Wanted Magazine: July 2020 by SundayTimesZA

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2020

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ED’S LETTER

07 / 2020

Sarah Buitendach

COME FLY WITH ME

“I found myself longing to spring into my own jet and escape our current reality”

OU’LL SEE WHEN you read Giulietta Talevi’s piece on private planes (page 26) — and whether we should all be acquiring them in this quasiapocalyptic world — that she’s not entirely convinced of the notion. They’re pretty darn pricey to buy, run, and maintain, it turns out. This here editor is nowhere as sensible, I’m afraid. I can’t even afford a rivet in the wing of a Lear but, in putting together this issue, I found myself longing to spring into my own jet and escape our current reality. For an island in the sun, for a lodge in the bush, for a cosy cabin in

the mountains. No Wi-Fi! I don’t really need to explain why — we’re all in this current malaise of fear, depression, and uncertainty. You get it. My actual self-comfort tactics include reading, bingeing on nostalgic TV (watching a Zoom reunion of the cast of ’80s movie hit Ferris Bueller’s Day Off brought me irrational joy), red wine, cooking, and socially distant walks with friends. I’m so thankful to have all of the above, but sometimes darkness descends anyhow. And I go full-on Grinch. There was one thing recently, however, that pulled me firmly out of the mood mire, and that was

Cover credits Photo taken on August 30, 1970 shows Playboy Magazine bunnies at London airport with the Playboy jet “Big Bunny”. Photo credit: Stringer/AFP via Getty Images)

F O R

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H E R E ,

P L U S

P L E N T Y

M O R E , V I S I T

WA N T E D O N L I N E . C O . Z A

interviewing Tsakani Mashaba, Bonolo Chepape, Carol Bouwer, Tinashe Nyamudoka, Mpho Phalane, and Shakil Khan. Over a couple of days, I chatted to these exceptionally fine South Africans who have forged careers in creating wonderful products. They take risks, dream up ideas, and manifest them. Sure, each one of these business owners spoke of the difficulties of running small, craft-based businesses in this country — and there are many — but despite those, what they do is a kind of alchemy. One of taking stories and culture and ideas and turning them into actual works of fine craft, luxury, and beauty. Every one of their brands could go toe to toe with any fancy equivalent from abroad, any day. Read about them on page 22. Engaging with these huge talents left me on a high. And so does the wonderful Wanted team — who pulled this issue out of the bag, from home. Again! Managing ed Matthew McClure’s piece on some splendid getaway spots (page 32) is a balm. So is the fashion spread on page 16. And then there are our brilliant subeditor Benazir Cassim, creative director Anna Lineveldt, and designers Manelisi Dabata and Carike de Jager who make magic of every page. You want to know what restores my faith in the world? Kind souls like them with talent, dedication, and plenty of chutzpah. Whether it’s private planes, local products, or good people, I hope you find the bright spots in this dark patch.

EDITOR Sarah Buitendach (sarahb@arena.africa) MANAGING EDITOR Matthew McClure 082 446 0747 (mcclurem@arena.africa) CREATIVE DIRECTOR Anna Lineveldt JUNIOR DESIGNERS Carike de Jager

and Manelisi Dabata FASHION DIRECTOR Sharon Armstrong (armstrongs@arena.africa) FASHION EDITOR Sahil Harilal BEAUTY EDITOR Nokubonga Thusi (thusin@arena.africa) FASHION INTERN Nombuso Kumalo DÉCOR DIRECTOR Leana Schoeman (leanas@sundaytimes.co.za) GROUP MOTORING EDITOR Denis Droppa (droppad@arena.africa) SUBEDITOR Benazir Cassim

FINAL EYE Elizabeth Sleith DESIGN HUB ONLINE EDITOR Stephen Haw (haws@arena.africa) WANTED ONLINE DIGITAL EDITOR

Katharynn Kesselaar (kesselaark@arena.africa) BUSINESS DAY EDITOR Lukanyo Mnyanda PUBLISHER Aspasia Karras HEAD: Advertising Sales Eben Gewers CEO Andrew Gill BUSINESS MANAGER Yvonne Shaff 082 903 5641 (shaffy@arena.africa) ACCOUNT MANAGER Johannesburg Tamara Nicholson 083 604 0949 (nicholsont@arena.africa) ACCOUNT MANAGER Western Cape Samantha Pienaar 082 889 0366 (pienaars@arena.africa) ACCOUNT MANAGER Durban Gina van de Wall 083 500 5325 (vdwallg@arena.africa) Wanted is available with Business Day nationwide. Subscription enquiries: 086 052 5200 PRINTED by Paarl Media for Arena Holdings, Hill on Empire, 16 Empire Road (cnr Empire and Hillside roads), Parktown, Johannesburg, 2193

14 Lynelle Kenned is reimagining reality

16 This winter’s all about relaxed elegance

22 These local creatives have got the goods we want

CONTENTS 26 Read this before you catch flights, not feelings

28 Mod Squad: marvellous buildings to know about

36 The reading list to make lockdown bearable

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WAT C H E S

07 / 2020

Gary Cotterell

N A TRIP to London in 2010, I said goodbye to Bermudas and elasticated waist bands when I acquired my first pair of Orlebar Brown (OB) swim shorts. Established three years earlier by former photographer Adam Brown, the brand was already well on its way to establishing a cult following. Brown created a strong, singular concept of the perfect tailored shorts, which could be worn from the pool to the private club. OB’s raison d’être is defined by its motto “holiday better”, as Brown explained to me in conversation recently about his new collaboration with IWC, ideas of the perfect holiday, and the hero style. His shorts, with their characteristic sidefasteners, were originally available in four styles, four lengths, and five colours, and prompted a change in attitude to holiday dressing for men of all ages. “Today there are innumerable options, including our Design Your Own service,” says Brown of the “shorts you can swim in”. Just over a decade later, the brand includes a full resort and lifestyle collection. Customers clearly love their OB shorts and tag them (with #OBsAroundTheWorld) in photographs of shared memories with family or friends on social media. For Brown, the ideal holiday seems to be at the extremes. “One of my best holidays in recent years was trekking in the Namibian desert. What an extraordinary experience. I never imagined there could be so many interpretations of desert. I’ve also walked around volcanoes in Chile. But my favourite place in the world is Cornwall in south-west England. I love the Atlantic coast and the crashing waves. Wild, bleak landscapes, similar to Cape

1.White towelling blazer with blue piping 2. Shorts with a photographic print of a Solaris 55 yacht

Adam Brown

IWC Yacht Club Chronograph Edition “Orlebar Brown”

QUALITY TIME

IWC joins forces with Orlebar Brown

Town. I’d also love to experience real cold and see icebergs like in the Antarctic.” Sporty yet elegant, IWC and OB seem a natural fit, with both sharing similar values and approach to design, adventurous spirit, and association with the ocean. IWC has unveiled the Portugieser Yacht Club Chronograph Edition “Orlebar Brown”, alongside a nine-piece resortwear capsule collection developed by OB exclusively for IWC.

This includes a white towelling blazer with blue piping and shorts with a photographic print of a Solaris 55 yacht to celebrate the recent partnership with the Italian luxury-yacht brand. Brown is no stranger to IWC, having been a customer for 10 years. The “enthusiast, not collector” owns 10 watches, three of which are IWC. His first purchase was a Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Top Gun Miramar, followed

by another Top Gun in black ceramic. He is familiar with the Portugieser references, having recently added a 40mm Automatic in stainless steel with white dial to his wrist “for smarter occasions”. While the Portugieser celebrates its 80th anniversary this year, the Yacht Club Chronograph subset is a youthful 10 years old, distinguished by its more pronounced bezel and crown guards. Developed in close consultation with Brown, the special edition in steel features a marine-blue dial with unique subdial colourway and red accents. The nautical chronograph is powered by the IWC-manufactured calibre 89361 with flyback function and is on full display through a sapphire-glass case back. It also features a co-branded side-fastener for its blue rubber strap. With a waterresistance of up to 60m, it is ready to set sail or play in the surf.

NEWS 01.

