saigon Suzy. Du Plessis has a penchant for bars, restaurants, and clubs where a dose of drama and intrigue is called for, but has also started designing residential interiors. He recently launched his extra-premium brand, Tristan Plessis Studio.

In the basement of the Sandton Sun hotel, beneath its shimmering gold ceiling and faceted, brass-trimmed lifts, an equally glamorous supper club has opened its doors. It offers unprecedented luxury with the dark undercurrents that du Plessis is known for.

Beyond its scarlet, moulded and marbled entrance, a passage of hammered steel and rich walnut and black panelling hints at what lies within.

The mirrored ceiling is made from a single piece of hand-moulded stainless steel that pools white light on its dimpled surface. It’s an entrance of heroes.

Like a more sophisticated version of Alice’s rabbit hole, it delivers you into a windowless den where overtly rich finishes, sultry undertones, and retro sophistication collide.

Owner Basil Aronis, who also called on du Plessis to design his Lima tapas bar in Sandton, recognised a gap in the market for high-end-dinner entertainment of the variety you’d expect in Paris.

The premise was dinner and a show of unparalleled quality. Aronis wanted to explore tension, both in the design of the space and in the menu, which features classic dishes with a local interpretation. He also wanted guests to feel transported for the night.

“The overall feel was intended to be nostalgic; of a time gone by with a contemporary twist and a slightly dark undertone. I juxtaposed glamour and rawness, vintage and contemporary to achieve that,” says du Plessis, who took a page from the underground cabarets of 1920s New York and Parisian burlesque clubs to create the sultry aesthetic.

Inside, the space is vast, sinking over various levels, which lends a sense of intimacy and privacy.

Carving out extra height was of utmost importance for du Plessis, which meant having to tear out many of the inherited floor levels. Lighting was another feature on which he placed huge importance. Given the lack of natural light, du Plessis was after a soft and ambient glow, which he has achieved through wall lights, pendants, and LEDs that cast dramatic shadows over the intricately moulded wall panels.

NIGHT-TIME ENTERTAINMENT HAS A SULTRY NEW ADDRESS

design

TEXT M i la Crewe- Brown

Alice & Fifth, the Sandton Sun’s new underground supper club, masters sophisticated glamour, but offers guests a dark twist too

keep members’ best bottles of whiskey in high style, while the two bars offer inspired cocktails.

One of the mammoth concrete pillars that support the hotel above has been hand-painted by artist David Brits and features illustrations reminiscent of tattoo art: swords, snakes, cacti, and skulls, all of them white on black. One snake was so desirable that du Plessis says it was inked on someone’s arm in Los Angeles. These edgy graphics were produced

by Jana + Koos, who (together with Lemon) were responsible for the wallpaper in the bar area, again featuring graphic, hand-drawn iconography.

It’s wonderfully disorienting, with no distinction between day and night and no reference as to where you are in the world, with the familiar local style indicators absent in favour of a distinctly retro, European feel that plays with juxtaposition. tristanplessis.com

“The overall feel was intended to be nostalgic; of a time gone by with a contemporary twist and a slightly dark undertone”

Leather booths, set on exaggerated curves, bring drama to the layout, as do the red-glass bar and marble floor laid in alternating black-and-white strips. There’s also the rich, walnut panelling that features Cartier-style, brush-aged brass details and the cheeky, overhead avenue of burlesque-inspired red tassels that dance in the breeze.

The space is rich, refined and theatrical: a superlative backdrop for the shows that the venue plays host to nightly, from comedy and DJs to jazz and strength acts. In the main bar, the same sensuous curve is repeated in the moss-green velvet banquette seating, and again in the sphere of Arabescato marble underfoot. It’s here that wall and ceiling play tricks on the eye in an Inceptionesque swathe of curved, cream panelling that swells up from the floor like the barrel of a wave and has Instagrammers snapping one after the next. Here too, lockers

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n the past, I would have steered clear of the concept of travelling with a group of strangers in a confined space. However, the idea of a slow and olde-worlde, Orient Expressstyle luxury-travel experience did seem rather tempting— certainly good enough reason to cast those anxieties aside. I am also all about speed and efficiency when travelling these days and the idea of travelling slowly, however appealing it might seem, is not my natural state. So I made a conscious decision to embrace the concept of slowing down and savouring the journey. I do have the suspicion that these often-disregarded concepts might just be what will save us all from the constant stress and overstimulation of our daily lives.

