South African Design

Festival fashion

Summer is a-comin' - and with it a whole host of outdoor activities, including one of SA's favourites: Music festivals and outdoor parties. These beauties are one-of-a-kind and have been customised by hand. We think they're super cute and festival-ready - throw on some shades and you're good to go! You can get them from Chook Clothing here.

We featured this item in our newsletter this week, along with a curated collection of our favourite items to get you looking festival fabulous. There's a new theme every week, so if you'd like to be kept in the loop, sign up below!

Hello Pretty x Nespresso: Interview with Jean de Wet

Here at HPHQ, we've never met a cup of coffee we didn't like. So you can imagine our delight when Nespresso invited us to check out their beautiful new space in Canal Walk. They'd decided to do something special with this new store; and when we got given a sleeve with three boxes of their famous pods to take home, it took a while for our delicious coffee haze to let us register the design on the sleeves.

On closer inspection, the front and back are two panels of an illustration by the extremely talented Jean de Wet, done exclusively for Nespresso. I promptly made myself a cup of one of my favourites (the Rosabaya), and sat down to examine it. It's quite different from his usual style, and is made up of bright, colourful illustrations of iconic buildings around Cape Town.

I had so many questions to ask - Nespresso put us in touch and a couple of emails later he very graciously answered them!

What made you decide to choose architecture as a means of characterising the city?
Besides being a fan of architecture, I wanted to make the Cape Town recognisable without using any specific natural landmarks, i.e. Table Mountain. So I ended up drawing the view from Table Mountain instead of Table Mountain itself. Each region of the city also has its own recognisable architectural character, which made it a really fun and logical to represent the city in this way.
Do you have any favourite buildings in Cape Town, and where are they on the sleeve?
I have way too many favourites! In fact, all the buildings represented in the illustration are ones I could remember off the top of my head, or ones I searched my memory for. I wanted to show the city based on my own personal knowledge, in order to instill a spirit of spontaneity. I decided to restrict my research no further than what the facades of actual buildings look like. So, in some way, they all have a personal connection to me. But if I had to choose one in the illustration, I’d say the "Block House" on Devil's Peak, because I hardly know anything about it - which makes it kind of creepy and mysterious. I also refuse to Google it, or participate in any discussion pertaining to its origins!
The sleeve is a bit of a departure from your usual style of illustration - what made you decide to go that route?
It was important for me to be able to identify the buildings easily - and a large part of the identification process has to do with colour. The Bo-Kaap area for example is famous for its colourful exteriors, and I really wanted to be able to show that in this illustration. So in a way, my need for "character in colour" allowed me to bend my own rules a bit, and so the rest of it fell into place after some initial test drawings. Since there were so many buildings I had to include, I tried to stick with stylised facades that made it easier for me to place and assemble them. Other than that, I still used my usual process for creating an illustration.
How long did the design process take you, and what medium did you do it in?
From start to finish, it took me just a little over a week. I started with schematic drawings of the city and where each region should be as best as best I could remember. Then made new sketches of the buildings in those regions, figuring out which ones to include. Then a final large pencil sketch (but still slightly rough) of the defined buildings in their places. After scanning that drawing, I started working over it by hand with my Wacom tablet, drawing each building on a different layer in photoshop. Although there are many different colours in this illustration, I tried to re-use as many of the existing colours as possible, going for a large, but unified palette.

For those of you not familiar with Jean's work, you can see more of his phenomenal illustration here and here, and stay in touch on Twitter. In the meantime, enjoy the full illustration in all its glory.

Win with Hello Pretty and Glove Jewellery! - CLOSED

Folks, it finally happened. We found someone with an eyebrow game fiercer than Beyoncé's. Exhibit A:

This handsome fella is brand spanking new from the phenomenally talented Glove Jewellery. He's sterling silver, made by hand, and ridiculously good looking. And the best part? He's looking for a good home. Could it be with you?

Here's what you need to do if you'd like to win him:

Like Hello Pretty and Glove Jewellery on Facebook
Comment on this post telling us why this necklace should be "owl" yours
Get an extra entry by tweeting your reason to @HelloPrettySA

Entries close at midday on Friday 19th September. Hello Pretty's standard competition Ts and Cs apply. Note that only one extra entry per channel will be counted.

Pack it up

Be the king of the swingers with this amazing backpack from Five Past Five. It's hand crafted, hand stitched, and hands down the best looking backpack I've ever seen. Plus, its sturdy sides and geometric shape are perfect for your laptop. Get yours here.

We featured this item in our newsletter this week, along with a curated collection of our favourite bags, sleeves, and covers for those all-important pieces of tech in your lives. There's a new theme every week, so if you'd like to be kept in the loop, sign up below!