WAKE-UP CALL For those of you who like your luxe sports watches a bit more luxe than steel, the new Marine collection from Breguet is available in rose-gold and white-gold cases featuring entrancing dials detailed in the original Breguet wave design. The charming Alarme Musicale 5547 will also alert you when it’s time to knock off and head to the beach. breguet.com or Swatch Group 011 911 1200

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BANGIN’ ART Hublot’s first connected watch, the Big Bang Referee, made its debut at the 2018 Fifa World Cup in Russia, used by referees on the pitch. The new Big Bang e is updated with more advanced technology. The first edition features eight exclusive art dials designed by Marc Ferrero as part of the #HublotLovesArt movement. Every three hours, the dial changes colour, displaying each of these creations. hublot.com

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GRAND BAROQUE The Dior Grand Bal Opera expands the Grand Bal collection with a new square case inspired by Baroque architecture. Limited to 10 unique designs, these jewellery watches are powered by the Dior Inversé 11 1/2 calibre automatic movement with its oscillating rotor uniquely placed on top of its dial and adorned with gold and diamonds. dior. com or Boutique Haute Horlogerie 021 418 1889

IT’S BOND. GOLD BOND. JAMES BOND 2020 UK QUARTEROUNCE GOLD PROOF COIN LIMITED EDITION 1,007 PART 1 OF 3 IN SERIES Discover the new coin collection from The Royal Mint, created to mark the upcoming release of No Time To Die (2020). This quarter ounce gold proof coin features Bond’s Aston Martin DB5 on its reverse, along with the iconic line “Bond, James Bond”. The design shows the car in profile and when placed together with other coins from the collection, will reveal the 007 motif.

O F F E R E XC L U S I V E TO

SHOP ONLINE AT SCOINSHOP.COM | CALL 011 784 8551 T’S & C’S APPLY

07 / 2020

OBJET

LV Pon t 9 bag , R6 3 000 , Lo uis Vuit t on

STOCKIST LOUISVUITTON.COM

EN PONT ONT N PONT You can’t get to France right now but you can nab the new LV PONT 9 bag from Louis Vuitton — named for the iconic Parisian bridge

STYLE NOTES

2020 / 07 text

Nokubonga Thusi Sarah Buitendach

h, to summer

heck out the magnificent detail on these gorgeous Gardener’s Mirrors. These beaded stunners are the work of Cape Town design maestro Michael Chandler and Zimbabwean beadsmith George Magaso. They’re based on 18thcentury neoclassical mirrors but, with the added local flavour, they’re next-level cool. Email info@ chandlerhouse. co.za to order

A SIGHT FOR SORE EYES

The summerinspired collection is all about balmy, glowy textures and subtle colour. Chanel Palette Essentielle, R1 110; Chanel Les Beiges Eau De Teint Water-Fresh Tint, 30ml, R1 110; Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Lip Balm, R925; Chanel Baume Essentiel Multi-Use Glow Stick, R775

W Johnson for butchering his words: if ith a massive apology to Samuel

you’re tired of not being able to visit London, you’re tired of life. We know, like us, you’re missing wandering the streets of Bloomsbury, grabbing a meal in Shoreditch and, of course, hitting the city’s museums and galleries. In lieu of your usual jaunts to the Big Smoke, why not order an online memento or two of one of your favourite capital cities from the likes of the London Review of Books, Kew Gardens, or the Design Museum? Their digital stores are grea t.

BEAD DAZZLING

Eauresistible

Who doesn’t want to look like they just hang around the Med all year round? Chanel’s Balade en Méditerranée cruise makeup collection will help, for sure.

WE’LL MEET AGAIN

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e are so excited that we finally get to add a new bit of Givenchy to our fragrance wardrobe this year — what’s more, we could all do with a little spoil. Taking inspiration from the French house’s iconic motif, seen in its logo and cult pressed powders, the Givenchy prism is newly reimagined in the form of the fragrance’s minimalistic bottle design. If you are a fan of a good floral wood then the crisp effervescence in the pear, ambrette, and rose opening notes and woody musk finisher is right up your alley. Irresistible Givenchy EDP, 80ml, R1 850

If you’re anything like us, lockdown has messed up your regular sleeping pattern. Between laptop fatigue and late-night Netflix, your eyes are telling a pretty sad story. Luckily, Dermalogica knows how hard our eyes work (100 000 eye movements per day) and has come up with a nifty solution to combat any signs pointing to less than eight hours of sleep. Its Biolumin-C eye serum gives your eyes brightening, firming, and hydrating benefits powered by ingredients such as vitamin C complex, microalgae extract, and arjun-tree extract. Dermalogica Biolumin-C Eye Serum, 15ml, R1 325

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DOWN TO BUSINESS

07 / 2020

Lukanyo Mnyanda Freddy Mavunda

portrait

INCE I SHARE this page with one of the country’s better-known fund managers, I have largely refrained from addressing investment issues. Having an actual expert who manages people’s money for a living next door does feel a bit like putting a magnifying glass on my relative lack of knowledge. But, like some readers of this page, I have a slight interest in the workings of the financial market. Most of us who are lucky enough to have semi-permanent jobs also have some kind of investment plan, and we would have been watching with different degrees of nervousness as stock markets have fluctuated widely since the Covid-19 outbreak really took hold in March. In the days and weeks leading up to that cruel double whammy of the announcement of an initial three-week lockdown and confirmation that South Africa had

indeed lost its last remaining investment-grade rating from Moody’s Investors Service, a different era seemed suddenly appealing. I’m not old enough to remember final-salary pension schemes or the time of definedbenefit pension schemes. But when I started my working career, the world of pensions and investments was still rather opaque. You went to work and the employer deducted a certain amount towards your pension contributions. The assumption was that this was all you needed to know and at some point, 40 years down the line, you’d find out how rich or poor the administrator of your fund had made you. There was an upside, of course, to this ignorance. What the markets did from day to day was nothing you had to bother yourself with. Now, we have not only the internet, but also previously unthought-of levels of transparency with regard to how our funds are managed.

SHARE IN THE LUXURY text

Paul Theron

“What the markets did from day to day was nothing you had to bother yourself with” And who knows what July and August will bring. Regulations that have given us greater control over how professionals manage our money and the resulting transparency has undoubtedly been good, not least in pushing costs of investing down, and possibly extending the years we can arrange in retirement as fund managers take less of our pots. But in these uncertain times, a lot can be said for blissful ignorance. Mnyanda is the editor of Business Day

T’S HARD TO overstate just how well Tesla has done at the luxury end of the motorcar market. Tesla sold just under 90 000 vehicles in the first quarter of 2020, a new record. CEO Elon Musk is having a good year. Sceptics tell me that when Daimler Benz and BMW eventually start making electric vehicles, then Tesla will be toast. If that is true, why is Tesla breaking ground on a new manufacturing plant in Berlin to sell its cars to rich Germans? I keep hearing stories about new “Tesla killers” coming from upstart electric-vehicle companies but nothing seems to come of these. British inventor and industrialist Sir James Dyson had a crack at it and failed. Dyson is now the UK’s richest person and is better

known for his bagless vacuum cleaners. Dyson cancelled plans to build a range of electric cars after blowing through £500-million in development costs. Its prototype SUV had an impressive range of almost 1 000km per charge, but it battled to produce the bulky seven-seater for anything less than £150 000 (about R3.2-million). The Dyson electric-car project started in 2017, and at one point employed over 600 people. Dyson planned to build a manufacturing plant in Singapore and was also working on solid-state batteries for the vehicle. The whole project is on ice now. Tesla shares are trading at an all-time high as I write — not far from $1 000, and giving the company a market capitalisation of $174-billion. That is more than most of its competitors in the motor industry put together. Buy this one. Theron is CEO of asset manager Vestact

PORTRAIT TREATMENT MANELISI DABATA

TOO MUCH OF NOTHING

Though professionals like Paul Theron will tell you that it’s a bad idea, who can resist taking a daily peek at what’s happened to their theoretical wealth when all it takes is a password and an internet connection? To make things worse, nowadays you can simply log into funds and change the allocation without as much as consulting a financial adviser. And anybody who was looking around April would have been horrified. But by the middle of June, things started to look good, really good. And those trigger-happy souls who had switched to cash or other safe assets in the middle of the onslaught were kicking themselves. With every economist becoming a Dr Doom, the JSE being down just 6% for 2020 didn’t seem so terrible an outcome. But wasn’t this also reason to be petrified? Surely this was a form of “irrational exuberance”, to borrow a term used by then US Federal Reserve chair Alan Greenspan back in 1996 ahead of the bursting of the tech bubble a few years later. If it’s too good to be true, it surely is, right?

