Dylan Joseph of Semper Fortis, Cara Saven of Cara Saven Wall Design and Tshepo Mohlala of Tshepo Jeans have joined to launch the #WeDesignSA initiative. A collaborative project that pivots off the bespoke Halcyon design created by wallpaper artist Cara Saven.
“This collaboration is informed by all our roots,” says Saven. “I am a Capetonian at heart and am naturally inspired by nature. My contribution has a mythical undertone, but is essentially bright and brave and very much reflective of the South African spirit.”
Cara’s bespoke print has been recreated into a fabric used to cover the Semper Fortis Prana chair, a unique interactive love seat resplendent with the greens, yellows, brights of our beloved nation. This is a sofa that invites you to sit front and back, a modular shape that encourages the paradox of being together and apart.
A jumpsuit designed by the team at Tshepo jeans pays homage to the entrepreneurial spirit that naturally pulses through our South African hearts. “South Africans are naturally resilient and entrepreneurial,” says the Johannesburg-based designer. “This 70s inspired garment is designed to exude the presence and confidence of the woman wearing it.”
The collaboration started when Dylan Joseph, founder of Semper Fortis, met Cara on the top of Table Mountain. Together they unveiled the #WeLoveSA banner. “After the incredible response that Dylan and I saw to the banner of love, we decided that like-minded entrepreneurs could make a difference to the negative sentiment that exists for many South Africans,” explains Saven.
“We wanted to find a way to continue the message of hope but in the actual design work we do, hence we started with a wall design that encompassed elements from all over South Africa into a wallpaper and fabric that is fantastical and happy and optimistic.”
#WeDesignSA will launch at the Semper Fortis showroom in Kramerville at Design Joburg Collective on October 28 and will run for three days at the event before moving to Tshepo Jeans’ award-winning retail space in Hyde Park Corner.
Looking for more on local design? Take a look at Pichulik’s new Kokomo collection.
