5 South African Brands to Support this Festive Season
As South Africa’s lockdown continues, it’s now more important than ever to support local businesses and seek out products that are homegrown. Luckily, you don’t have to look very far to ‘love local’ so if your festive season celebrations involves spoiling yourself or friends and family then you can’t go wrong with buying your gifts from these 5 South African born brands.
Love local décor
Biggie Best is a South African brand that continues to make its mark in the home décor space, with a nod to heritage in everything they do. The good news is that Biggie Best products are now even easier to get your hands on as local linen specialist, Volpes, now proudly showcases the much-loved Biggie Best in their store, as well as online. Shop for your Biggie Best favourites at Volpes and you’ll get the joy of supporting two local brands at once!
Love local jewellery
At The Makery Johannesburg-based design team Heidi Gresty and Jacquie Myburgh Chemaly are sourcing and creating jewellery and accessories they hope other women will love as much as they do. Much of The Makery collection consists of beaded Heartstrings — their signature beaded necklaces in a wide range of styles. Beading in Africa is an age-old tradition, and The Makery is continuing the tradition, albeit with a contemporary touch.
The much anticipated elasticated wrap bracelets, made from Japanese Miyuki and Delica beads with Swarovski crystals and assorted silver and gold charms, create a stacker that wraps around the average wrist six times. Available in five eye-catching colours, think shades of teal, aqua, pinks, corals, rose gold, black and indigo, you can create a bespoke look and mix and match with any outfit.
Love local bags and accessories
Fun and fabulous, two words that epitomise all that is Lou Harvey. No matter what she’s creating, SA’s much-loved material girl loves botanicals and motifs that pay homage to nature, as well as bold floral prints. Lou takes inspiration from a variety of sources: elements of nature, architecture, exotic destinations like Morocco, and of course, our beautiful local landscape.
You’ll find these designs across her entire collection with an endless list of choices and items to make you feel inspired. There’s everything from bags (for the beach, your laptop or cosmetics, stationery or school lunches) to towels, as well as backpacks and aprons for kids.
Love local art
The brainchild of South African mother, Nelia Kennedy, Kunz helps parents to transform their child’s art into beautiful, one-of-a-kind décor pieces. Born from an attempt to cherish her own child’s artworks in a beautiful artistic way, Kunz was Kennedy’s way to bring her solution to fellow parents in South Africa.
Kunz will enhance, enlarge and frame your child’s artwork with special customisation to suit your home. Instead of having your child’s artwork on the fridge or thrown into a box and often lost, consider having them printed and framed making them everlasting. A Kunz creation makes a fantastic gift for dad, mom, grandma, grandpa or even a new sibling arrival. It’s personal and special.
Love local spirits
Inspired by the biodiversity of the Cape Floral Kingdom, Abstinence is a sophisticated, layered, complex non-alcoholic spirit made using a proprietary artisanal single batch distillation process similar to craft gin-making. The botanicals are extracted by maceration and infusion and distilled with the same distilling equipment used in gin making, but without alcohol for extraction, meaning more of each of the botanicals are needed.
Each Abstinence spirit variant has a distinct, indigenous hero ingredient that is unmistakably and authentically South African. The Cape Citrus variant has Buchu and Western Cape Citrus at its core, the Cape Spice variant captures a medley of spices and Honeybush and the newest addition to the range, Cape Fynbos, showcases Rose Geranium. Abstinence Cape Fynbos is a beautifully floral creation including Juniper berries, Angelica root and Coriander which imbue it with trademark gin flavours and slightly bitter, slightly herbal, and faintly nettle-like notes. It’s best served with premium tonic water, lemon peel and fresh berries.