I INNTTEERRVVI IEEW W

IMAGE LYNELLE KENNED IMAGE LYNELLE KENNED

Thembalethu Zulu

A BRIDGE OVER

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HERE’S SOMETHING about the way that Lynelle Kenned constantly transforms — through the performing arts and her life — that is chameleon-like. It is swift, effortless, magical. But it’s her most recent manifestation that offers a new, important power in our suddenly mad world. The acclaimed opera singer has turned her attention to death companioning. To hear Kenned sing is to be transfixed and amazed. Yet — and rather appropriately, given her recent branching out into pastoral care — at one point, the opera singer, musicaltheatre performer, MC, actress, and TV presenter was destined for a career in medicine. At the precipice of making her decision, the Paarl native had a date with fate when she went to see the Cape Town Opera’s production of Showboat. “I was 17 when I noticed [opera] for the first time as something that I wanted to pursue. Classical music was always part of what my family listened to, what I was exposed to. I just never took [opera]

seriously before it started looking like a viable career option.” It was while honing her opera skills at the University of Cape Town’s South African College of Music that Kenned made her first career divergence. In 2012 she entered a TV presenter search for the popular programme Top Billing. She may have finished as a runner-up but she still managed to tick off a bucket-list item: performing live with world-famous mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins during one of the segments. In 2013 she was offered the opportunity to “start from the bottom up again” and join a David Kramer production, which meant learning new skills in musical theatre. Since then, she has gone on to perform in a number of successful productions, including as the lead, Maria, in West Side Story. Over the past few years, she has continued exploring the arts, taking on film roles and MC duties at corporate events. When I meet Kenned, she is without her trademark curly afro. She recently shaved the sides of her head. It’s an act

of partially letting go of the physical way in which she has been represented. “For so long, my hair has been my trademark. It is what people recognised me by,” she says. “After the initial five weeks of lockdown, the essence of what was left of me was so stripped that I felt the need to also just let go, in a physical way, of something that represented that,” she says. As an entertainer, Kenned has been in the eye of one of the hardest-hit industries as future performances and festivals have been cancelled indefinitely. “With the [Covid-19] artists’ relief fund people had hope of receiving some assistance because we were all in this boat together, where no one was responsible for it but this was the reality of what we were facing,” she says. But as the weeks went by and only a small fraction of those who had applied for relief received assistance, the young performer drew a powerful conclusion. “I think what’s been beautiful to realise is that there’s such a sense of community and resilience. The artist’s spirit really comes alive during these times these times when people

Performer Lynelle Kenned captured South Africa’s attention with her voice and talent. Now she’s gearing up to offer us more in a deeply personal way

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WATER

have their backs against the wall. We are at the forefront of innovative ways of reimagining and recreating ourselves,” she says. One way Kenned is looking forward is through her recent certification in death companioning, a course offered by the American School of Thanatology (the study of death). She describes it as a “crash course tailored around what the pandemic is bringing about”. During the threeweek course, participants are tasked with understanding their own ideas around spiritualism as well as their relationships with death and mortality. For Kenned, this was particularly significant as she as she had experienced a loss, the grief of which she had not dealt with. “Five years ago, I went through the experience of losing my mom to cancer. Retrospectively, when I look at that period of my life, I was so ill-equipped to deal with that loss. The people around me didn’t know how to support me through that. I didn’t even know what resources were available to help one through a loss like that,” she says. “That was a big year professionally for me, so I just threw myself into work. I didn’t know what healthy grieving looked like.” Kenned believes the pandemic has opened up an opportunity for society to be better equipped with not only physical loss but also some of the “shadow losses” that have resulted. “I realised that there is such a big need and such a gap in society for people doing death education and supporting people who are going to be dying, whether it be through terminal illness or even Covid,” she says. “Not just that, but also to be able to support the people that have to deal with living beyond the loss of loved ones, or the loss of life as we knew it before.” Despite the new challenges and an altered reality, Kenned is optimistic about the future. “I’m taking the time to think: ‘What is the art that I want to create?’ If I’m going to create, who do I want to work with, and what can I explore outside of the arts?” she says. She is also reflective about the current state of affairs. “Life is giving us the opportunity to take stock in a way that we haven’t had to before. It’s jarring and of course it’s going to be uncomfortable, but it’s so beautiful. The potential of what can be birthed from this wonderful space is us admitting to our own humanity, letting our walls down, and really engaging with each other in a compassionate and empathic way.”

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07 / 2020 Sharon Armstrong Steve Tanchel

photography

Blazer, price on request, Uniform; trousers, R329, H&M; earrings, R49, MRP

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The The quiet quiet elegance elegance of of the the season season

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Shirt, R5 695, Tiger of Sweden; trousers, R 3 999, Diesel; Witchery belt, R349, Woolworths Shirt, R5 695, Tiger of Sweden; trousers, R 3 999, Diesel; Witchery belt, R349, Woolworths

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Snakeskin jacket, R999, Mango; monochrome shirt, R149, Fikile Sokhulu x MRP; Simon and Mary hat, R700, Deer Design

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Jacket, R4 999, trousers, R1 299 both Leviâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s; shirt, R4 999, Diesel

PHOTOGRAPHY STEVE TANCHEL/RED HOT OPS PHOTOGRAPHER’S ASSISTANT SIMO NGUBENI FASHION EDITOR SAHIL HARILAL HAIR AND MAKEUP CARL ISAACS USING BOBBI BROWN, SKIN FANTASTIQUE, AND KYLIE COSMETICS MODEL KAYLA HANSEN/BOSS MODELS LIGHTING GLOW LOCATION GLENOGLE.CO.ZA

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Le Sarte Pettegole shirt, R5 500, Thats It; trousers, R999, Levi’s

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IT! TSAKANI MASHABA, HAMETHOP The brains behind this fantastic fashion brand, Mashaba has a lot more highcraft up her very stylish sleeve — and all inspired by our continent. If the Mali fabric she uses in her super directional clothing line is anything to go by, we can’t wait. The textile is named for and inspired by the wonderful design work of the West African country and handwoven by experts in the Joburg CBD. Government types reading this: we need more of this home-grown production and skills development, thanks. Your main inspiration? Art; I am at my happiest in an art gallery. I am inspired by artists’ freedom of expression. What do you love most about your job? I love being in the factory; the research and development stage is an absolute delight. We work with amazing crafters who are a treasure for our brand, as craftsmanship is an essential part of our brand ethos. Your biggest challenge? Navigating what is possible and impossible to manufacture locally. We strive to be a 100% locally manufactured brand but the industry has taken a knock so much that our local factories closing down makes it even more challenging to create locally. What are you proudest of ? I am particularly proud of our local collaborations with crafters, architects, weavers, and manufactures, making it easier to deliver a product that fuses different skillsets and expertise. Your ultimate luxury? Eating well. What’s next for your brand? Our new handbag and homeware collections. @hamethop on Instagram

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MAKING

text Sarah Buitendach

2020 / 07

Sarah Buitendach chatted to six local entrepreneurs who are dishing out fine goods that we want to get our hands on

CAROL BOUWER, CAROL BOUWER BAGS To say that the philanthropist, TV producer, and lady about town is mad about her luxury-bag brand might be the understatement of the century. Bouwer is building a business based on exceptional production, style, and provenance. Her beauties are produced locally, from fully-traceable animal skins, and their craftsmanship is stellar (check out the mechanism that attaches interchangeable straps on them, and you’ll know what we mean). We want to collect them all. What’s your inspiration? I love the idea of giving a fresh edge to designs from a bygone era. So the bags are not high fashion but they feel like a return to an old feeling; an old way of being and a time where style was less about what you had and more about how you were. The artisanal world is really being appreciated again, so I am proud that my bags are crafted using the best materials and by South Africa’s very best craftsmen and women. What’s your ultimate luxury? Time! Covid-19 has taught me that I never had enough of it and no diamond, no car, and no holiday feels as good as being able to determine how my time is spent. What’s next for Carol Bouwer bags? Global expansion! Am I as confident post-Covid as before it? Wobbly, but helluva determined! 021 461 7890

LO CA L C R E AT I V E S

07 / 2020

MPHO PHALANE, FOOD I LOVE YOU Phalane gave up a career in advertising to follow her passion — creating food with heart and meaning. What she dishes up for Sunday lunches (comfort alert: she does home deliveries) and at her harvest table at Victoria Yards are meals that embody South African culture, contemporary food thinking, indigenous produce, and proper deliciousness. This brilliant chef is a leading light of the South African food scene. What’s your main inspiration?

