The Trenery Print Competition 2020 winners have been announced. Congratulations to the overall winner, Glorinah Khutso Mabaso, and to runners-up Primrose Charmz and Agrippa Hlophe.

All three designers’ prints feature internationally in the Trenery Autumn/Winter 2021 collection, which is now available in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

Launched in February last year, the Trenery Print Competition was born out of the brand’s mission to continue championing emerging creative talent, by providing a unique opportunity to help young South African designers shine on a global platform.

“The entries surpassed our wildest imaginations,” says Trenery senior textile designer Bree Dhaliwal, who worked with the designers to bring their prints to life. “Glorinah was chosen as the eventual winner, because her print is bold and eye-catching, yet stays true to Trenery’s ethos of timeless, modern simplicity.”

From more than 400 entries to the competition, Glorinah’s was singled out for its raindrop-inspired design. The pattern pays homage to the Modjadji dynasty, and specifically, to the first Rain Queen, Maselekwane Modjadji (1800-1854) from Limpopo.

Drawing inspiration from the history of the rain dance for which this royal dynasty became famous, Glorinah interpreted the idea of rain smashing and running over glass into her design, combining straight lines and circles in a repetitive pattern.

“This pattern also signifies and emphasises that the power of women in society is just as powerful as the rain in the cycle of life,” she says. Glorinah explains that Maselekwane “was called the Rain Queen because she could make it rain through a rain ritual dance, a gift handed down through seven generations of queens with no interruption”.

Primrose Charmz’s design was inspired by the arum lily. It’s a modern South African interpretation of one of our nation’s symbols, a supremely elegant flower “that summer travellers are likely to spot along our beautiful coastline or on a scenic hiking adventure,” Primrose explains.

Also inspired by local tradition is Agrippa Hlope’s creative pattern, which pays homage to a decorative Zulu earplug. “My print was inspired by a trip to the Golden Mile beachfront in Durban, where craftswomen sell iziqhaza, an African earplug worn by amaZulu [the Zulu people of southern Africa],” Agrippa says. “That’s when I had the idea to translate similar patterns [into a textile design] in a bold and interesting visual way.”

Shop Trenery items in these beautiful new fabric designs here.

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The Trenery Print Competition challenges local talent to create a print design that will be featured in Trenery’s 2020 Summer collection. The winner will win an inspiring trip to France to attend an intensive two-week course in “Print Patterns & Trends” at the prestigious Paris College of Art.

The judging panel includes VISI Editor Steve Smith, as well as a team of Trenery textile designers based in Australia.

“We are looking for an inspired summer print with a unique South African interpretation,” says Bree Dhaliwal, Trenery’s Senior Textile Designer. “We want these young designers to consider a delicate balance between hand-drawn and contemporary graphics. The print should be bold and eye-catching, while staying true to Trenery’s ethos of timeless modern simplicity.”

As the exclusive fashion sponsor at the Investec Cape Town Art Fair, this year Trenery also pays homage to the 11 successful Guild collaborations with celebrated local artists and artisans, including Banele Khoza, Zizipho Poswa, David Krynauw and Lisa Firer, to name a few.

Drawing the link between the Art Fair and the brand’s intrinsic DNA, the stand presents an interwoven story-telling experience that visually narrates the craftsmanship that Trenery embeds within its collections.

For those who love print, pattern, colour, trends, fashion and design, visit the Trenery stand (S4) at the Investec Cape Town Art Fair from 14 – 16 February 2020.

Visit trenerydesigncompetition.co.za for more information.

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Award-winning Joburg-based furniture designer David Krynauw is the seventh creative to collaborate with The Trenery Guild.

In addition to a wooden bench that David has designed to grace the Trenery Sandton City standalone store, he has hand-crafted a bespoke shoe horn packaged in an elegant wooden box.

The intention of these collaborations is to highlight Trenery’s dedication to quality and craftsmanship. David’s iconic furniture pieces undergo numerous steps, as do Trenery men’s shoes. In order for the handmade oxfords and brogues to receive the Trenery Goodyear Welting stamp of approval, they are submitted to a 100-step journey.

The horn and box are made from rich, traditionally smoked dark oak. “The contours of the foot are the main consideration in the design process,” explains David. “A shoe horn has to curve both ways and follow the heel exactly. We achieved this through an experimental moulding process and are very happy with the result.”

Produced in limited numbers, the horn and box will be available as a gift with purchase to qualifying customers at select Trenery stores from the beginning of November 2018.