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THE SEND-OFF During check-in at the Pretoria Station we were welcomed in true style, with a cold glass of champagne in the comfort of a luxurious lounge area overlooking the train rails. I was immediately transported by the uniquely antiquated charm. A maximum of 72 guests per journey made us appreciate the exclusivity even more, and an intimate yet casual introduction by the lovely Tiffany Vos set just the right mood for our journey. THE SUITE Lavish, solid wood panelling is definitely one of my all-time favourite details: it has such a strong presence and character, and complements the oldfashioned luxury perfectly. The rich brocades and leathers of the interiors add to this charm, with super-soft and luxurious bedding to match. The suites are surprisingly spacious and comfortable with large bathrooms, ample functional storage space, and big windows that allow you to revel in passing vistas. THE SERVICE The team was attentive and kind and made it their priority to help us feel at home. Each cabin has its own concierge assigned exclusively to attend to the guests’ needs.

They were also great at keeping us informed of any changes in the itinerary, without ever being overly

TEXT Leana Schoeman

keen or invasive. This is a huge plus in my books, as I like good service, but mostly want to be left to my own devices. THE ROUTE Traversing the desolate spaces and places in South Africa is unquestionably one of the main perks, especially when you’re a road-trip fanatic. The itinerary did allow for a daily stopover, where guests get the chance to catch up on some history. During our first stopover in Kimberley our fellow travellers were happy to go and explore, while we decided to remain on board and catch up on some much-needed sleep after a rather bumpy and noisy overnight journey. Once we departed, we were well rested and felt excited about the afternoon ahead. I particularly enjoyed waking up to views of the arid and vast landscapes snaking

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N O W H In today’s fast-paced environment, there’s nothing quite like the slow-placed luxury of a Rovos Rail trip, where you can relish every detail of the journey through the Karoo, imagining the absolute silence outside that I long for as a reluctant city dweller.

On the second day we made sure to indulge in a little free roaming on our stopover in Matjiesfontein and really enjoyed meandering around its quaint streets and historic buildings. The Laird Arms was particularly beautiful and authentic, and we jumped at the chance to indulge in a warming sherry to make up for the chill outside. THE FOOD AND WINE I feel that food should be wholesome and fresh without any compromises. Although quite traditional, the food was seriously good, with a variety of menu options available for specific dietary requirements. This fare was accompanied

by an extensive and superb wine selection. We did not hold back and savoured every morsel and sip in our evening attire, feeling quite fancy. I particularly enjoyed the dress code, as most of the elderly gentleman were stylishly suited up — something I hardly see these days. THE LOUNGING AROUND I excel at this in real life and even have the attire to show for it, so this part came really easily. The fact that we couldn’t go anywhere was a true luxury in itself. The only difference, of course, was having easy and endless access to an extensive wine list, delicious craft beer, and world-class whisky, not to mention the heaps of biltong and chips we couldn’t keep our hands off. We managed to switch off here and there, but with so much beauty around us it

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E R E was difficult to not take our phones out just in case we needed to capture a special scene. The openair observation deck was a real treat, but also very popular; nonetheless, we managed to get a chance to revel in our surrounds and were fortunate enough to enjoy a glorious sunset while travelling through the Hex River valley with the wind in our hair and golden glow on our faces. THE REIMAGININGS My travel companion (and dear friend) and I have been décor stylists for what seems like forever and could not resist dreaming of transforming such an incredible space. We had visions of pale-ash, solidwood herringbone flooring; and ceilings and walls clad with William Morris prints, along with lavish, Morris-patterned upholstery to complement the worn-leather accents. We even considered the forbidden painting of the wood-panelled interiors in a hue such as Plascon’s “Paris Paving” grey.

We completed our imaginings with contemporary, Scandinavian-inspired, hand-crafted tableware and fine dining created by the likes of Luke DaleRoberts. And we went as far as redesigning the staff uniforms along the lines of Gustave’s from Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel.

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house

TEXT Jessi ca Ross

PRODUCTION Sven Alberdi ng

PHOTOGRAHY Greg Cox

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This historic Cape Town homestead has room for both contemporary design and family life

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From left: Zachary, Gabriel, Ryder, Trevyn, Julian, Ruby, Barrett, Lanty, and Jacob

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This water feature made the garden feel more spacious. The bronze sculpture is

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This pristine veranda with comfy outdoor couches looks out onto the lush green wall

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The entrance display features a Conrad Botes and Paco Pakdoust-designed rug with a table

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A long island in the kitchen is surrounded by barstools from Guildeline MNF. Artworks are

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here’s a deep irony to South African artist Brett Murray’s typographical piece, the block-titled S I L E N C E (dubbed Dissent) that presides over Trevyn and Julian McGowan’s dining room. This house is many things — at once contemporary living space, gallery for great design and art, chaotic playroom, grungy teen lair and serene oasis — but silent it is not. At any one moment the rhythmic beat from 15-year-old Zachary’s drum kit could reverberate off the walls, as seven-year-old Ryder and his friends chase tirelessly between tables of collectable art, and the parents prepare dinner for eight.

