A collective of local designers and artists enhance the BIRKENSTOCK Art & Sole concept store at 44 Stanley, celebrating 250 years of shoemaking tradition with an African flair.

Designed as an experiential space, Art & Sole commemorates the unique history of the brand while also celebrating the work of local artists and designers, including Mpho Vackier, Naledi Modupi and Mandla Thabethe, to give it a distinctly South African feel. 

The concept store, designed by TDC&Co, is inspired by the materials that make up BIRKENSTOCK shoes – cork, leather, jute and metal – every fabric and finish is representative of the iconic footwear. The celebratory store illustrates how dedication to shoemaking tradition, since 1774, has created an iconic footwear collection and brand motivated by a single purpose – to allow walking as nature intended. 

Leading South African designer and founder of TheUrbanative Mpho Vackier provided thoughtfully selected furniture and decor pieces that echoed the natural elements and materials of the BIRKENSTOCK shoe: cork, wood, metal and leather.

Local artist Naledi Modupi illustrated the collectable custom box sleeves, which shoppers receive when purchasing shoes at Art & Sole. Naledi’s “The opportunity to work on these designs for BIRKENSTOCK has been a moment to solidify stories around authenticity through genuine representation,” she says. ”What an honour it is to contribute to such a meaningful legacy – I hope the fresh and proudly South African perspectives I bring also pay homage to the roots that make BIRKENSTOCK special”. 

In a commitment to supporting the work of local fashion design, BIRKENSTOCK also called on Mandla Thabethe, founder and designer at Project Inflamed, to showcase his Soweto Born designs at the launch of the new store.

The store also plays host to a travelling art installation by Henry Leutwyler, entitled Walk This Way, which highlights the rich heritage of the brand. The exhibition will travel to over 25 locations globally, celebrating the brand’s legacy and craftsmanship.  

Step into the BIRKENSTOCK Art & Sole concept store at 44 on Stanley until 16 December. | bashafrica.com

Don’t forget to sign up to our weekly newsletter for the latest architecture and design news.

The post Step into the BIRKENSTOCK Art & Sole Concept Store appeared first on Visi.

Mother-daughter duo Betina Swart and Kelly-Grace Gibberd have opened a bright and inclusive new store at Joburg’s 44 Stanley.

One look at local fashion brand Me&B‘s social media, and their ethos is apparent: this label is all about inclusivity and fun. The re-shares of Instagram posts by customers of varying shapes, sizes and ages, showing off the threads Kelly-Grace Gibberd and Betina Swart have designed, speak volumes. Women have an affinity for their bold, eclectic kit, and want to feel part of the Me&B community. “We create clothing that invites you to step out and show the world who you are while still looking stylishly tailored and feeling supremely comfortable,” the duo explains.

READ MORE: Cool Spaces: Glow Theory Store at Joburg’s 44 Stanley

Manifesting this essence as a physical store (versus their very popular online shop) was a task undertaken by Roxanne Ferreira of Arrange Studio. The finished product is an apt kaleidoscope of colour, warmth and stand-out features. In a nod to a New York loft showroom, Roxanne decided to incorporate the Stanley Avenue space’s original industrial shell by leaving the ceiling services exposed and the floors untouched. And marrying these elements with bright colours and organic curvy shapes means the store has a strong Memphis Group spirit too.

“I wanted the store to feel spacious and create a positive shopping experience, with enough space
to sit, enough mirrors to see what the different pieces or colours will look like on you, and the correct lighting – not too bright, just enough to feel welcomed and see what’s on offer,” Roxanne says. The team also enjoyed using inexpensive materials in different and unusual ways. Coloured Perspex sheets became cladding, colourful tiles cover display plinths, and moveable painted pine boards create mobile backdrops that allow the team to play with space. Vintage vases and vessels sourced by Roxanne add a final layer of playfulness and depth to an already joyful spot.

Looking for more interior design inspiration? Sign up to our weekly newsletter, here

The post Cool Spaces: Me&B at Joburg’s 44 Stanley appeared first on Visi.

Designed by Roxanne Ferreira, the Glow Theory store at Joburg’s 44 Stanley is as much a must-visit for those who admire sleek, contemporary interior design as it is an essential shopping destination for SA’s growing legion of fans of Korean beauty products.

Korean beauty – AKA K-Beauty – products have been taking over the planet in the past decade. Focused on skincare rather than on makeup, K-beauty combines innovative formulas and scientifically tested ingredients to create personally curated, multistep skincare routines. Add playful packaging and, in many cases, affordable pricing, and it’s no wonder that, in 2019, the worldwide market for K-beauty products clocked in at a staggering $10-billion (about R158-billion). Korean brands such as Laneige, Dr.Jart+ and Innisfree have also helped launch entirely new beauty product categories, including sheet masks, skin essences and BB creams.

