Inspiration: Table

I am a huge fan of Tommy Smythe (I bet you are too!) - I first fell in love while watching him on Sarah's House (I would LOVE to meet her) but have since subscribed to Canadian House & Home, and have become more familiar with his own work. So he's a double whammy - lovely guy and great taste. He's on my mind today... well, more accurately, his table is on my mind...

You can like him on Facebook, or follow him on Twitter... I'm kind of obsessed. I'm not alone... right?

... and you will hear more about that table soon!

Chew-sy News

As you may know, besides running my little blog, I also work as a graphic designer and am completing a night programme in graphic design... so one could say it is one of my passions. Imagine my extreme joy today when I discovered The Chews Magazine, a magazine run by three South Africans, featuring YOU. Yep, its all driven by content sent in by readers.



I love magazines. says the editor on the first page of their first issue, And I love design. It is because of these two passions that Chew was born. The Chew team is a small three man, or rather two men and one woman, show. But you know what they say about small packages. Our dream is to give people the opportunity to send in their contributions, whether visual, verbal or interactive, and serve it up in Chew. It allows folks to experiment, explore and above all, to have fun – making this a magazine for you, by you. More importantly, it is a testament that dreams can and do come true :)



Sounds like my kind of people. Anyway, the first issue, The Dream Issue, is a feast for the eyes. There are ideas on fashion, places to stay all around the world, film, blogs, magazines, bicycles, artists... the list ... goes on!





Besides the fact that the magazine is entirely reader generated, it is only available online. You sign up on the web (great way to get your readership demographics!) and download a 53-page PDF of visual gorging. Sign up here. Halleluja.

Viva Women

Today is Women's Day in South Africa. In celebration of the day, I have chosen to post a little something about Miriam Makeba, Mama Afrika.



I recently started listening to her music, and love it. You can read more about her, and her courageous life, here, but this is a snippet:

"Miriam Makeba began her lifelong struggle at the age of two weeks when she served a sixmonth jail term with her mother. As a girl in South Africa, she worked as a domestic servant for white families. By her teens she had got involved in the progressive jazz scene and was pursuing a singing career.

In 1960, while on tour in the US, Makeba was denied a visa to return home for her mother's funeral. The white South African Government then cancelled her citizenship to punish her for speaking out against apartheid at the United Nations. A defiant Makeba was thrust into the position of being black South Africa's de facto ambassador to the Western world, where she earned the moniker 'Mama Africa'. Her call for an end to apartheid became increasingly powerful, particularly after the Sharpeville massacres, and her recordings were banned in South Africa."

Music counts as design, doesn't it?

Happy Birthday!

Happy birthday, Madiba! Here's to your spirit, style and the Madiba Shuffle.

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.

Koto Bolofo

Koto Bolofo grew up in exile, far away under British skies, instead of those of his native South Africa. He studied graphic design, but moved into photography, documenting his father's return home after 30 years abroad (The Land is White, the Seed is Black), an artist who makes aeroplanes, and also worked in fashion photography (working for various editions of Vogue, GQ, Vanity Fair, and others).

His work speaks for itself.


From The Land is White, the Seed is Black.



From Sibusiso Mbhele and His Fish Helicopter, which showed at the Scout Gallery in London.



I had trouble choosing what to show from his fashion photography, there are so many interesting shots. If you enjoy these, spend some time checking out his portfolio at his agency's website, Jed Root, Inc.



Koto has also published a book, called Racing Style. It is a photographic representation of the Goodwill Revival, which relives the days of the Goodwood Motor Circuit (the British racing venue between 1948 and 1966). As the publisher says on its website, "This edition celebrates Goodwood through the years with engaging and unusual photos. On each luminous page, the reader is invited to peek at details of the era, from the cockpits of bugattis to the competitors and spectators who dress in period clothing. Racing Style artistically captures all these special memories in a timeless edition devoted to beauty and movement".



He is admired by other photographers whose work I enjoy! Check out Sart's entry for the day this photograph was taken.(That's Koto in the green shirt.)

Currently, Koto is working on two books, one on "the secret universe of Hermes" and the other on Venus Williams (that's her in the fashion photos, bottom right). I can't wait.



"Classical, modern and timeless—that's my concept. It always works". - Koto Bolofo