Tree-themed treats

I have a huge weakness for pretty cushions, and this one is no different. iSpy's cushion covers are all screen printed by hand and this one's bright, Scandi-inspired print is my favourite. It comes in two different colourways - the one you see here in blue and coral, and an equally delightful coral and pink version.

We featured this item in our newsletter this week, along with a curated collection of our favourite items using trees as a motif. There's a new theme every week, so if you'd like to be kept in the loop, sign up below!

Studio Visit to Leg Studios

If you were to ask us what we like better - good design or good coffee, we'd find it extremely hard to give you an answer. Thankfully, when we invited ourselves round to Leg Studios, we didn't have to choose!

Leon, Giulia, and Tim have created a bright, busy, and welcoming space with something delightful to look at every way you turn.

Leon Erasmus, Giulia Odendaal, and Tim Richert of Leg Studios

Their studio (in the Salt Circle Arcade) is part office, part store, part experimental and creative space. Along with the beautiful Leg products we know and love, they've also selected a handful of items from some local design favourites, and engaged in collaborations with others - see if you can spot them!

The team made us some superlative coffee, and offered us pastries - which means that they're now basically our favourite people on earth. Conversation covered everything from their background in installation design to what makes their creative engines tick, with a few detours discussing boarding schools, impulse purchases, travel, and more.

We were also lucky enough to be allowed a first look at one of their brand new designs - a concrete version of their beautiful butcher block table. Naturally, I fell head over heels in love with it. The only thing stopping me from trying to sneak it out the studio in my handbag was the fact that being concrete, it would take a little more muscle power than I had to spare.

Thanks again, Leg team, for allowing us to invade your studio (and for the coffee and pastries - nom!). We'll definitely be back for another visit - I'll just need to bring a bigger bag for that table...
You can see the rest of the snaps from our visit here.

If you've just found out about Leg Studios for the first time, you can check out their fantastic designs in their Hello Pretty store, and stay in touch with them on Facebook.

Ermahgerd!

I can't even tell you how much joy this brings me. I get a chuckle every time I look at it, and it's on my list of must-haves for my new apartment. This beauty is by Runny Babbit, who actually does custom requests as well, so you can let your imagination run wild! If you want this one specifically (and why wouldn't you), you can get it here.

We featured this item in our newsletter this week, along with a curated collection of our favourite knitted, crocheted, and cross-stitched items from the site. There's a new theme every week, so if you'd like to be kept in the loop, sign up below!

Win with LO and Hello Pretty!

Remember when we were fancy ladies at MBFWCT? And remember when we absolutely swooned over the SS14/15 collection from LO? And remember when you absolutely fell in love with this amazing thing?

Well, hold on to your hats, because the LOvely and very generous Elzanne from LO has decreed that since it's Women's Month, one lucky lady gets to win this amazing piece, straight from the runway. Can you even deal?! We certainly can't.

So, in the spirit of girl power, we'd like you to nominate who you think would make the perfect "Woman in the Red Dress" - friend, girlfriend, family, anybody!

Like Hello Pretty and LO on Facebook
Nominate your Woman in the Red Dress by tagging them in a comment on this post.
Get an entry extra when you tag @HelloPrettySA and your nominee on Twitter or Instagram*
Nominate more than one person - just tag them in separate comment or tweet!
And get an extra entry by leaving a second comment telling us which is your favourite piece from the LO Hello Pretty store.

Basically, we've just given you half a dozen ways to make a special woman's day. So what are you waiting for?

This gorgeous frock is made from linen and silk voile and is a one-off piece straight from the runway. It comfortably fits a size 34/medium. The winner will get this exact piece, in this size. Entries close at midday on Friday 29th August. Hello Pretty's standard competition Ts and Cs apply.

* Please note that only one comment or tag per channel per nominee will be counted.

Pretty Kitty

Cat Brooch by Sam Bear Things on Hello Pretty

Cat people, rejoice! You can indulge your love for furry felines without turning into a crazy cat lady, with this super cute handmade clay brooch from Sam Bear Things. Get your paws on one here.

We featured this item in our newsletter this week, along with a curated collection of our favourite ceramic items from the site. There's a new theme every week, so if you'd like to be kept in the loop, sign up below!

Win with Hello Pretty and Leg Studios! (Closed)

With winter dragging its heels, you might need something to light up those grey days and cold nights. Well, that's where the super talented Leg Studios comes in. They've got one of these amazing Halōs table lamps to give away.

I can hear you all ooh-ing and aah-ing, and for good reason. This art deco inspired lamp is just as beautiful in person. If you'd like it to be yours, here's what you need to do:

Like Hello Pretty and Leg Studios on Facebook
Comment on this post telling us which room in your house you'd light up with this contemporary and cool Halōs Lamp!
Get an extra entry by tweeting @HelloPrettySA*