Many houses will struggle to contain the energy of a family this size — a highly creative and dynamic unit comprising the couple and their six kin: son Jacob, his wife, Lanty (both of whom work

The McGowans create vignettes in the home by combining juxtaposed textures and offbeat art and design items

“We are obsessive collectors”

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The Gregor Jenkin table has been in the family for years. Dining chairs are by Julian for Guild studio. Dissent by Brett Murray hangs above a server carrying various art objects. The light is by Tobias Grau

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A painting by Saso Sinadinovski hangs above the mantelpiece

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apartment,” Julian says, and Trevyn clarifies: “It’s all on one level, there are glass doors that swing open, and everything is interleading — there’s an intimacy here.”

Structurally, the McGowans made very few changes to the house. “The main thing was that we broke through between the kitchen and the dining room,” Trevyn says. “We live in the kitchen and Julian cooks a lot, so it felt very cut off.

“We’ve always enjoyed the houses we live in, whether in London or Wilderness, but this place just feels so much like home,” Trevyn notes.

Natural light floods the master bedroom where a Jasper Morrison sofa serves as an incredible design piece and a TV slouch zone

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Gabriel and Ryder’s playroom features subtle pieces, such as a central vintage Eames table

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A corner of the bedroom features a steel dressing table, a gift from Gregor Jenkin, with a horn chair by Babacar Niang and an artwork by Morné Visagie

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The family often gather in the study.

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in the family business), Ruby, Zachary, Gabriel, and Ryder — but this graceful old dame has the strong bones and the stately elegance of a building from the 1940s. Its 4m-high ceilings offer soaring proportions and the old wooden flooring delivers a sense of well-trodden history.

The homestead was originally part of Cape Town’s historic Groot Constantia estate and later the Alphen property. “I got as far as the second room and knew that this was our house,” Trevyn says. “It had been on the market for three years at that point, and nobody had understood how

Posters by influential muscians including The Sex Pistols, Nirvana, and Led Zeppelin adorn the walls of 15-year-old Zachary’s bedroom

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extraordinary it was.” It takes you only a moment when you stand in the entrance hall to appreciate that the beauty of the house comes from so much more than the stuff inside. This is the spot where you’re offered a glimpse of the majestic loftiness, the whispers of history, and a frame of tropical greenery that transports you from the city into a tranquil, outdoor sanctuary. Of course, when it comes to a property belonging to Trevyn and Julian — legendary mavericks and leaders in the South African design industry — “stuff inside” constitutes much more than furniture. There is covetable art and awe-inspiring work from well-known local names such as Andile Dyalvane, Otto du Plessis, John Vogel, Dokter and Misses, and Gregor Jenkin — all designers whose careers the McGowans have helped to shape.

The living room does double duty as a showcase for the couple’s vocation as co-founders and CEOs of The Guild Group — an organisation of sub-companies that promote African design and its creators. It’s also peppered with evidence of their own ventures in furniture, such as the recently made modern take on a Chesterfield, which curves elegantly around industrial designer Charles Haupt’s coffee table.

“We are obsessive collectors,” Julian says.

There is work by notable local artists such as Serge Nitegeka, Wilma Cruise, and Conrad Botes.

There are countless pieces covering cabinets and surfaces — so many that you tense up as a kid whizzes past a limited-edition Justine Mahoney sculpture. “Things sometimes get broken,” Trevyn says, “But it’s important that we, and the kids, get to live with the pieces that have meaning for us.”

“Strangely, this place feels a bit like a New York

architecture

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MO NUME NT O N FR E E DO M HI LL , I L I R SKA BI ST R I C A , SLOVE NI A

hey’re dotted all across the Balkans region, stitching together what was once Yugoslavia: strange, abstract, concrete forms rising from the landscape, at once futuristic and primal. Some look like frozen concrete wings, others a bit like flowers or stars, others like totems, sputniks, weathered bones…

Their isolation and eerie silence — the absence of any clue as to what they are — give these mysterious sculptures a kind of haunting gravitas. But what are they? Who made them? And why?

the mystery of the Spomeniks

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FRE E D O M H I L L M O NU M E NT, G L I GI NO B RDO, B O S NI A A ND H E RZ E GOV I NA BAT T L E O F SU TJ E SKA , TJ E NT I ST E , BO SNI A A ND H E R Z E G OVI NA

M O NU M E NT TO T H E FA L L E N FI G H T E RS , G O LU B OVC I , M O NT E NE G RO

M O NU M E NT TO T H E FA L L E N S O L D I E RS , KO S M A J, S E RB I A

AVA L A TV TOWE R , B E LGRA DE, S ER B IA

The monuments scattered across the former Yugoslav states are a powerful reminder and almost forgotten branch of radical creativity

These are the Spomeniks.

