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Deli of delicious designs : Liz Ogumbo's range of garments are fresh and unique, standard characteristics of all items sold in the store. -
Deli of delicious designs : Recreate milk bottle lights add to the design aesthetic of the deli -
Deli of delicious designs : Undercova underwear stays fresh in the display fridges. -
Deli of delicious designs : From fashion to design items the Collage Fashion Deli is filled with bespoke gems. -
Deli of delicious designs : The layout and design of the shop reflects the beauty and originality evident in all the items on sale. -
Deli of delicious designs : Hot, fresh and proudly South African. -
Deli of delicious designs : Founder, owner and designer, Thulare Monareng, delivered this original concept store and Long Street is a better place for it.
WORDS: Remy Raitt | PHOTOS: Jan Ras
The juxtaposition of clothes, fridges and deli-type decor at the new Collage Fashion Deli in Cape Town leave some passers-by confused. Is it a clothing store, or an up-market fish-and-chips café?
The truth is that the Deli showcases the work of local fashion designers in the most interesting ways.
Owner, founder and designer Thulare Monareng opened the concept store with the idea of creating a tapestry of local design by creative South Africans. The fashions, accessories and design items are unique, and the showroom display really has Cape Town talking.
Exposed brick walls, a red floor and a row of hanging lights highlight the vintage fridges, shopping carts and Coca-Cola crates that display the fashion items. “This is a delicatessen of fashion,” says Thulare. “I spent about three weeks looking in second-hand catering stores and such to find items that reflected a deli space, and then the challenge of translating these items for a new purpose began.”
Items on sale include Kenyan-born singer, model and fashion designer Liz Ogumbo’s range of woman’s clothing, Shirt&Co’s beautifully tailored and detailed men’s and woman’s button-up shirts, Undercova’s underwear, and Thulare’s own self-titled brand and second label, Thuli. Recreate offers lamps made from milk bottles and scales, and pot lids repurposed into clocks.
“Designers are pushing the envelope and I want this to be a space where people can find unique design elements.”
The local artisans who show off their work in the vanguard store will soon be joined by others. The current designers on show are people Thulare has met and whose work she appreciates for its innovation. “Designers are pushing the envelope and I want this to be a space where people can find unique design elements.”
Although the Collage Fashion Deli’s clientele is largely foreign at this point, Thulare is confident that the intrigue the store has caused among locals will soon transform into something more.
In future, the store will also play host to art exhibitions and other events. On Saturday, 16 April, German company Nelou will be there from 10h00 – 22h00, scouting for South African designers to represent overseas.
The Fashion Collage Deli, 219 Long Street, Cape Town. More information: thulare@thularemonareng.com or find them on Facebook.