Check out The Trenery Guild’s most recent collab with ceramicist Lisa Firer here. 

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For the month of October, Cape Town-based ceramicist Lisa Firer becomes the sixth collaborator to join The Trenery Guild.

Launched in February 2018, The Trenery Guild is a collaborative project that partners Trenery with some of South Africa’s leading artists and artisans. Each creative is asked to interpret and celebrate the brand’s anchors of premium fabrication, unique prints, excellent craftsmanship, and considered quality through a commissioned artwork and unique in store activation.

Lisa, under Lisa Firer Design, is known for her unique porcelain vessels that are created through a hand-rolled slab-building technique. For The Trenery Guild October activation, Lisa has created a bespoke jewellery dish inspired by the brand’s limited edition Edit collection. She has drawn on the strong, geometric motif featured in the clothing range.

Lisa made a stencil of the print and rolled it into the porcelain, creating a double impression of texture and print. Much like her aesthetic, the monochrome print is at once powerful and delicate. This bold design is used for many pieces in the range and is perfectly balanced with this season’s flattering hemlines and minimalist silhouettes.

The limited-edition dishes, which can be used for jewellery or as an occasional ornament, are available as a gift with purchase when spending R1 500 or more at select Trenery standalone stores around the country from 18 October 2018. (There are 50 per store at V&A, Cavendish, Sandton and Hyde Park.)

Check out two more Trenery Guide collabs with Nkuli Mlangeni and Pierre Fouché and Pierre Le Riche. 

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Nkuli Mlangeni, winner of the Most Beautiful Object in SA 2017 and founder of The Ninevites collaborative platform, is the fifth collaborator with The Trenery Guild.

Launched in Feburary 2018, The Trenery Guild partners Trenery with some of South Africa’s leading artists and artisans on collaborative projects to celebrate the brand’s core values of craftsmanship, quality and excellence.

Nkuli opens the new season of The Trenery Guild with a handwoven rug inspired by the brand’s September collection. In collaboration with a women’s co-operative in Prince Albert, The Trenery Guild X The Ninevites rug is a geometric play of salmon, sage and slate – colours referenced in the new season range. This 100% wool rug was created with hand-dyed yarns that were spun especially for this project, so echoing the premium fabrication used in Trenery ranges.

Nkuli with the rug at the The Ninevites x The Trenery Guild launch at Trenery Sandton City.

The rug is on show at the standalone Trenery store in Sandton. We chatted to Nkuli about the project and craftsmanship in South Africa…

How did you get into the textile industry? 

I worked as a fashion stylist for several years and have always had an appreciation for fabric. In 2016 I was doing research on the textile industry with a focus on handmade textiles and that’s when I travelled to South America and worked with an artisan in Lima, Peru. Following that, I made the rug prototypes and later, when I came back to SA, I continued with my research and started looking at the textile space in the SADEC region.

What inspired you about Trenery’s new season range?

The colours, the feminine form and the minimalist, clean design.

How did you interpret this into your rug?

The rug is a translation of the colours of the new collection. It’s very simple – modern but pretty.

Talk us through your process…

I am a geek when it comes to research! I love it! With each project I usually go into research mode and work on the concept. I always go with what I find inspiring, what stories I would like to tell, and then invite a team of collaborators who I want to work with on that specific project. With the rugs I usually make scan cards, collages and mood boards, which I send to a graphics person who translates them into graphics and sends back to me. We ping pong like this until we have something that we are all happy with. The final graphics are sent to the weavers for sampling and they execute the whole thing from scratch. Wool spinning, dying, weaving. It takes a while to get to the final product, but I really enjoy the process.

We’re seeing a resurgence and appreciation for craft in South Africa. Why do you think this is happening?  

Yes, there is definitely a revival. I think for me what I find attractive is the crafting process itself. I also really love and appreciate that it’s so entwined in working with nature. The speed of production is not sustainable and at some point we are going to have to reflect on how we do things: It’s hectic to consider how much we consume and how fast everything is going, and I think more and more people are choosing the slow way of doing things. But it’s also really cool to learn and reflect on how people lived in the past. Without having access to the information or technology we have, they manage to create the most beautiful things.

Follow The Ninevites on Instagram and don’t miss out on the limited-edition Trenery Guild gift: To complement the collaboration, a set of naturally-dyed napkins have been developed as a gift with purchase that will be awarded to qualifying customers at standalone Trenery stores around the country, while stocks last. 