People, human stories, and wellbeing inspire me. What do you love most about your job? Being able to create meaningful experiences through food that allow people to pause, connect, share, and empathise with one another. Your biggest challenge? Work-life balance. I’m learning more and more to take care of me in order to give the business the best of me. The food business is very taxing when you are extremely passionate and particular. It’s easy to think nothing else matters — including yourself. What are you proudest of? Listening

to myself and being brave enough at any point to pursue opportunities, even when it’s not fashionable. Your ultimate luxury? Body and face products — I never know when to stop spending on them. I also love quality homeware and beautiful linen. What’s next for your brand? Tough question. If you had asked me this three months ago, I probably would have given you a different answer. One thing for sure is that I will continue creating meaningful food experiences that really focus on human connection and identity. foodiloveyou.co.za

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TINASHE NYAMUDOKA, KUMUSHA WINES You’ll know his face, and work, as the former head sommelier at South Africa’s most illustrious restaurant, The Test Kitchen. Now the Zimbabwean-raised, newfound Joburger has struck out to make his own range of wines. Named Kumusha, which is Shona for “origins”, these exciting new varietals and blends are, no doubt, going to cause a stir in the local market. But the fervent Nyamudoka is also making inroads in his home country and further into Africa too. We say, “makorokoto” to him, and to you — stock up! Your main inspiration? It comes from my inborn need to always prove myself in whatever field I am. What do you love most about your job? When I was a sommelier working in restaurants, I enjoyed meeting and interacting with people from different fields, brought together by food and wine. Now, as owner of Kumusha Wines, I enjoy introducing my wines to people and evoking emotions with them. Your biggest challenge? Being on top is a challenge for me because I enjoy the process more than the achievement. It means I’m constantly looking for something to build. What are you proudest of? Being a father to my two daughters. Your ultimate luxury? Champagne and oysters for breakfast every day. What’s next for your brand? To sell a million bottles of wine into Africa and the rest of the world in the next three years. kumushabrands.com

SHAKIL KHAN, TONKA BEAN BAKERY

BONOLO CHEPAPE, LULASCLAN

Have you stalked Khan’s Instagram to see where he’ll be doing the next pop-up sale of his patisserie yet? If not, we think you’re not taking baked goods seriously enough. The Joburg pastry chef is all about creativity and quality and his filled donuts, croissants, and tartlets and cakes are life-changingly good. No wonder they are in demand for the who’s-who of Joburg. Get in line! What is your main inspiration? Customers who appreciate and are satisfied with our products will always be our main inspiration. What do you love most about your job? The feeling of satisfaction I get when I know the product is ready for the market after months of development, experimentation, and preparation. Who’s your patisserie icon? I have many, including Claire Clark, Dominique Ansel, Mori Yoshida, Kirsten Tibballs, and Adriano Zumbo. Your biggest challenge? The logistics of getting our products around and the containment of cost from some of our imported ingredients. What are you proudest of? The staff who have become family and the progress that we have made over the past five years. Your biggest luxury? Travelling and spending as much time as possible with passionate pastry chefs around the world. What’s next? To continue growing this small business and having stores all over the country when the time is right and the right opportunities present themselves. tonkabeanbakery.co.za

Rustenburg-native Chepape’s enthusiasm for her craft is infectious. Chat to her and you’ll immediately want to support her surface-design and interiors brand. Her wallpapers, fabrics, art prints, and scatter cushions all talk to her love for culture, family, and history and her real quest for perfection. We are mad about her bespoke handwoven mohair rugs that feature Zulu, Ndebele, and Xhosa design elements. What’s your main aim? To create textile designs that preserve our African aesthetic and culture and celebrate our heritage and document stories of everyday life — past and present — in contemporary ways. Hopefully they inspire others as well as serve to educate them. What do you love most about your job? I love the designing part of it. It allows me to get lost in another world, another space. It’s a spiritual process for me, which I find balance in. Your biggest challenge? Keeping up with the business’ growth and evolving how I do things every day to improve and to grow. It’s also tapping into the international market and increasing my footprint beyond South African borders. What are you proudest of? The many accolades that I’ve received so far (and so early in my journey). But I am most proud that I have a family that really has made everything possible for me, working with me, and helping me to bring my vision to life. What’s your ultimate luxury? It’s a difficult one as I think the concept of luxury is in a state of consistent change. Having products made by the best artisans in South Africa, that are well-crafted and exude our African essence in a contemporary and globally challenging way would probably be it. They don’t have to be made using a million gemstones but rather by the best hands, and with a very beautiful and authentic story. What’s next for your brand? More product developments, refinements, amazing textiles, and amazing collaborations. lulasclan.com

T THHE E BBI G I G RRE EAADD

Giulietta Talevi

T’S DAY somethingsomething-million of lockdown and all you can do is sit in your chesterfield wingback and mindlessly spin your world-map lamp around, plotting where you’d like to hightail it to when this is over. Naturally, the thought of jetting to your next holiday, surrounded only by family or well-screened friends, is so much more appealing than a buttock-clenched 12-hour session in an aluminium can with hundreds of disease vectors, right? Unfortunately, those private charters don’t come cheap. A private jet to Europe (return) will set you back by about R1-million — if you take one of the smaller business jets, a Lear, say; in which case you’ll need to stop and re-fuel. Jets that can go the whole transcontinental hog — like a Gulfstream 5, for example — will cost about R1.5-million return. Divvying it up per person — smaller business jets seat between four and six — works out at between R166 000 and R250 000 a head, easily comparable to a first-class ticket to the same destination. Meanwhile a charter down to Cape Town in a King Air 200 turboprop, about threeand-a-half hours’ flight time, will cost about R150 000 and take only six to eight people. The standard response to a privatecharter quote from local bosses is: “We don’t want to buy the airplane, we just want to use it for a day.” But why is it so expensive? In a nutshell, it’s exactly what you’re trying to avoid: bums on seats. An airliner with a three-class configuration, for example, can cram 300 people between its tinny walls — thus spreading the cost. It’s partly because the fuel burn on any business jet or turboprop is “incredibly high”, say industry players. Then don’t forget maintenance costs and the fluctuating rand. The last bit is key because all assets are valued in dollars, so you need to calculate your return on investment with a falling rand factored into the equation. Spare parts are all generally manufactured in the US and priced in dollars. Engine overhauls do not come cheap, nor does heavy maintenance. It all adds up to a rather expensive jaunt. And while the cachet of flying your own jet to whatever airport you please protected from the spluttering rabble is certainly a thing, your in-flight comforts are nowhere close to the experience on Emirates or Singapore Airlines, for example.

CHARTER CLUB Flying your Learjet up to Nova Scotia? You probably think this piece is about you. If you own a plane, it is. Wanna get in on the game? Read what Giulietta Talevi has to say first In a sense, many business jets are the biggest scam on the market, says the head of a local private-charter group. “You don’t have lie-flat seats that you’d get in business class — it’s quite cramped — and you don’t have the array of inflight services you can now expect on a top-notch airline, such as on-demand food and movies.” It’s also much noisier than if you were cosseted in the plush surrounds of your mini suite in a Boeing cabin. And then there are the toilets and baggage limitations: cramped ablution facilities and a limited baggage hold. Suddenly, the appeal of going private is somewhat dimmed. “The fallacy of luxury in a business jet is very real. It’s probably about 100% more comfortable travelling on an airliner than a business jet. Even in the ultimate of luxurious business jets — the Gulfstream 5 — you still don’t have lie-flat beds,” says Riccardo Talevi, head of local charter group King Air Services (he’s also my brother, hence my interest in planes).

