Watch as Danielle Clough embroiders a portrait of Karl Benz’s wife and business partner, Bertha Benz.

Were it not for Bertha Benz’s investment in Karl Benz’s workshop, and her belief in the couple’s invention, the Benz Patent-Motorwagen would never have received the attention it did as the world’s first patented automobile.

Bertha and Karl became business partners in 1871 and her investment in his work helped Karl develop the first motor vehicle as we know it.

To give her husband the confidence to market their invention, she secretly took a long-distance trip to her mother in 1881 – proving to the world it was safe to use. Without telling Karl, Bertha took her two sons on the pioneering road trip from Mannheim to Pforzheim in Germany (106km).

Theirs is a love story that changed history. The Benz Patent-Motorwagen company later became Mercedes-Benz, and to this day the brand is known for pioneering the best in automotive design and innovation. It was this story that inspired Danielle Clough to embroider a portrait of Bertha to celebrate #MercedesLove for Valentine’s Day this year.

Danielle is a multi-talented visual artist who dabbles in everything from live visuals to design and photography and has become known for her intricate embroidered illustrations.  Watch the video to see how she embroidered a beautiful portrait of Bertha Benz and captured the process in time-lapse photography. 

This article was originally published on mblife.co.za.

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The trend of using eco-friendly and inexpensive shipping containers as business hubs is growing. Now they’re being used to create a contemporary shopping centre in Melville.

Property management company Citiq, known for converting the Newtown grain silos into student accommodation, has embarked on a journey that will change the face of shopping malls. Its new project, called 27Boxes, will be located in Melville, a Joburg suburb known for its arty and vibrant atmosphere.

27Boxes will be 2 400sqm of contemporary retail space built from 63 shipping containers and will house up to 78 shops.

Part of the excitement of 27Boxes is the affordable rentals. At just R2 000 a month, small business owners and boutique businesses will no longer feel excluded from a “mall” experience.

“Affordable shop space geared towards the needs of small entrepreneurs, artists, creative people and food lovers, 27Boxes will provide an ideal environment to attract shoppers and encourage visitors to linger and enjoy what’s on offer from the eclectic mix of tenants,” says Citiq CEO Paul Lapham.

This innovative space will house an art gallery and studios, a couturier, a bakery, a micro-brewery, a furniture manufacturer, a restaurant and a coffee shop, as well as a boutique garden centre, a kiddies’ playground, walkways and an amphitheatre. There will be permanent shops but management will encourage pop-up shops too. This means the vibe and offering of the centre will forever be changing, making for a unique shopping experience. Plus there will be parking – 200 bays to be precise.

As Lapham says, international cities have long used shipping containers as pop-up malls and temporary exhibition stands. Box Park in London and a retail park in Christchurch, New Zealand are just two examples. The 27Boxes shopping experience promises to spearhead the revival of Melville as an interesting and preferred destination for shoppers.

27Boxes is scheduled to open in April 2015.

For more information, visit 27boxes.co.za

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