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The Trenery Guild aims to celebrate craftsmanship, quality and excellence by collaborating with a collection of South African creatives to tell stories that bring the brand’s values to life.

Each creative has been tasked with interpreting Trenery’s pillars of authentic fabrication, unique print, superior knitwear and expert tailoring through an artwork or in-store activation.

The first collaboration is with textile artist Pierre Fouché who worked with fellow artist Pierre Le Riche to create a beautiful window installation inspired by Trenery’s limited-edition capsule collection, The Edit.

Fouché has a deep affiliation with yarn – his material of choice – and his work is held in international galleries and museums. He found common ground with Trenery’s design process, noting that every garment must start with a single thread much in the same way his elaborate installations begin.

Together he and Le Riche have created a series of weaves – their first collaboration together – spun with merino and cotton in The Edit collection’s palette of navy, grey and pink. Fouché talks about his process in this video.

The different activations continue until July 2018 and will feature collaborations with local tea brand Yswara, artisanal perfume-maker Marie Aoun of Saint D’Ici, and craft distillery Pienaar & Son.

Pierre and Pierre’s installation will be on display at the Trenery store, V&A Waterfront, for the remainder of February and the month of March 2018.

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Looking for the perfect gift? Keep any of these 17 cool ideas in mind this festive season.

1. Breathe 2750 mAh Power Bank R499, M. Craftsman at Superbalist.com

2. Ray-Ban RB3016M 51 Clubmaster R4 290, Sunglass Hut

3. Mongoose 13 Maurice Commuter Bike R4 850, Olympic Cycles

4. Skagen Ancher Watch R2 799, The Handlers

5. Maps Leather Casual Belt Dark Brown R229, Maps X Spree at Spree.co.za

6. Leather Boots R1 300, Kushn at Hello Pretty

7. Tom Ford Noir Extreme Eau de Parfum 50ml R1 265, Red Square

8. Black Block Pinot Noir 2013 R170, Publik

9. Wine Decanter Carafe 750ml R699, Eva Solo at Yuppiechef.com

10. Samsung Gear S2 R4 198, Takealot.com

11. Ikwa’si Zika Bhuti Socks R180, MaXhosa by Laduma

12. Inissia Automatic Espresso Machine with Aeroccino (Milk Frother) R1 900, Nespresso at Yuppiechef.com

13. Chuck Taylor All Star Hi “70s Les Arch” R1 069, Converse at Superbalist.com

14. Textured Polka Dot Tie R499, Trenery

15. Urban classic satchel bag R1 930 (excl. VAT), Urban Africa

16. 14-in-1 Solar Robot Kit R355, Yuppiegadgets.com

17. Victorinox Evowood 14 V2.3901.63 R899, Cape Union Mart

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It’s Wool Week Cape Town from 7 April to 12 April 2015 at the V&A Waterfront, so we thought we’d round up a list of soft woollen buys for you to choose from just in time for winter.

1. Hand Felted Merino Wool Sheep Sculpture (35cm x 55cm) R2 600, Ronel Jordaan

2. Plus 9 Wool Throws (Price on request), HAY at Créma

3. Novello Merino Wool and Mohair Throw (130cm x 180cm) R1 570, Encore Collection at Hinterveld

4. Chain Link Wool Rug R31 200, Egg Designs

5. Delta Geometric Wool Scarf R379, Trenery

6. Handwoven Wool Stool R1 199, @home

7. Floppy Wool Hat R699, American Apparel at Superbalist.com

8. Moroccan Wool Carpet R9 995, Weylandts

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Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to signify the arrival of cheesy mugs and plush toys. Here are 10 alternative Valentine’s Day Treats for your loved one on 14 February.

1. Sootcookie Bunny in Pink R685, KIN

2. 11” Women’s Satchel R1 599, Cambridge Satchel Company at Superbalist.com

3. Entwined Hearts Ring R550, Stefni at Hello Pretty

4. Geometric Planter R350, Baillie & Kovar at Mono Online Shop

5. Charles Fox Vintage Brut Rosé MCC R1 350 per case, Yuppiechef.com

6. Handcrafted Cleansing Bar R50, Bonafide Beards

7. Horseshoe Bangles in Brass (Stack of 4) R1 200, Milame

8. Sarjaton Mug in Letti Old Rose R299.95, iittala at Entrepo

9. Zip Wallet in Tan R399, Trenery

10. Heart Coasters (set of 4) R180, Laid Back Company at Yuppiechef.com

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