Cherrie Nice

Delving into South Africa's history, Stoned Cherrie first grabbed my attention with a tshirt that featured the cover of an old issue of (South African) Drum magazine.

It was the photograph of Steve Biko, a writer and anti-apartheid activist. Gone was the European inspired clothing that we'd always seen... and here was the new generation of South African dress. Something for people who wouldn't dress in full traditional clothing, or wear something that held any obvious connections to a specific heritage. It simply said, "I am South African".



The woman who started all this is Nkhensani Nkosi. She's a ball of energy who started the company in 2000, and it has gone from strength to strength, showing well at South African fashion shows and reaching the masses through the South African store Woolworths (not the ones that you'll know from the US or the UK). Nkhensani has also been a presenter on TV shows, acted in the theatre production Sophiatown, and is involved in a myriad of other projects. She oozes creativity!





I love the mix of what can be seen as African colors, or silhouettes, or ideas, and mixed them all up in global trends, pattern, and movements. These are shots from a show a couple years back but you can see more of her cool designs on the very cool Stoned Cherrie website.