You do, however, have the luxury of flying when you want and, more importantly in these stricken Covid times, of deciding with whom you will fly. In terms of social distancing, you’ll probably still be at a greater remove in a first-class cabin than wedged into a tiny Lear. After all, Emirates now offers your own room (that’s not more room, it’s a room) in first class. Private jets are also subject to the same regulations that govern any intercontinental flight: customs and immigration. Sure, you might not stand in the same queues but you can’t jump them entirely. The thing is, commercial air travel might not be as dangerous as you believe it to be. Says the International Air Transport Association, “The risk of transmission of Covid-19 from one passenger to another passenger on board is very low. Possible reasons are that customers sit facing forward and not toward each other, seat backs provide a barrier, the use of Hepa filters and the direction of the air flow on board (from

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a “significant spike” earlier this year, which it attributes to the transportation of people out of Covid-infected areas, where commercial aviation had either been shut down entirely or severely limited. “Since then,” it says, “the private-jet market has fallen in line with the economy at large as shelter-in-place orders have eliminated nearly all travel.” But the firm says it’s entirely possible that the private-jet industry could see both a return to the same kind of conditions of earlier this year, as well as a period of growth. WBD likens the present inflection point for air travel to the events post-September 11. “Of the 20 000 commercially licensed charter aircraft in the United States, 80% saw an increase in year-over-year bookings in the fourth quarter of 2001,” it says. Executives used private-charter flights to take advantage of a drop in flight availability, as well as avoid the security protocols that followed the Twin Tower attacks.

ceiling to floor), and the limited movement onboard aircraft once seated add to the onboard protection.” But it’s clear that it will take years for air travel to resume anything approaching its pre-Covid levels. GET SET TO JET SET If we haven’t put you off the expense, what are your options, either as a passenger or a business looking to snap up your own vessel? According to local site aircharter.co.za, “A brand new Cessna Citation M2, a light jet that seats seven, costs about $4.5-million at base price; the Learjet 75, a popular midsize jet that seats nine, costs about $13.5-million; and the ultra-luxurious Gulfstream G650, a heavy jet that seats up to 10, has a base price of $64.5-million. If a buyer plans on travelling with more passengers than that, the 17-seat Bombardier Global 6000 costs $60.5-million.” If money is no object at all — or you’re the head of some poor, struggling state — you’ll probably want a Boeing business jet. It’s essentially an airliner that has been converted, like South Africa’s Inkwazi, our version of Air Force One. What’s more, if you’ve got cash in the company kitty and aren’t laying off staff, there is a lot to be said for the tax write-off enjoyed by aircraft. As a 12C tax allowance you can write off a fair whack of expenses and depreciation every year on a (new) $60-million business jet. The tax writeoff has always been a compelling pull for private-aviation enthusiasts. To be fair, it’s not as if private charter isn’t seeing some Covidrelated business heading its way. Transatlantic law firm Womble Bond Dickinson (WBD) says the private-aviation market in the US saw

Clockwise, from top: Playboy Magazine bunnies at London airport with the Playboy jet “Big Bunny”; Hugh Hefner and Barbi Benton onboard the Big Bunny in 1970; Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip in an Andover aircraft of the Queen’s Flight in 1969; Hugh Hefner and Playboy bunnies onboard the Big Bunny

Factors now working in favour of the privateaviation market, they say, include the lower cost of fuel, a plethora of aircraft on the market, and convenience as commercial flights are cut down. The New York Times recently reported that NetJets, the largest private-jet operator in the world, is enjoying an influx of new customers. “May is on track to be the best month of new customer relationships that we’ve seen in the past 10 years,” says its president, Patrick Gallagher. Mike Clark, CEO at local charter operation Swift Flite, believes there’s a good opportunity for charter companies to capitalise on regional business travel as airlines struggle to get going again. “What I have realised [given] numerous requests for business travel in the region is that the number of South Africans doing business in Africa is huge.” These include places like Conakry in Guinea, Dakar, and Mali — not easily accessed by any commercial airline. Airlines, of course, are also pretty reliant on tourism, and while the market for leisure travel remains almost entirely shuttered, business travel will have to fill the gap. “I think we as charter companies need to capitalise on that,” says Clark.

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ARCHITECTURE

07 / 2020

Brian McKechnie

6. 3.

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MODERN MARVELS Wanted’s heritage-architecture guru Brian McKechnie rounds up six local modernist masterpieces we should all be proud of

NTIL FAIRLY recently, modernism has been viewed by the uninitiated as a brutal style, appealing to eccentric architects, design puritans, and pretty much nobody else. The movement emerged in Europe after WW1, with a new breed of designers rejecting pastiche references to obsolete historical styles in favour of beautiful, uncluttered, light-filled, functional buildings. Modernism soon reached South Africa via the Wits School of Architecture and its new generation of pioneers included Rex Martienssen, John Fassler, Harold Le Roith, and others. The modernist’s famed motto was “less is more” and today the timeless elegance of modernist design is quickly gaining cult status. Here are six home-grown monuments to the understated, midcentury elegance of the movement. 1. RADOMA COURT: HAROLD LE ROITH + KURT JONAS, 1937 Regarded as one of South Africa’s most

important modern-movement structures, Radoma Court occupies a prominent corner stand in Bellevue, with both southern and eastern street frontages. The design perfectly considers Joburg’s climate. Continuous banded windows wrap the shady southern facade, while its exposed western side is shielded by deep, heavily modelled balconies, providing insulation from the baking afternoon sun. A boldly curved glass-brick staircase tower acknowledges the importance of Radoma’s corner location and accentuates the entrance porch, tucked between intersecting apartment wings. Colour plays an important part in the building’s design, defining its forms and adding interest to its surfaces. 2. STANDARD BANK TOWER: HELMUT HENTRICH AND PARTNERS 1967 One of only a handful of “hanging” skyscrapers in the world (rumours persist of two others in Canada), this tower was

constructed from the top down. The structure’s concrete floor plates were hung from a central service core, rather than supported on a more traditional column grid. Probably one of the country’s most striking skyscrapers, a delicate glass skin, supported by virtually invisible brushedaluminium brackets, encloses the ground floor, blurring the boundary between private lobby space and the public urban plaza surrounding it. Precise modular interiors perfectly juxtapose the bank’s South African art collections, including colourful Cecily Sash mosaics on the office levels and Edoardo Villa sculptures in the gallery below the Simmonds Street plaza. 3. THE GREENSIDE HOUSE: REX MARTIENSSEN, 1940 Martienssen considered four separate sites around Johannesburg before settling on a gently sloping lot along Cruden Bay Road for his home. The plan of this modest structure exhibits the linear clarity of a

Corbusien villa. Interconnected living spaces occupy the ground level while the bedrooms and a spacious study enjoy the private upper floor. The striking street facade is an exercise in classical geometric composition. Meticulously considered interrelationships of colour, texture, solid, and void elevate the structure from a mere building to an abstract architectural collage. A protruding linear frame wraps the house, like a painting — floating, elegant, and weightless above the earth. 4. DURBAN CLUB PLACE (FORMER NEDBANK CENTRE): NORMAN EATON, 1961-1965 Nedbank’s former Durban head office is widely regarded as a masterpiece and celebrated South African architect Norman Eaton’s finest building. The cube-like structure is raised above Anton Lembede Street on an un-honed travertine podium, accommodating both urban fountains and greenery. Glazed curtain walls enclosing the central banking hall are shielded from the elements by an iconic grass-green ceramic filigree screen, an homage to Eaton’s obsession with beautifully crafted and uniquely designed building elements. The structure’s large, flat roof boasts a garden with sweeping city views. Now restored, the garden houses specially commissioned sculptures and 2 400 plant species, including quinine trees, indigenous grasses, and aloes. 5. DIE ES: GAWIE FAGAN , 1965 This landmark Camps Bay home, with a strong nod to contextual indigenous architecture, was designed by local architect Gawie Fagan and self-built by the Fagan family in 1965. The handcrafted building oozes attention to detail. Crisp-white facades are offset by generous window panes framing expansive ocean vistas. A gorgeous undulating roofscape echoes the churning Atlantic ocean, creating a home both uniquely striking and perfectly at one with its natural surroundings. 6. INNES CHAMBERS: SYDNEY ABRAMOWICH, 1961 An expressionist Y-column facade screen, sketched by Abramowich to mimic the shadows of his favourite shade tree, sets Innes apart from its mid-century contemporaries. The building — more a playful Brazilian than corporate Joburger — was carefully adapted to the inner city locale, providing a masterfully minimalist counterpoint to the neoclassical high court building across Pritchard Street. Clad in opalescent white mosaic, this downtown icon still shimmers in the golden highveld sunlight, as crisp and relevant today as it was almost 60 years ago.

