Cape Town Fashion Hot Spot: Maison Mara

WORDS Malibongwe Tyilo

Local fashion devotees can now get their manicured hands on Balenciaga, Kenzo, Jil Sander, Chloé, J. W. Anderson, Margiela, Proenza Schouler and many more international fashion labels, thanks to Maison Mara, a new concept store opened earlier this year by Kelly Mara Withey in Cape Town’s De Waterkant.

The three-storey boutique is set in a heritage building, with interiors done by Withey herself, in collaboration with interior designer Robert Sherwood. Highlights are its wooden floors, a Gaudi-like staircase and bespoke finishes in a must-see marbled bathroom that’s been transformed into a skincare room.

Maison Mara currently has a selection that spans 20 international labels, including Hanneli Rupert’s homegrown accessories label, Okapi. “It is very important to me not to stock each brand individually, but to select brands that fit with a certain sense of style, and that will give our clients an idea of how the different garments can be combined,” says Kelly, explaining the store’s offering, which offers contemporary basics and diffusion lines and investment pieces, alongside candles, magazines, beauty and skincare products.

“My dream for Maison Mara is to be recognised as Africa’s leading concept store, to be what Colette is to Paris, Corso Como to Milan, The Webster to Miami. Each is unique in its own way, I aspire to that.”

Maison Mara is located at 5 Jarvis Street, De Waterkant, Cape Town. The store is open Monday to Friday from 10am until 5pm and on Saturdays from 10am until 4pm. For more information, visit maisonmara.co.za.