WORDS Gina Dionisio PHOTOS Justin Patrick Photography

In a powerful meeting of minds and materials, PICHULIK and Studio Lloyd have revealed ‘to hold’ – a collaborative installation presented as part of the CAPSULE section at this year’s Investec Cape Town Art Fair.

Drawing on the ancient arts of knotting, crochet, and weaving, the installation explores the language of rope – not just as a material but as a vessel for feminine knowledge. For centuries, these practices have shaped ritual, trade, and domestic life, encoding care and continuity into every loop and bind. Now, this lineage is brought vividly into the present through a dialogue between two distinct yet complementary practices: PICHULIK, the luxury jewellery atelier known for its bold, sculptural forms; and Studio Lloyd, a design studio celebrated for its handcrafted lighting and objects.

At the heart of the installation is a series of limited-edition embellished bags by PICHULIK. Each is a carrier of meaning, incorporating semi-precious stones, sculptural rope, and symbolic cast brass to evoke ancient ideas of value and adornment.

In response, Studio Lloyd has created a sculptural light landscape that envelops the space. Handwoven and luminous, the structure echoes the rhythms of the bags, transforming rope, stone, and light into an immersive environment.

Together, ‘to hold’ honours craft as a feminist inheritance, reclaiming it as a site of strength, beauty, and contemporary expression. pichulik.com | studiolloyd.com

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The post PICHULIK and Lloyd Unveil ‘to hold’ at ICTAF 2026 appeared first on Visi.

PICHULIK‘s new store at the V&A Waterfront instantly transports visitors to a realm of serenity, a stark contrast to the bustling shopping centre that surrounds it.

The meticulously crafted space embodies the very essence of PICHULIK – a brand renowned for its handcrafted jewellery, contemporary African design, and sculptural forms inspired by feminine mythology.

The vision came to life through a unique collaboration between Katherine-Mary Pichulik, Tracey Chiappini Young and Xandre Kriel. Together, they imagined a space that defied convention, where artistry and commerce would merge seamlessly. The store’s spatial dimensions were carefully crafted using classical geometrical principles, using horizontal lines to draw the eye upward, evoking a reverence reminiscent of a temple or cathedral.

One of the standout features that sets PICHULIK apart is the complete customisation of every element within the store. Traditional jewellery display elements like busts and T-bar stands were intentionally omitted in favour of a more artistic approach. Collaborating with ceramist Belinda Ormond, PICHULIK created the “PICHULIK Deities” – porcelain heads that serve as unique displays for their earrings. The displays themselves are works of art, with ceramic rope gracefully undulating through them, providing the perfect elevation for showcasing bracelets and neckpieces. A Vorster & Braye vessel dipped in pristine white, takes on a new purpose as it showcases the brand’s bespoke bracelets.

“A curvaceous and minimalist sculptural retail environment, that mimics the sculptures of Barbara Hepworth, Constantin Brancussi and Modigliani with the texture and gravitas of classic greco-roman marble artefacts. In contrast to the traditional shopping centre environment, the new store was designed to feel temple-like, serene and elevating. A gentle dance with form and texture- providing an inviting backdrop where the PICHULIK pieces are the focal point,” elaborate Katherine-Mary Pichulik and Tracey Chiappini-Young.

In terms of the collections on display, visitors can expect to explore the brand’s key ranges, exclusive limited edition pieces, and seasonal releases. Every item tells a story and is infused with the brand’s commitment to craftsmanship and contemporary African design.

For entrepreneurs embarking on the journey of designing a retail space, PICHULIK offers a valuable piece of advice: “Your space should align with your brand’s principles and ethos, and it should elevate and hero your work rather than distract from it.” PICHULIK, with its PICHULIK V&A Waterfront Store, has achieved just that, creating a haven of tranquillity and artistry in the heart of the shopping frenzy, a space that showcases handcrafted jewellery, contemporary African design, sculptural forms, feminine mythology, and the creative spirit of Cape Town.

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2023 Marks a decade of the Cape Town-based ethical jewellery and accessories atelier, PICHULIK, plus the launch of their S1 Collection, OUSIA. Expect their signature wearable minimalism of Earthen magic: a dance of raw rope, semi-precious stone, cast brass, cotton thread and organic shapes.

Through the philosophical and theological prism of ‘ousia’, an ancient term used to express the essence, true being of a thing, the new collection embraces the ancient language of ornamentation. The artisanal crafts are curious explorations of the natural, spiritual and creative worlds of the Capetonian locus.

Materials are stripped down to their most basic form. Earthy jasper stones in Dalmatian and red hues animate the Ousia earrings. The signature black and natural rope weave of the Sophia earrings and Belamour statement neckpiece echoes the natural pattern of the jasper. The Satya necklace is a dialogue of texture through polished brass, tiger’s eye and jasper stone.