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MOTORING

07 / 2020

Stuart Johnston

The lockdown restrictions evoke memories of the 1973 oil crisis, when South Africans were asked to make sacrifices of a very different kind

The petrol-guzzling Chevrolet Can Am

HE COVID-19 PANDEMIC is one of the biggest social crises ever to be imposed on the planet, and recalls another great upheaval we faced in South Africa, namely the global oil crisis of 1973. If you were a committed petrolhead back then — and there were plenty of us — the restrictions suddenly imposed on car enjoyment certainly cut deep. Back in those days, we had a nominal 120km/h speed limit, but the roads were so sparsely populated that there was plenty of scope to exploit the horsepower of your Ford Escort Mk I GT, your Renault Gordini, your Capri

Perana V8, and your Chevrolet Can Am. In October 1973, the Arabian oil producers who supplied the bulk of the fuel to South Africa suddenly announced a global oil embargo. No warning — one day there was oil for Africa and most of the rest of the world, the next the wells (as far as we were concerned) had dried up. The government immediately announced emergency measures to cope with this crisis. Fuel sales were prohibited between 6pm and 6am daily and on weekends, and all motorsport events were cancelled. What’s worse, the speed limit on the open roads and freeways was cut from

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120 km/h to 80km/h. It was the only way, said the government, that we would have any chance of getting through the crisis. What was remarkable was how the motoring public grasped the realities of our situation and obeyed the laws religiously. And if you were so selfish as to venture out onto the roads in a gasguzzling V8, you risked the wrath of your community! The emergency measures were announced just a day or two before Geoff Dalglish, a young-buck motoring journalist at The Star, took delivery of a Chev Can Am test car for a week. The 1973 Can Am was one of the most potent mainline performance cars ever built in South Africa. Its 270kW V8 engine had been imported straight from Chevrolet’s racing department in the US. It had a 0-100 km/h time of under five seconds, a top speed of 230km/h, and handling capabilities that were, frankly, diabolical. When you put your foot down it would accelerate all the way to 100km/h in first gear, and at the same time lift the nose so high that you found yourself looking at the telephone wires rather than the road ahead. “Everything about it screamed ‘race me’ and I was in love,” recalls Dalglish.

THE GREAT PETROLHEAD LOCKDOWN OF 1973

“And yet, here were all these people in cars alongside me, even pedestrians, shouting at me, showing the thumbsdown sign and, worse, even swearing at me. I was a fuel-guzzling heretic! It was one of the strangest experiences of my motoring life!” Almost overnight, scores of South Africans were trading in their gasgobbling V8 Holden Monaros and even Ferraris for bargain-basement prices. And they’d roll out of dealerships in modest cars like the Datsun 1200 GX, which could reportedly make the Joburg-toDurban run on a single tank of fuel, if you stuck to the 80km/h speed limit. Some shrewd enthusiasts took advantage of this. Johannesburg amateurracing driver Libero Pardini heard of a Ferrari Daytona going for a song in Cape Town, so he flew to Cape Town on a weekend. “With a full tank of juice, I set off in my new dream car heading straight back to Joburg,” he recalls. “But the hell of it was I was forced to drive at 80km/h, just like everybody else. The thing was, there was hardly any traffic on the roads. Soon I was flying along on empty roads at over 200 km/h.” Soon enough, the fuel-gauge needle plummeted and Pardini realised he had a problem on his hands. So he pulled into a small town, forgetting that fuel sales were forbidden on weekends. “I went to the local police station. The long and the short of it, I had to give every policeman in the station a blast down the road in the Ferrari. Then they issued me with a special permit to get fuel, and that’s how I made it back to Joburg.” I remember those fuel-crisis days very well as I was working at my first job after school, at a service station at the edge of Vrededorp. Each Friday at the service station we ran special campaigns to get motorists to fill up for the weekend, as the pumps would close at 6pm on Fridays and only open at 6am the following Monday. I recall cars easing down one of the side streets from the town, filling up, and then returning for another complete full tank about half an hour later. And this would go on for most of the afternoon, as the Vrededorp locals stockpiled fuel so they could sell it to their clientele at “special prices” over the weekend. After what seemed like an awfully long time, oil supplies normalised, speed limits were raised to 120km/h again, fuel stations opened up again 24/7, and life as we knew it returned to normal. However, for petrolheads, the great horsepower feast that we had enjoyed during the 1960s and early 1970s would remain fond memories for many years to come.

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L E T T H E U N I Q U E B I O D I V E R S I T Y , A R C H I T E C T U R E , A N D H O S P I T A L I T Y O F T H E S E H I D E A WA Y S G E T Y O U R P O S TL O C K D O W N M O T O R G O I N G

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K L E I N

K A R O O :

Bobbejaansberg

KERSEFONTEIN

GUEST

There is a very particular kind of feeling to this part of South Africa that soaks deep into your soul immediately on arrival. It’s one of the reasons that the Klein Karoo is so popular for those seeking to get away from it all for a while, to shelter from the incessant buzz of emails and social media; to replace text notifications with the blissful sound of birdsong and the sigh of the wind. Bobbejaansberg is a self-catering, stackedslate house that sleeps eight, boasts beautiful interiors by Gregory Mellor, and is the ideal solution for Karoo lovers looking for a mouse hole for a group of friends or family. On hot days (of which there are plenty in the Klein Karoo), the verandas, pool, and raised alfresco dining platform are the perfect places to enjoy chilled glasses of wine and fresh local produce. As the sun sets, head inside to relax next to one of the many fireplaces or conjure up a feast in the gorgeous kitchen. Bobbejaansberg has no cell reception (there is WiFi) and it’s recommended that you do a food shop before you arrive as the closest large store is in Barrydale.

FARM

C A P E W E S T C O A S T :

Kersefontein Guest Farm We were lucky enough to experience the beauty of the Kersefontein homestead and the hospitality of owner Julian Melck many years ago, when we dispatched our fashion team to the farm for a shoot. For over 300 years, nothing much has changed at Kersefontein. It is still a working farm; cattle and sheep graze in the fields and horses are raised in the paddocks. The family’s fine antiques take pride of place in the main farmhouse and the many elegantly appointed rooms available to guests. Supper in the original dining room offers fare, sourced from local producers, at the grand dining table. Spend the days idling away the time on the bank of the nearby Berg River, or curl up in the library with a book from Melck’s vast selection. Prefer a little privacy? The Gatehouse Cottage is for you. kersefontein.co.za

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Matthew McClure

BOBBEJAANSBERG

perfecthideaways.co.za

N AV I G A T O R

07 / 2020

V R E D E F O R T

D O M E :

Witklipfontein Eco Lodge

witklipfontein.co.za

AND THEN, THE ONE A LITTLE FURTHER AFIELD

WITKLIPFONTEIN

ECO

LODGE

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Billions of years ago, a massive asteroid smashed into the Earth in the Free State, leaving behind a dent in the earth’s crust that is now a protected Unesco World Heritage Site, rich in natural biodiversity. It’s here, blended into the surrounding veld through an expert combination of architecture and design, that you’ll find Witklipfontein Eco Lodge. That the Huyberechts family has devoted thought, time, and passion to the creation of this haven is evident in the sensitivity of the award-winning design, where inside and outside are seamlessly intertwined. Each of the four en-suite bedrooms enjoys uninterrupted views of the veld and wild animals that are given free rein to wander where they will on the farm. For breakfast, enjoy eggs from the Huyberechts’ free-range hens and forage in the organic veggie garden for fresh treats to add to your lunchtime salad. That it’s only 90 minutes from the bustle of Jozi is a massive benefit to city slickers looking for a quick escape.

