First Published in
Two independent Cape Town design stalwarts, whatiftheworld and Stiaan Louw have responded to the retail call of Johannesburg. True to their hometown, however, they’re defying convention.
CO-OP is an inspired cooperative showroom in the reurbanised area of Braamfontein. As such, the whatiftheworld gallery space in Cape Town gets to migrate to the north, Open think-tank gets more exposure, and the Dokter and Misses wunderkinds establish a workshop where larger design pieces such as dining room tables and shelves can be manufactured and displayed.
Billed as a “platform for new and emerging work in the fields of contemporary art and design” that will “feature a diverse programme of exhibitions, events and exclusive collaborations”, the opening night was just that. Among others, the much-missed David West had a range of T-shirts displayed on an Adriaan Hugo rack, visual artist Marcel Marcel was represented in The Cabinet (a corner room that will house fashion installations in the future), and Dokter and Misses used the loading ramp to showcase Morf, mutated versions of their utilitarian pieces with lamps ingeniously redesigned as cute dogs.
Justin Rhodes of whatiftheworld and Katy Taplin of Dokter and Misses agree that an organic, dynamic process will govern future collaborations. “Sometimes we’ll travel an exhibition from Cape Town up to Jo’burg. But we’ll also find new, young, undiscovered artists to do solo exhibitions and do video projects, contemporary art and product design, little location launches, and one-night things…” said Rhodes.
Strictly fashion, on the other hand, Stiaan Louw has also migrated north, albeit temporarily. With a strong online following and a growing need to stock Jo’burg fashionistas, Louw was struggling to find an outlet that adequately represented the brand image of his fashion label.
Instead of spending precious overhead on permanent space that wasn’t correct, Louw popped up at the Glaceau Vitamin Water Pop-up Store in 44 Stanley and in another temporary showroom-style environment in The Refinery in Milpark. He sees the Jo’burg market as interesting: “The clientele we have there seems more diverse as opposed to Cape Town. I am interested in exploring this and how it will effect the future development of the brand.”
Since then Louw has decided to stock his range at new Greenside store The Street, but maintains that he “will still continue to find unique and innovative ways of addressing and expanding the Johannesburg market”.
Two independent Cape Town design stalwarts, whatiftheworld and Stiaan Louw have responded to the retail call of Johannesburg. True to their hometown, however, they’re defying convention.
CO-OP is an inspired cooperative showroom in the reurbanised area of Braamfontein. As such, the whatiftheworld gallery space in Cape Town gets to migrate to the north, Open think-tank gets more exposure, and the Dokter and Misses wunderkinds establish a workshop where larger design pieces such as dining room tables and shelves can be manufactured and displayed.
Billed as a “platform for new and emerging work in the fields of contemporary art and design” that will “feature a diverse programme of exhibitions, events and exclusive collaborations”, the opening night was just that. Among others, the much-missed David West had a range of T-shirts displayed on an Adriaan Hugo rack, visual artist Marcel Marcel was represented in The Cabinet (a corner room that will house fashion installations in the future), and Dokter and Misses used the loading ramp to showcase Morf, mutated versions of their utilitarian pieces with lamps ingeniously redesigned as cute dogs.
Justin Rhodes of whatiftheworld and Katy Taplin of Dokter and Misses agree that an organic, dynamic process will govern future collaborations. “Sometimes we’ll travel an exhibition from Cape Town up to Jo’burg. But we’ll also find new, young, undiscovered artists to do solo exhibitions and do video projects, contemporary art and product design, little location launches, and one-night things…” said Rhodes.
Strictly fashion, on the other hand, Stiaan Louw has also migrated north, albeit temporarily. With a strong online following and a growing need to stock Jo’burg fashionistas, Louw was struggling to find an outlet that adequately represented the brand image of his fashion label.
Instead of spending precious overhead on permanent space that wasn’t correct, Louw popped up at the Glaceau Vitamin Water Pop-up Store in 44 Stanley and in another temporary showroom-style environment in The Refinery in Milpark. He sees the Jo’burg market as interesting: “The clientele we have there seems more diverse as opposed to Cape Town. I am interested in exploring this and how it will effect the future development of the brand.”
Since then Louw has decided to stock his range at new Greenside store The Street, but maintains that he “will still continue to find unique and innovative ways of addressing and expanding the Johannesburg market”.