The PICHULIK fish and crescent moon motifs are reimagined with stones in the Pisces and Luna Earrings that call in prosperity, good luck and rebirth. The sculptural Kaizen earrings in black rope, brass and clear rock glass are gently bold through their etherealism. The Sisu earrings feature PICHULIK ́s signature rope coiled and cast in brass to mimic the vernacular of a Basutu Hat and isiXhosa home.

In this chapter, the PICHULIK wearer has nothing to hide or defend. They are brave, curious, adorned and whole in distinctness.

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PICHULIK‘s new SS23 collection is an allegory for memory, ancestry and the layered tapestry of life, identity and self.

What defines our sense of belonging and longing? An important question PICHULIK’s Creative Director Katherine-Mary Pichulik asked herself as she ventured into her family history for PICHULIK ́s SS23 Algiers Collection.

“My father recently passed away, and I experienced a deep longing to stay connected to him; an almost overwhelm-ing fear that with his death, his memory and our shared ancestry would die along with him. My longing carried me to a remote region of the Aures mountains in the North East of Algeria; the birthplace of my paternal grandmother, Helene Marie Rime. This became the starting point of my journey. I wanted to know who my grandmere was and to further understand my father, and in the process, uncover essential parts of myself,” explains Katherine-Mary.

READ MORE: VISI Collab: Limited Edition PICHULIK Earrings

The Algiers Collection invokes the reverence of a family altar, rediscovering Katherine-Mary ́s familial history. Drawing on family memory, photo-graphs, letters, archived manuscripts and her grandmother ́s heirlooms as signposts to write a story, she connects the past with the present.

An Algerian battered brass standing lamp, found in her uncle’s attic, breathes life into the curved form of the Ballast Pearl Earrings. Faded family photographs and old, yellowed postcards inspire the sandy desert and rust tones of the rope.

The brass discs of the Aures necklace and Kismet belt mimic the coin shapes of Amazigh bridal adornment in her great aunt ́s portrait.

The rhythmic repetition of the Habibi earrings and ring reference the arabesque decorative motifs of her grandmere ́s silver bracelet.

The Dihya Earring is the Heroine of the collection. This statement piece marries two quintessential PICHULIK elements – sculptural brass and industrial rope. The silhouette is tiered to emulate the pointed or key-hole arch in Maghrebi architecture.

The local jewellery atelier also created two limited edition earrings exclusively for the VISI Shop.

The Mendini and Lucchi earrings were inspired by Memphis Milano design movement and are available in two exclusive colourways.

VISI Collab: PICHULIK Mendini Earrings

Delicious colours of these earrings are contrasted in this sporty and energetic statement earring.

R850 | VISI Shop

Buy Now

VISI Collab: PICHULIK Lucchi Earrings

Delicious colours of these earrings are contrasted in this sporty and energetic statement earring.

R850 | VISI Shop

Buy Now

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The post PICHULIK’s New Algiers Collection is an Ode to Memory, Ancestry and Identity appeared first on Visi.

Local ethical jewellery atelier, PICHULIK, has created two limited edition earrings exclusively for the VISI Shop in celebration of Women’s Month.

Founded by Katherine-Mary Pichulik, this local ethical jewellery and accessories atelier is inspired by ancient traditions and cultures from around the globe, while celebrating femininity and wisdom through considered design. In celebration of Women’s Month, PICHULIK has collaborated with VISI on two limited edition earrings inspired by the Memphis Milano design movement.

PICHULIK Lucchi Earrings

VISI Collab: PICHULIK Lucchi Earrings

Delicious colours of these earrings are contrasted in this sporty and energetic statement earring.

This collab is no longer available.

These camel and aqua earrings have been inspired by architect and designer Michele De Lucchi. He was a prominent figure in design movements such as Cavart, Studio Alchimia and Memphis, and has designed numerous lamps and furniture pieces for brands like Artemide, Olivetti, Alias, Unifor, Hermès and Alessi.

PICHULIK Mendini Earrings

VISI Collab: PICHULIK Mendini Earrings

Delicious colours of these earrings are contrasted in this sporty and energetic statement earring.

This collab is no longer available.

These orange and blue earrings have been inspired by architect and designer Alessandro Mendini. He played an important part in the development of Italian, Postmodern, and Radical design. In 1978 he joined the Studio Alchimia as a partner and worked closely with Michele De Lucchi.

PICHULIK Wonder Workshops

This August, to celebrate Women’s Month and the new space, the brand is launching its Wonder Workshops and Experiences – a series of special intimate gatherings to be hosted at their Atelier in collaboration with talented women from the PICHULIK community.