In recent years, their powerful presence and striking graphic architectural shapes have made them fodder for Instagram feeds, but they remained little understood.

In about 2015, US researcher and amateur historian Donald Niebyl set up an online resource, The Spomenik Database, to rectify that.

“I first heard about what were called the ‘Spomeniks’ in the early 2010s when Belgian photographer Jan Kempenaers’ photos of these unusual monuments started to make the rounds on the internet,” Niebyl says. “I was intrigued and curious about their forms, their out-of-place positioning within the landscape, and what exactly they meant/commemorated/symbolised.

Kempenaers’ original photos included no names, no information, no location — nothing that would help explain anything about them.”

In a gap between jobs, Niebyl says he “spent about three months travelling around the former Yugoslav region tracking down as many as I could find”.

“I compiled all the information, data and photographs I had collected into an online database, creating what I wished had existed for me when my interest in them began,” he says. His efforts culminated in a beautiful book published last year, just after the opening of a major exhibition at Moma in New York, Toward a Concrete Utopia: Architecture in Yugoslavia, 1948– 1980. It touched on the Spomeniks, but also covered the neglected history of modernist architecture outside the West more broadly.

“Spomenik” means monument in Serbo-Croatian/Slovenian.

They sprang up across the former Yugoslavia between the 1950s and 1990s, especially under the rule of the country’s authoritarian but visionary leader Josip Broz Tito.

“Part of what drew me to them was that here existed this huge repository of memorial art and architecture that few people in much of the world were aware of,” Niebyl says. “Many of these

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1990s, Yugoslavia splintered. The Spomeniks were either ignored, neglected, or sometimes, actively vandalised or destroyed. Many people interpreted them as attempts to erase the past rather than memorialise it. At the same time, others seemed to feel that they commemorated too much, standing as accusations of those on the wrong side of history. The new Balkan countries chose simply to forget them.

Those that remain now stand severed from their original function and from the political and historical context that gave them meaning, perhaps little more than monuments to failure — signs that art, in the end, does nothing. But the recent renewed interest in them has started to tell another story. Niebyl certainly thinks so.

“Never before had I come across memorial sculpture that spoke in such a thoughtful and reflective visual language,” he says. “For many of the monuments, you can approach them knowing nothing at all about their history or what they are meant to commemorate, but their dramatic and evocative shapes are still able to convey to you that these places were sites of immense historical importance and gravity.” Beyond that, the diversity, expressiveness, and radical inventiveness of the Spomeniks is staggering. They’re a record of incredible creativity and a hugely important branch of modernist art and architecture that has flown under the radar. In that, perhaps their anti-fascist intentions have been realised.

SPOMENIK MONUMENT DATABASE BY DONALD NIEBYL, PUBLISHED BY FUEL-DESIGN.COM/PUBLISHING/SPOMENIK-MONUMENT-DATABASE/SPOMENIKDATABASE.ORG

and aesthetically, however, Tito had a bit of a dilemma. His new Yugoslavia included both those who had suffered atrocities during the war and those who had perpetrated them.

Drawing too heavily on any particular nationalist tradition would reinforce the divisions already making his unified republic an uneasy alliance. Tito’s resistance to Stalinist Russia meant the social-realist aesthetic preferred by the soviets didn’t sit with him easily, either. He needed something that would unify and reconcile his people: looking forward, rather than to the past to transcend the bigotries and hatreds of the past in a “collectivist, utopian society”, as Niebyl put it on the Spomenik Database website.

“What I find so fascinating about the Yugoslav monuments is the universal language in which they attempt to communicate,” Niebyl says.

“They fly in the face of everything someone from the West would imagine a Second World War monument would or could be.”

The aesthetic influences of the Spomeniks have their roots in the minimalism, abstract expressionism, and modernism of Europe and the US. There are no overt representative forms, political or national symbols, or references to specific cultural traditions. Abstraction was seen as a universal aesthetic that could provide the artistic and cultural basis of a reconciled new national identity, seemingly unburdened by ideology.

