Meet the Editor

mission. Much of what is changing now in the luxury conversation is the cutting out of the middle man – we are rightfully labelling our impeccable legacy of invention and creativity with the names of the original makers. We have a big challenge ahead to reclaim the value chain of luxurygoods production on home soil, but the days of Africa ghost writing and prototyping luxury for the world to package are fading fast. We’ve always had something unique to show.

ON THE NAME YOURLUXURY: I’m ignited by the ‘your’ in YourLuxury Africa. That’s the nerve centre of luxury in the 21st century; ownership and having agency over what you consume and how. The future of African luxury being tailored for us and by us is a thrilling prospect.

ON THE EVOLVING WORLD OF MEDIA: As an 80s baby, I’m part of a unique sect of millennials some are calling ‘the bridge’ because we’ve lived through critical shifts in political, societal, cultural and technological advances. We’ve seen the world move from using floppy discs to USBs to the cloud in one lifetime, so bridge millennials are fluent in change – and quite invigorated by it. Media has taken me on a similar journey since my first taste over 15 years ago, and I’m optimistic about the changes. I grew up at the peak of American and Western influence dominating the media landscape in South Africa, and now I get to not only consume, but also produce content that is inspired by our own lived reality, and that’s incredibly exciting.

I’m also excited by the changes taking place in the world of publishing, making it a more diverse space where smaller players can enter the field and thrive, particularly in the digital sphere. I believe that the more voices there are, the richer the experience will be for readers. Africa is primed to take charge of the world’s increasing gaze on us by owning how our narrative is depicted, and media most certainly will continue to play a pivotal role in recording this shift in the zeitgeist as it happens.

On The Personal Concept Of

LUXURY: My idea of luxury is the ability to personalise and tailor. Whether it’s a hair style, a piece of jewellery or selecting car specs, the freedom to make something more intuitive to my needs is a high form of luxury. We’re moving towards a not-so-distant future where vintage Magugu will hold its weight right next to vintage Dior, so owning something that can tell a story over time without fading in quality, is also luxury to me. I didn’t grow up in a family with tangible heirlooms; I want my children and future generations of my family to own remnants of history that I personally lived to witnessed and managed to preserve. Lastly, owning even the smallest slice of time that I can speed up or slow down at will is an exceptional experience of luxury for me. ■ yourluxury.africa