In South Africa, multibrand K-beauty retailer Glow Theory was launched in 2017, and has been so successful, it’s become something of a cult favourite and leader in the K-beauty space locally. So it’s no wonder that, late in 2021, the brand branched out into a brick-and-mortar space at 44 Stanley in Johannesburg – and its first store is a delightful pastel dream brought to life by young interior and product designer Roxanne Ferreira of Arrange Studio.

No stranger to retail design, with her previous work for brands such as Freedom of Movement also bringing much-needed life into the shopping landscape, this time around Roxanne aimed to create “an environment that feels like being in a candy store, and something fresh and vibrant”, she says. “I wanted the colours to feel reminiscent of warm, glowy skin in different tones. So I looked at the brand’s main colour – pink – and used it as the base, then built around it by introducing lighter and darker tones in the same colour family.”

Like K-beauty, which makes use of myriad naturally derived ingredients, the Glow Theory space needed to feel playful and inviting; a focus on materials that reference nature was key too. “Natural materials also played a role,” says Roxanne, “with the use of plywood adding warmth and texture.” Finally, she explains, the Glow Theory brand’s “secondary cobalt-blue colour was used sparingly throughout as an accent or where impact was needed, for example in the signage”.

In addition to her interiors, Roxanne’s product designs have also recently got the local design world’s attention in a major way. Her debut product, the Paradise Light, was one of 2021’s standout pieces – it was showcased in VISI 116 (and in this story, here), and features proudly in the new Glow Theory store alongside a few more custom pieces, including a bench design created in collaboration with Krafted Design Studio. In short, Roxanne’s work is putting her own aesthetic and that of the brands she’s partnering with firmly on our radar.

Looking for more interior design inspiration? Sign up to our weekly newsletter, here, or take a look at the design concept behind the Tshepo store.

The post Cool Spaces: Glow Theory Store at Joburg’s 44 Stanley appeared first on Visi.

It was a forced change that threw Fiona Pole and Didier Presse, the unsuspecting owners of The Atelier, into retail. Having relocated from Paris with their two young sons, the couple initially moved into a hidden upstairs studio at 44 Stanley, Johannesburg, where they set up their respective businesses as a fine-art printmaker and a framer.

But with no passing trade, business was slow and their anxiety increased when they were told that their workspace was to be bundled with others and rented to a hairdresser. Their only option was to move on or take a larger, more expensive shop downstairs. The couple took a leap of faith and decided to expand the business to include the sale of limited-edition prints and a selection of unusual books for adults and children.

“The space was conceived around wanting to use my working antique press as a focal point as well as the fact that we needed two workspaces – for printing and framing,” explains Fiona. “The aesthetic of the centre with its industrial fittings and pared-down look was an important consideration that we carried through into the interior of the shop.”

Now business is booming with an increased demand for art works by a range of popular local artists (most of which sell for less than R5 000) as well as Didier’s custom-made archival and
eco-friendly frames.

The Atelier has also found a niche among bibliophiles. “The books have been flying off the shelves, so much so that in the beginning I had to borrow my son Luka’s prized books for placeholders while I waited for orders,” says Fiona.

072 177 2555, theatelier@webmail.co.za

The post The right frame of mind appeared first on Visi.

The super-trendy Wyatt Hairdressing and Barbering salon, designed by Dokter + Misses with some designs by Joe Paine, is featured in our SPRINGLOADED VISI 68. The exquisite shoot was produced by our inimitable deputy editor Annemarie Meintjes and here she shares some outtakes and details that particularly stood out for her. Annemarie writes:

The Wyatt hair salon is situated on the top floor of a rescued double-storey building at 44 Stanley, just behind the old Metal Box building in Millpark, Johannesburg. I loved the way the designer trio Dokter and Misses and Joe Paine didn’t try to upgrade the space to the nouveau, freshly built type of space usually occupied by hair and beauty specialists, but rather worked with the given – even taking their design cues from it. 

To see the full Wyatt shoot, get the SPRINGLOADED VISI 68 at selected stockists or the digital edition right now. 

The post Wyatt interior style tips from Annemarie appeared first on Visi.

With new, larger premises at 44 Stanley and a Danish manufacturing deal under her belt, Anatomy’s Andrea Kleinloog is winning over local and international design fans.

Andrea Kleinloog has just returned from “the wildest trip of my life – it was like The Hangover, but in Paris,” she says, starting with Andrea and her design/business partner Megan Hesse spending their very first morning in Paris in jail. 

“We got into what turned out to be an illegal taxi [at the airport]. The police arrested him and whisked us off to the station as soon as we arrived at our hotel. We didn’t think it was serious, but they separated us and made us give independent statements,” she says. 

When the French police finally let the pair go it was with a warning: “This is a dangerous city.”

“We’re from Jo’burg,” they both said. 

The trip was, in part, for Andrea and Megan to see “what is going on in Europe, find niche brands that suit us – and use that to work out what we can make here”. 

