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Design News
SA's National Treasure
If one first hears the word 'mace', you could be forgiven for thinking it's the potent spray used to fend off attackers. But, alas, the mace is also a long time member of Parliament.
Inherited from the British, the mace was originally a weapon for close combat carried by the armed officer of a feudal lord to protect him. Today the mace symbolises the authority of the Speaker of the National Assembly and its presence in the chamber indicates an official sitting in Parliament.
The first mace in South Africa was a gold-plated replica of Westminster's mace, ordered by the Cape House from Britain in 1854. The second mace, made after South Africa became a republic, was carved out of stinkwood. Now with the new government into its tenth year of democracy, a new mace was unveiled in Parliament recently, incorporating symbols of a democratic South Africa.
The mace - designed by Neeran Naidoo while working in the former Speaker of Parliament's office - is 1.1 metres long, weighs 9.8kg and has been crafted from South African minerals, stones and wood. It is composed of an 18 carat gold drum, the South African flag and coat of arms, and the preamble to the Constitution in all the eleven official languages. It is designed in the shape of a knobkerrie and constructed from springbok skin that is fastened to the drum made from yellow gold, platinum, indigenous woods and diamonds.
Figures of typical South Africans such as miners and musicians are also etched onto it, and the flag is represented in glass, platinum and gold beads.
The new mace will now stand upright in the National Assembly - instead of lying horizontally in the Westminster tradition - in the manner of African symbols of authority such as the knobkerrie.
Africa Fair Play
Africa Fair launches their Fall/Winter 2005/06 Collection at Premiere Classe, Paris
[Paris, January 2005] Africa Fair presented their Fall/Winter 2005/06 collection, which showcased some new designers as well as built on their more popular lines. The overriding theme was rich colour and texture, which was combined to create stylish items with a quirky, unique yet ethnically-inspired aesthetic. Designers drew inspiration from the traditional crafts of South Africa with each item uniquely handcrafted.
The very popular Get Wired line is now available in a wintry copper wire with complementary winter shades of dusky pink, frosted browns, bronze, silvered gold, ruby reds and petrol blue.
Designers have also been inspired by locally farmed mohair, which has been used in scarves, bags and jewellery. Hand dyed mohair in snow, dusky pink, burnt orange, fatigue greens and touches of lively rain turquoise have been hand knitted into scarves by Snug and woven with wire by Get Wired to form bags and cuff bracelets. Wool in snow, dusky pink and dark chocolate has been felted by Nuno Felt to create scarves and handbags for day and night use.
Philippa Green has a highly innovative line of jewellery combining perspex, nylon, silver and rubber. The collection presents a wide range of her signature perspex cuffs including those with floral motifs in nylon stitching or silver studs. These pieces will add dramatic interest to a winter wardrobe.
Beverley Price's work captures everyday brands and images in enamelled miniatures and combines these to make funky jewellery to add a lively touch to an outfit. Her work is suited to museum stores that can commission her to make wearable jewellery using images from their collections.
The popular Mielie free-spirited hooked rug handbag line has been extended with new designs and colour combinations to capture the underworld spirit of winter 2005. Smaller accessory items such as make-up bags have been added to the line.
The Africa Fair Collection is available in stores in Paris and New York, as well as other locations across Europe and the USA. For a full list of stockists, please visit www.africafair.com.
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