In the end, of course, it didn’t work. In the

M O NU M E NT TO T H E RE VO LU T I O N, KOZ A RA , B O S NI A

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monuments relate local stories of historic war and struggle that have never been told outside the region. As I began to study them further, I began to learn about the stunning history of the Yugoslav region and its anti-fascist Second World War legacy that wasn’t as widely known as similar histories from other parts of Europe. Through showcasing the monuments, I could also showcase the history they commemorate.”

The country that came to be known as Yugoslavia was cobbled together when the Ottoman Empire dissolved after the First World War. It bundled together various regions, including modern-day Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia. Then, during the Second World War, when Yugoslavia was occupied by the fascist Axis powers, the Partisan Army, a guerrilla army of communist rebels led by Tito, resisted the occupation in one of the most successful antifascist movements of the war.

After the Second World War, Tito assumed power and, along with physically rebuilding a country ravaged by war, he also had to bring together an ethnically, politically, and religiously divided populace.

Tito wished to commemorate the atrocities of the war — which included not just bitterly fought battles, but other wartime horrors too, among them concentration camps. He envisioned an ongoing series of anti-fascist monuments or memorials throughout the countryside. Politically

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TEXT Andrea Nagel

fantastic batik

child in Victorian clothes stumbles, spilling a pile of old books in mid air. The books lurch forward, as if tumbling to the ground. The dress style of the figure is old English, but the clothes are brightly coloured Batik fabric prints and the child has a polished black globe for a head.

Lines of longitude and latitude traverse the globe and a constellation of stars is interspersed with the names of famous writers from all over the world: Mark Twain, Yasmina Khadra, Bessie Head, Johan Wolfgang von Goethe. This sculpture, a moment

captured like a frame from a film, is — like the artist who conceptualised it — playful and unexpected. It contorts expectations to comment on the way that cultures, sometimes without even being aware of it, bleed into each other, borrow from each other and are always morphing into something new.

This sculpture, Boy Balancing Knowledge II, and others currently on show at the Norval Foundation in Cape Town, are part of an exhibition called Trade Winds by Nigerian/British artist Yinka Shonibare CBE, Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences).

Shonibare also recently installed a giant sculpture in the Norval Foundation’s sculpture garden, which is one of only a few in the world. A variation stands in New York’s Central Park and another is in London’s Trafalgar Square.

Also part of the exhibition is Shonibare’s African Library, which honours first- or second-generation immigrants who have shaped a country’s social, political, and cultural life by contributing to its

Artist Yinka Shonibare waxes lyrical about African identity independence movements, sciences, arts, and technological innovations. The exhibition includes a reading area, where biographical details of each of the names emblazoned in gold on the spine of each book can be accessed, alongside archival footage of leaders of African independence movements. The 4 900 books displayed are covered in similar Dutch wax fabric to that referenced on the sculptures.

It is this batik fabric that is the linking motif in Shonibare’s work, and which enables the artist to make a statement about the positive ways in which cultures interact. The huge Wind Sculpture in the garden is painted in patterns that also reference the fabric. It is the sculptural embodiment of a sail being

lifted by the wind and carried off into the air. “Winddriven boats carried the batik fabric common on the continent and thought of as an ‘African textile’ — an identifiable marker of ‘Africanness’ — from Europe into Africa,” Shonibare says.

These fabrics are not African in origin at all: in fact, he notes, their origins highlight the messiness of colonialism and question the very idea of cultural appropriation. The Dutch, who had colonial holdings in Indonesia, were inspired in the 19th century by handmade Indonesian batik prints and started making these textiles industrially. Later, the British followed suit. In the words of art writer Beck Feibelman: “The British Empire introduced the patterns

to their colonies in Africa, where they took off and became linked to some West African identities.”

“Many people think that these are authentic ‘African fabrics’, as I did,” says Shonibare. “I like the ‘fakeness’ of that. I grew up seeing this distinctive fabric everywhere in Nigeria. But I didn’t know that we were being used as a market — that it was being sold back to Africa — and this mythology of perception fascinated me.”

This narrative of Dutch wax fabric speaks to the larger complexity of how cultural objects are formed. They often draw on a variety of sources, and are shaped by historical, social, and economic processes that defy simple understandings of culture. Shonibare characterises this kind of mixing of influences as cultural “mongrels”.

“I look at the past and explore the present through questioning established ideas of identity,” Shonibare says. “Everything is hybrid. My work is a form of visual revolution that expresses this.”

Visit the exhibition until 9 August at The Norval Foundation in Cape Town norvalfoundation.org

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