5 South African Brands to Support this Father’s Day
As South Africa’s national lockdown continues, it’s now more important than ever to support local businesses and seek out products that are home-grown. Luckily, you don’t have to look very far to ‘love local’ so, if you’re looking to spoil yourself or your dad this month then you can’t go wrong with buying from these 5 South African born brands.
Love local gear with K-Way
Exclusive to South African outdoor retailer Cape Union Mart, K-Way is a proudly South African brand with a factory in Ottery, Cape Town. The company has been around for 40 years and the experience shows in its innovative factory management style (read all about our visit to the K-Way factory here). To give you an idea of the scale of this local factory; the K-Way sewing room floor produced a whopping 450,000 garments in 2014 alone! What’s more, they’re dedicated to providing jobs to locals and upskilling workers from within; in fact, over 75% of its 200 staff have been with the company for 5 years or more.
This month why not spoil dad with some lovely local K-Way magic and keep him warm by gifting him a K-Way Straus Crewneck Fleece (R350), or something more versatile, like the iconic K-Way Felixx Softshell jacket (R899)? Of course, you’ll be chilly this winter as well so while you’re at it, spoil yourself with a lovely, soft K-Way fleece as well!
Love local fashion with Veldskoen
We love when a feel-good story comes full-circle, and the story of how Veldskoen shoes came to be is nothing short of amazing. After watching the opening ceremony for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, Veldskoen founders, Ross Zondagh and Nick Dreyer began brainstorming what the athletes could have been wearing that would have better represented the vibrant spirit and style of South Africa. They came up with an idea to add a pop of colour to the traditional South African veldskoen. Their reimagined take on the beloved shoe captured the hearts of the nation and the interest of global investors.
In less than 5 years, the Veldskoen brand has grown from a small start-up to a global brand. And now, SASCOC’s inclusion of Veldskoen as part of the 2021 official off-field Olympic uniform at the Tokyo 2021 Olympic and Paralympic Games, has created a full-circle moment for the local shoe brand. The brown suede shoes worn by athletes will have soles and laces that come in six different colours — blue, yellow, black, green and red— to represent the colours of the Olympic rings. This Father’s Day, show your support for our 2021 Olympic team by spoiling dad with a pair of Veldskoen in his favourite colour. Or, if dad is rugby mad, gift him a pair of Springbok Rugby veldskoen instead!
The Veldskoen Heritage range is available to buy online from the Veldskoen website at R999 per pair.
Love local grooming with Nul
If your dad is a bit of an eco-warrior then he’ll love Nul shampoo bars. Nul shampoo bars equal zero cruelty, zero palm oil, zero plastic and zero sulphates. Conceptualised, designed and owned by Doug Byrne, a local maker-surfer-slash-lekker-human who has felt a close kinship with the environment since he was a kid, Nul shampoo bars offer an opportunity to do a little kid for the planet and your hair.
Nul shampoo bars produce a creamy rich lather for natural, gentle cleansing and conditioning while being wonderfully gentle on your hair and scalp. Best of all – one bar lasts for roughly 60 to 80 washes, depending on the length of your hair. This is the equivalent of up to three 250 ml bottles of liquid shampoo. Plus, a bar only weighs around 60g and is compact enough to take along on any adventure or travels.
Nul shampoo bars are available online at R120 per bar.
Love local drinks with Symmetry Tonic
Does your dad love gin and tonic? Spoil him with a bottle of Symmetry Tonic and take his G&T game to a new level with this alternative to traditional tonic water. Symmetry is a botanical African tonic concentrate or a ‘muthi’. It can be used as a healthy drinking alternative or as a wonderful African alternative to sugar-laden Indian tonics in a G&T. Symmetry Tonics take the classic G&T from a European-style cocktail and give it a local flavour with health benefits to boot.
Using the Symmetry range of tonics is an easy science when mixing your favourite G&T. Simply mix equal parts Symmetry to your gin and then add water at your discretion. The range includes a Floral Tonic Essence (with Rose Pelargonium, lavender and chamomile), Spice Tonic (the most thirst-quenching and hydrating of the tonics, with cardamom, clove, and Kapokbos), and Symmetry Citrus Tonic Essence (with lemon and grapefruit extracts, as well as fynbos botanicals).
The Symmetry Tonic range is available online at R200 per 500ml bottle.
Love local snacks
The gift of chocolate is a classic Father’s Day gift, but this year why not opt for a healthier option with GD Chocolate’s 100g slabs? The hand-made natural chocolates are preservative-free and made from natural ingredients. Plus, with raw honey as the hero ingredient, these sweet treats are also high in antioxidants and offer a variety of health benefits. The gourmet-quality chocolate range is free of dairy and cane sugar and all products are UTZ certified, so you know you’re choosing the healthier, more nutritious option when reaching for a slab of GD Chocolate rather than just a sugar-laden treat with no health benefits.
The GD Chocolate slabs are available in 7 delicious flavours, including Mint, Vanilla, Himalayan Salt, Orange, Coffee, Rooibos Matcha, and Lemon & Black Pepper. The Mint flavour is my absolute favourite in the range. Made with 71% dark chocolate, the bar has just the right amount of mint to offset some of the bitterness of the dark chocolate and the honey adds a lovely natural sweetness. GD Chocolates are beyond delicious, and it makes me feel a little less guilty about indulging in chocolate knowing it’s packed with good-for-you ingredients.
Find GD Chocolate slabs at Wellness Warehouse at R54.95 per 100g.