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C A L I T Z D O R P :

Danielskraal Farm

DANIELSKRAAL

Are you gazing out your window dreaming of the quiet, cosy intimacy of a little Karoo farmhouse, where the mountain views outside are endless and your only concerns are where you’ll take your afternoon siesta and how you’ll spice the evening’s lamb bobotie? Danielskraal Farm dates back to 1836 and is your farmhouse dream made firm reality. Take your pick of three impeccably decorated rooms (there is a fourth for the little ones), settle yourself in, and disconnect. The farm is unique in that it’s managed to remain true to its Karoo roots through little touches like its whitewashed walls, reed ceilings, and pretty sash windows, but it also offers a modern and updated take on farm living. Not that you’ll want to leave, but the quaint town of Calitzdorp is only ten minutes away and offers a bevy of cute little restaurants run by colourful locals in addition to arts and crafts of all shapes and sizes.

FARM

danielskraalfarm.co.za

CAMP U T A H ,

SARIKA

U S A :

Camp Sarika

While the soaring canyons and dusky mesas of Utah might remind you of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, that’s where the similarity ends. No sleeping on the rough ground and fending off rattlesnakes at Camp Sarika. Created by Joburg design firm Luxury Frontiers, the ten very private

tented pavilions are nestled into the rocky crags of the Utah desert. Their expansive patio areas are perfect for basking in the sun during the day and taking in the breathtaking splendour of the stars at night. Each two- or three-bedroom pavilion comes equipped with its own fire pit, and a heated

splash pool for those midnight swims. Activities offered by the resort include kayaking on the crystal-clear waters of nearby Lake Powell and the obligatory hot-air balloon experience. For an authentically immersive stay, book the sunset pavilion for its epic views and total seclusion. aman.com/resorts/amangiri

07 / 2020

RR EA DDAA L EL R TT EA ER

Michele Magwood portrait Shannon Daniels text

01.

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0 03.

COLD COMFORT What? You’ve got somewhere better to go? We didn’t think so. Rather stay home with this stockpile of fantastic new books

11. 1. THE RESTAURANT: A HISTORY OF EATING OUT

William Sitwell This is sure to stoke your appetite (even more) for dining out. It’s a bulging compendium of history, sociology, and gossip that ranges from an inn in Pompeii through the Ottoman Empire to post-war deprivation and the rise of veganism. The acerbic English restaurant critic writes with wit and intense zeal for his subject. (Simon & Schuster)

2. DUE SOUTH OF COPENHAGEN

Mark Winkler Winkler has steadily established himself as a major South African writer and this offering hits a new high. Set in a small lowveld town, it centres on a lonely man, the editor of the local knock-anddrop, who bears hidden scars of the Border War. (Penguin Random House)

3. ELEPHANTS: BIRTH, DEATH AND FAMILY IN THE LIVES OF THE GIANTS

Hannah Mumby How much do elephants really remember? How do they communicate with each other over vast distances? Ecologist Dr Hannah Mumby has spent years in the field closely observing them and this remarkable account brings new findings to light, including her reflections on how they think and feel. ( Jonathan Ball Publishers)

4. MY DARK VANESSA

Kate Elizabeth Russell This book has bubbled up these cloistered weeks, talked about much on social media and by our favourite booksellers at Love Books, always the gold standard of recommendations. It’s the story of the sexual relationship between a teenager and her teacher, what Stephen King called “A package of dynamite.” (HarperCollins)

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04. 04.

06.

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10. 09. 5.SUCH A FUN AGE

Kiley Reid Smack on the zeitgeist, what the author describes as “a comedy of good intentions” revolves around a black babysitter accused of kidnapping her white charge in Philly. What results is a fast social satire about race, class, and privilege. (Bloomsbury)

6. THE TERRORIST ALBUM: APARTHEID’S INSURGENTS, COLLABORATORS, AND THE SECURITY POLICE

Jacob Dlamini Only three survive: diabolical dossiers of apartheid’s enemies and struggle operatives that used to be covertly distributed to police across the country. One found its way into historian Dlamini’s hands, and his investigation of the people named in it, and the cops themselves, promises to be stunning. (Harvard University Press)

7. THE GLASS HOTEL

Emily St John Mandel Best known for her mega-selling pandemic novel Station Eleven, here Mandel spins out a flawless tale of schadenfreude and Ponzi schemes, greed, depression, and addiction. I loved the main setting on Vancouver Island, a place wild and safe and sinister at the same time. (Pan Macmillan)

8. THE UPSIDE OF DOWN

Bruce Whitfield The subtitle is irresistible: How Chaos and Uncertainty Breed Opportunity in South Africa. This is what we need to hear and the amiable Whitfield is the expert to listen to. “It’s in the very crisis in which South Africa finds itself today that there lies an enormous opportunity for renewal, growth and optimism.” (Pan Macmillan)

9. SEARCHING FOR SIMPHIWE

Sifiso Mzobe Since he won the Sunday Times Fiction Prize a decade ago, we’ve been waiting patiently for a new book from Mzobe. Here it is at last: a string of punchy short stories that showcase the Durban native’s acute eye and deep humanity. (Kwela Books)

10. SHUGGIE BAIN

Douglas Stuart Billed as one of the debuts of the year, this is a wrenching and wise story of a young boy growing up in depressed Glasgow in the ’80s, struggling with his mother’s alcoholism and his own mystifying sexuality. Written in the rich idiom of that place, it’s an unforgettable novel. (Pan Macmillan)

11. ONE TWO THREE FOUR: THE BEATLES IN TIME

Craig Brown As in his dazzling portrait of Princess Margaret, Ma’am Darling, Brown presents telling vignettes reflecting the brilliance of the Fab Four. Anecdotes abound about crackpot hangers-on and deranged tribute groups. Tolkien snubbed them; Muhammad Ali called them sissies; Bob Dylan introduced them to drugs. (HarperCollins)

Wade Bales

DRINKS CABINET

HILLTOP

HIGHLIGHT NAME TO KNOW:

HERRADURA

his ultra-premium tequila is crafted using the most mature blue agave, and nothing else. Fermented naturally with wild yeast, expect a touch of anise and spice on the nose, followed by a palate that’s as sweet and smooth as vanilla butter.

Here’s an elegant wine to lift your mood. A deep purple hue alludes to the depth that awaits as you drink it. Concentrated dark fruit aromas with liquorice, violet, and white pepper notes abound. The palate is rich and broad with layers of fruit and a fine-grained tannin structure. Pair with a slow-roasted lamb shank, new potatoes, and lightly charred vegetables.

Hailing from Barbados since 1705, Mount Gay prides itself on being the oldest existing rum company in the world. Its premium label, Black Barrel Rum, is a smallbatch, handcrafted

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Rum ROYALTY

FROM KYOTO

WITH LOVE blend of matured double-pot distillates and aged-column distillates. It’s then matured for a second time in deeply charred bourbon-oak barrels. The result? A bold rum with balanced notes of pepper, spiced fruit, oaky vanilla, and sweet caramel.

HE FIRST Japanese gin made in the sacred mountains of Kyoto, Ki No Bi is created with yellow yuzu, hinoki wood chips, bamboo, green tea and green sansho ( Japanese peppercorn) berries. Possessing a recognisably dry style, its accent is decidedly Japanese, no doubt thanks to its indigenous ingredients and rice-spirit base.

Situated high in Scotland’s Cairngorm mountains lies the Tamnavulin Distillery — “The Mill on the Hill” in Gaelic, named after the old wool mill on the banks of the River Livet and Corrie Stream. Its Tamnavulin Speyside Double Matured single malt offers aromas of toffee, apple, and zesty marmalade, which lead into fresh pear, creamy peaches, pineapple and demerara sugar flavours. A signature Speyside malt.

Launched in 2018, Proper No

Twelve is a blended Irish whiskey produced by former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion, Conor

McGregor.