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To celebrate Women’s Month and their new the Atelier in the heart of Cape Town’s CBD, PICHULIK is launching an intimate series of Wonder Workshops.

Housed in a charming heritage building at 8 Watson Street, the double-story, wooden-floored and white molded oasis of PICHULIK‘s new Atelier and flagship retail space is a haven from the bustle of the city. Sculptural pottery and origami-inspired Xandre Kriel furniture, are combined with contemporary floral design, leather-bound vintage books and ceramics, to showcase a curated selection of handcrafted jewellery.

“We wanted to create a space where we could bring the like-minded community of PICHULIK women together. PICHULIK ́s heritage is storytelling, craft and creativity, and the Atelier celebrates this,” says Katherine Pichulik.

This August, to celebrate Women’s Month and the new space, the brand is launching its Wonder Workshops and Experiences – a series of special intimate gatherings to be hosted at the Atelier in collaboration with talented women from the PICHULIK community:

Sip and Draw with Ruschka Du Toit

A meditative evening of still life drawing with ink, guided by artist Ruschka du Toit. Ruschka will share her process and guide each participant in painting still lives in a loose and intuitive style. Each participant will go home with a starter kit and a new skill that they can practice and develop. All levels are welcome to join this workshop at the Atelier.

Thursday 4th August
6 pm – 9 pm
R1050 pp | Limited to 10 people

The Art of Contemporary Floral Design with Myuzu Floral Design

This experimental workshop will explore the vessel and contemporary floral styling with the season in mind. Myuzu’s contemporary floral design practice is led by Mother, Daughter duo – Lana Fredericks as principal designer in harmony with her mother Anthea Fredericks. In this workshop you’ll learn about the principles of choosing the correct vessel for your arrangement, colour theory, shape and form, while incorporating foraged and garden blooms with locally grown flowers and foliage.

Saturday 13th August
10 am – 1 pm
R1750 pp | Limited to 15 people

Celebrating Women Winemakers with Wine Cellar: Blind tasting wines from the world’s best winemakers

Featuring exciting newcomers, Italian wines, highly rated local releases, and SA’s most extreme wine region. This is a seated tasting of two flights of wines with the best in the wine industry. There’ll be passionate storytelling and education on a dynamic curation of wines by Jolette from Wine Cellar. Jolette is head of sales and imports at Wine Cellar and in her spare time, she makes wine under her own label, The Vineyard Party.

Thursday 25th August
6 pm – 8:30 pm
R550 pp | Limited to 32 people

An Intimate Fireside-style Acoustic Musical performance with The One Who Sings

The One Who Sings (Zolani Mahola) is a South African singer, actress, storyteller and world-renowned inspiration speaker. She is most famously known as the lead singer of the internationally-acclaimed pan-African South African music group Freshlyground since 2002.

Thursday 1st September
7 pm – 8:30 pm
R390 pp | Limited to 30 people

To book your spot at the PICHULIK Wonder Workshops, visit pichulik.com.

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Terra Therma by PICHULIK is inspired by the alchemising properties of fire and features statement pieces that explore the language of cycles; death, rebirth and resilience dressed in brass and hues of fynbos; landscapes baked by sun, scorched by flame.

Terra Therma explores fire as a concept, an element, an informing principle, a deity, a metaphor, an allegory, a creation story. It speaks of the paradox that is rebirth born of destruction; the reawakening of dormant forces and forgotten seeds beneath the soil. Translated as ‘Warm Earth’, Terra Therma features sculptural accessories that celebrate empowering feminine narratives – bold beginnings after chaotic ends.

The colour palette is tawny with mountain hues and moments of airforce and disa blue. Each piece is a talisman handcrafted from re-purposed rope and combined with cast-brass elements, precious stones and unexpected organic materials.

READ MORE: Pichulik’s New SS22 Kokomo Collection

The repetitive wrapping technique in the Sierra and Fiamma earrings and Gaia pendant invoke a rhythmic continuity, while the hematite stones of the Nova earrings flicker like the patina of metals when exposed to a flame. The lava stones in the Lurra and the Ember earrings are charred relics of a time in transition.

Love these pieces? Shop them here and check out PICHULIK’s Kokomo collection here.

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PICHULIK‘s SS22 Kokomo Collection is inspired by The Beach Boys’ fictional beachside paradise and boasts lush, bold idiosyncratic colour combinations that encourage playfulness – an antidote to the theme of loss and grief that has characterised the last two years.

Kokomo is the place we all have nostalgia for, whether conjured from our own memory or simply existent in the mind’s eye. It is the place that PICHULIK Women go to revel in the serious business of simple summer pleasures: no exotic jet-setting nor fine-dining affairs, just watermelons split haphazardly between friends and sun-tired evenings spent dancing to songs assumed forgotten. This is the spirit of PICHULIK’s Kokomo Collection and we’re here for it.