Andrea was also meeting with a Danish lighting company, which will be taking over manufacturing her signature sleek metal Lab Light. 

“When I got the email from Denmark I thought it was more spam,” Andrea says. Instead, it turned out to be a major global manufacturing deal with a number of benefits for Andrea and her interiors/design business Anatomy Design. 

“We don’t have the capacity [in South Africa] to do many of the [safety] ratings tests,” she says. Now, Andrea will be able to import her own light – ready-boxed – that conforms to American and European lighting standards. 

“It was never my starting point, to manufacture – I started off with interiors,” says Andrea. 

After studying at UCT, Andrea did a postgraduate course at the Greenside Design Centre and worked at Tonic for four years before launching Anatomy. 

In 2011, Anatomy opened its first store at 44 Stanley in Johannesburg and expanded to a bigger store in the centre in 2012. 

The Anatomy store stocks a mix of “smalls” designed by Mia Widlake, and “all the bigger stuff” (designed by Andrea and Megan), which includes furniture and lighting. 

Andrea says her primary design principle is to “solve some sort of problem” rather than reinvent already good designs or products.

“In cities,” she says, by way of illustration, “we’ve found that it’s a nightmare trying to fit everything through doors – so all our products are modular, they can be broken down.” 

Although interiors work still makes up more than 70% of Andrea’s business, the store at 44 Stanley functions as a mini-showroom as well as a place where big and small ideas get to rub shoulders. 

“Even if you can’t afford a R5 000 light, you could get a R300 vase,” she says, before adding: “I hate it when people say something is ‘so expensive’ – you have no idea how expensive it is to make!” 

Anatomy Design, 44 Stanley Avenue, Braamfontein Werf, 011 024 3727, www.anatomydesign.co.za

The post Body of work appeared first on Visi.

Five years after opening at 44 Stanley, Dokter and Misses closed shop for three months earlier this year and reopened with a refurbished store space and intriguing new stock. VISI chats to Katy Taplin about the revamp and Dokter and Misses’s plans, in the article below. Or meet Katy and Adriaan Hugo in person in this Mail&Guardian video.

VISI: Your new gates are amazing.

Katy: I’m scared people will want us to start making gates. Adriaan Hugo, my business partner and husband, is scared people will want us to make gates.

VISI: Okay, we won’t talk about the gates. (Reader’s note: Seriously, of course we have to mention the gates – they’re fantastic!) Aside from the gates, tell us about the changes you’ve made to your space.

Katy: 44 Stanley is really doing a lot. We were finally able to take this whole outdoor space as our own, which also gave us space to show more of Joe Paine’s work. He’s always been very popular, but we needed space and plants to show off his outdoor stuff.

VISI: The yellow Joe Paine trellises hanging over the window are gorgeous. They look almost like Pickup Stix. They’d make awesome burglar bars.

Katy: I think Joe’s scared people will want him to make them burglar bars. The welding might be a security issue.

VISI: What else has Joe got that’s new?

Katy: There’s a new range of ceramic pots called Mesopotamia – one tiered like a ziggurat and another split into three on a single level, like a drawing of chemical bonds. We’ve also changed things with the Kreep Planter – the steel one is now made to order, and Joe has made a new version using plastic pots instead of steel ones, which brings the price down significantly. People always ask me if the pots come included in the price – that’s basically what you’re paying for!

VISI: What have you done with the shop’s interior?

Katy: We’ve cleaned up the space, and taken out all the shoes and T-shirts. People used to come in and ask: “What do you sell?”

We have a new light design – the Conduit Light – on the roof. The light is connected by tubes, almost like an electrical diagram. The lights twist up and down, and you can use them on the wall.

We’ve used the space almost as a testing area for our own renovations at home and products have emerged out of that – like the overhead storage we’ve installed. There are also toilet-roll holders and towel rails that came out of us renovating our bathroom. We were so busy with other projects last year that we became really bad with promotion. We love making stuff, and then we don’t tell anyone about it.

VISI: What other newish – products are in the store?

Katy: We’ve just launched our first range of toy cars – they come completely disassembled. You have to make them yourself with an Allen key. There’s a new standing light, the Sabre Light (as the name would suggest, it’s worthy of Luke Skywalker), and the Lotus Mirror (a progression of the existing mirror range, with a six-sided vertical mirror framed by a folded-in metal oval).

We’ll have pendant lighting in the store soon too. We’re also kind of going mad with colour – we’ve introduced mint, turquoise and grass green. There’s more stuff coming. I want to start doing a newsletter. The workshop is quite interesting, and I want to show more of that.

VISI: Where can we sign up?

Katy: info@dokterandmisses.com 

Dokter and Misses, 44 Stanley Avenue, Braamfontein Werf, 011 025 2469

CO-OP, 68 Juta Street, Braamfontein, 011 023 0336

www.dokterandmisses.com

The post Astroturf and heavy metals appeared first on Visi.