Crafted with the help of former Bushmills distillery manager David Elder, it is triple distilled at one of Ireland’s oldest distilleries and matured in ex-bourbon barrels before being

IT’S A KNOCKOUT

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bottled at 40% alcohol by

volume. Look out for fruity, honeyed notes first, backed up by a kick of white pepper. Twelve is named in homage to McGregor’s hometown Crumlin, located in the Dublin 12 area.

With over two decades of experience in the luxury-drinks market, Wade Bales’ passion is sourcing really great drinks and sharing them with really great people

PA R T N E R S H I P

IT’S AFRICA, BREW text

Richard Holmes

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“W

E CAME into the game to tell an African story,” explains Lethu Tshabangu, “to claim an African space in the craft-beer industry”. The driving force behind Ukhamba Beerworx, Cape Town’s first blackowned craft brewery, Tshabangu’s passion for craft beer comes from humble beginnings: pulling pints at a bar in Cape Town. But Tshabangu was inspired, and he soon began home brewing on the kitchen stove. In 2017 he launched Ukhamba Beerworx with his own microbrewery and taproom in the suburb of Woodstock. But he soon realised that running a brewery is no easy task. “It was my first business and there was a lot to learn. Mistakes were made,” admits Tshabangu. In late 2018 he changed tack to partner with Signal Hill Products, owner of leading craftbeer brand Devil’s Peak. “We are still independent, but now we make our beer with their state-ofthe-art systems. That’s helped us a lot, both in brewing and distribution,” says Tshabangu, who is passionate about infusing a sense of African identity into the craft-beer industry. “Most modern beer styles have their origins in European countries. I thought, why can’t we make beer with ingredients from Africa for an African palate?” says Tshabangu. “We’re here

UKHAMBA BEERWORX

Stock up on Lethu Tshabangu’s exceptional craft beers and put his Cape Town taproom on the list for when the good times roll again

CEDERBERG BREWERY to tell that African story.” That story is best told in the beer dubbed “Utywala”. Here Tshabangu blends Belgian Saison yeasts with sorghum malt — a key ingredient in traditional African umqombothi — to fashion a fragrant farmhouse ale with an African twist. Tshabangu has also garnered plenty of attention for his India pale ale (IPA) — cheekily called “State Capture” — alongside the crisp lager-style “iBhiya”. “We live in a hot climate. It’s a beer made for African summers,” says Tshabangu. In 2019 Tshabangu took on a new partner in South African actor, producer, and filmmaker, Thapelo Mokoena. The pair opened the Ukhamba Beerworx Taproom in Claremont, Cape Town, pairing Ukhamba brews with generous platters of lip-smacking shisanyama. “We wanted to have a home for the brand,” explains Tshabangu. “Our own space where we can move volumes of beer, and create a culture associated with Ukhamba.” As with so many restaurants in the country, the Covid-19 lockdown has hit the taproom hard. “We’re standing on one leg, trying to keep it surviving, but each day that lockdown lasts is killing us,” says Tshabangu with a sigh. “And in the future, we don’t know, with the new culture of social distancing. How long will it take until people are comfortable in crowded public spaces?” He’s not one to take a setback lying down though. Ukhamba will soon launch an online store, creating a direct route to market, and Tshabangu is looking ahead to a brave new world of brews. He hopes to revisit the “Black Honey Vol 1”, an imperial stout created as a collab with brewer JC Steyn from Devil’s Peak Brewing Company, as well as the unusual “Red Brick Shit House”, a 10% alcohol-by-volume barley wine made in collaboration with Hop Hazard Brewing. “There are a lot of other projects that are still coming. We want to make beers that a rural boy from somewhere in Africa can drink, and relate to,” says Tshabangu. “We want to use African herbs, we want to use more African grains. Those are the stories we want to tell in our beer.” ukhambabeerworx.co.za

THREE MORE TO FIND

CEDERBERG BREWERY, CEDERBERG

---------------------------------------In these far-flung mountains you can now sip on awardwinning wines and top-notch craft brews. Made with mountain spring water, the “Voertsek” IPA is superb, and pays subtle tribute to famed local author C Louis Leipoldt. cederbergbrewery.com

SAGGY STONE BREWERY, NUY VALLEY

---------------------------------------Hidden between the valleys of the Langeberg mountains, a visit to Saggy Stone’s charming country brewhouse allows for a taste of more than a dozen creative craft brews. saggystone.co.za

SAGGY STONE BREWING COMPANY OLD POTTER’S INN AND BREWHOUSE

OLD POTTER’S INN AND BREWHOUSE, GREYTON

---------------------------------------Situated in a century-old building on the main road through town. Alongside the excellent “City Slicker” pale ale, look out for the unique rice beer dubbed “My China”; a collaboration with one of Cape Town’s favourite ramen bars. oldpottersinn.co.za

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ssential beauty potions? A good sheet mask is a definite biweekly must. I’m also obsessed with the Capture Youth Glow Booster age-delay illuminating serum from Dior. I can’t go on without it, and my Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant. Lastly, the best investment anyone can make for their skin is collagen. I’m currently taking the Motherkind version and good old 1 000mg vitamin C. Favourite perfume? It really depends on the occasion. My top everyday perfume is Ex Nihilo’s Sweet Morphine and my holiday choice is Givenchy L’Interdit. The floral notes are perfect for that. Building everyone should visit before they die? The Palatine Chapel in Palermo, Sicily. The patterns inside this sanctuary are breathtaking and you can even spot one or two of your favourite

Dolce & Gabbana Sicily collection prints, which are inspired by the beautiful city. Essential tech? My Macbook Pro. My whole life is on there — from my clothing store to my writing, designs, and brand ideas. It’s one piece of equipment that services all the work I do. Best place to eat out? I found an absolute gem last year, Les Créatifs in Bryanston. The menu changes every month so currently everything is my favourite. Dream purchase? A Lamborghini Urus in black. It’s such a beautiful car. Currently reading? We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. All-time favourite luxury brand? I have a few, but if I had to pick, it would be Chanel. Every collection is timeless. Not a lot of brands have been able to produce chic items so consistently. Design inspiration? I’m fortunate to

be in the advertising industry as a creative director. I draw a lot of my inspiration from other creatives around me, where I grew up, our beautiful country — which has allowed me to tell authentic stories in the work I create. Listening to? Andrea Bocelli and then Beyoncé and then Andrea Bocelli again. Weird, I know! Artists you’ve got your eye on? Zwelethu Machepha and Fhatuwani Mukheli. Ideal way to spend a Sunday morning? Breakfast with my husband. No phones, just us, food, and some mimosas. Book you’d take to a desert island? Art: The Definitive Visual Guide by Andrew GrahamDixon. I could never get tired of looking at art. Series you’ve been bingeing? I’ve just finished Fargo, which was beautifully shot and directed. Your fashion icon? Donyale Luna. She was also the first black woman to

appear on the cover of British Vogue in 1966. When travel resumes as normal, where would you immediately book a ticket to? If the F1 calendar resumed it would be whichever city that’s in first. If not, we would head to the Bahamas — our trip there was cancelled because of Covid-19. Next on your list of must-have items? A black calfskin Dior tote. I have the blue Oblique Embroidery tote — it’s my everyday bag. It’s been the secondmost convenient bag I’ve bought to date; it’s even taken over the Louis Vuitton Neverfull’s place. First thing that goes in your grocery cart? Crème fraiche. Favourite city in the world? Johannesburg! It’s a melting pot of creativity, luxury, and culture. An indulgence you would never forgo? A monthly spa day and high tea for myself, alone. It really helps me realign.

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MPUMI NGWENYA-TSHABANGU This advertising creative also owns the fabulous online fashion store House of Martha & Alinah, and oozes sophisticated style 1. Art: The Definitive Visual Guide by Andrew Graham-Dixon 2. Chanel 3. Givenchy L’Interdit 4. Beyoncé 5. Fargo 6. Donyale Luna on the cover of British Vogue in 1966 7. Black calfskin Dior tote 8. Sweet Morphine by Ex Nihilo

B OSCHENDAL N ICOLAS A luscious blend of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot , Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. BLENDED DISTINCTION.