Featuring jewellery designs that are at once playful and sophisticated, the Kokomo Collection includes Amie bracelets and necklaces that can be joined to create varying lengths and colour combinations. Verdant greens and island blues complement hunter green and rust orange. The distinctive Kokomo pendant contrasts maroon with aqua blue, paying homage to seventies design. La Playa hoops are sculptural brass silhouettes edged in signature PICHULIK rope while the Arcana chain necklace pairs with Milagro hoops for easy transitions from day to night.

Love the Kokomo Collection? Shop it here and check out PICHULIK’s Cape Town atelier, opened earlier this year here.

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Ethical South African jewellery label Pichulik opens the doors of its new atelier retail space in Harrington Street, Cape Town, and features an interior aesthetic inspired by creative director Katherine Pichulik’s love of texture, nature and spaciousness.

Housed in a heritage building with an air of eras past, the new atelier forms a white backdrop against which the story of Pichulik is told. It’s a space born of the desire for authentic engagement in a time of pervasive digital connections; one that celebrates all that Pichulik is about: craftsmanship, community, and South Africa.

The interiors boast sculptural furniture pieces by designer Xandre Kriel that are origami-reminiscent; large shapes in bone white. The Sculp table is a monolithic altar against the white of the curtains, while the Samosa table, with its curved edges, appears to float off the floor. Directional lighting and large shapes make the experience almost ceremonial.

Here, customers can not only browse a comprehensive curation of Pichulik designs, but also take a peek behind the curtain to see where it is all made, because it’s within this atelier’s studio that everything is assembled and embellished. The brass components are cast in a foundry nearby, and up to 90% of the materials are procured locally.

Love Pichulik’s atelier? Visit on Thursdays for a special collaboration with Seed & Circus to sip Hibiscus iced tea, eat coconut bombs and play dress-up in Pichulik jewels. Find out more at pichulik.com.

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In search of the perfect gift? Not only can you visit VISI’s online shop, where you’ll find a range of locally designed buys, created exclusively for VISI, we’ve also rounded up a list of 33 more gift options for you to browse and buy online. Happy shopping!

1. Cat & Carnations A5 Art Print R250, Andrea Liang at KNUS

2. Victoria Luxury Gin Classic Pink Gin (750ml) R459, Yuppiechef

3. Emerson Pot Spring Range R290, Plantify

4. MSock5 R250, MAXHOSA AFRICA

5. Coco Balm R110, OrchidBloom for Jimnojean

6. Beyond Your Years A4 Print R480, Amy Ayanda

7. The Khaya Leather Waistbag – Scatterbrain Print R2 290, Valoyi

8. Pier Carafe Set R349, Country Road

9. Hand-painted Mini Purse (Spring) R250, Ilundi

10. The Prettiest One Digital Collage (Edition 1/3) by Balekane Legoabe R1 950, StateOfTheArt

11. Net Bags R1 150, Mia Mélange

12. Irotemari Glass Flower Pot R400, WAZA

13. Secco Festive Gin Infusions R149, Yuppiechef

14. Chilli Infused Olive Oil (200ml) R89.99, Woolworths

15. Moon Bag (Flare) R495, Sealand

16. Rest A3 Print R380, Ishaarah Arnold

17. Wellbeing Happy Waxfill Candles R99.99 – R159.99, MRP Home

18. Suntory Whisky Toki R399, Makro

19. Lemon Slice Pillow Cover R565 – R640, Skinny laMinx

20. Ouroboros Earrings R1 450, Pichulik

21. Hemp Face Cleanser (200ml) R195, Goodleaf

22. Palm Pendant R150 – R255, Ghost Goods

23. U Mug R279, Le Creuset

24. Faatimah Mohamed-Luke X MRP Home Colab Beach Blanket R299.99, MRP Home

25. 5-Pack Chocolate Slabs R240, Honest Chocolate

26. Miir Wide Mouth Bottle (590ml) Artist Series: PJ Offner, R950, Just Like Papa

27. Tote Bag R390, Sama-Sama

28. The Droplet Earrings in Yellow Gold with Agate R2 900, Dear Rae

29. Instant Vortex Air Fryer (5.7L) R2 599, Instant Pot

30. Pill Hanging Pot Plant Holder (ceramic pot included) R799, Native Décor

31. Stem Green Handles Laptop Sleeve R520, Zana

32. Planter/Storage Basket R385, The Joinery

33. Nutribullet Pro 1000 R3 199, Makro

Find more gift ideas at shop.visi.co.za.

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