PAL Foundation Exclusive Launch at Soho House New York

PROTECTING AFRICAN LIONS (PAL) FOUNDATION ON THE ROOFTOP OF SOHO HOUSE NEW YORK

Situated on one of the most exclusive rooftops in New York, Conor Mccreedy, Colin Cowie and Mike Eilertsen hosted an exclusive launch event for Protecting African Lions (PAL) Foundation with over 350 VIP guests and friends at Soho House.

“Over the past 50 years Africa's lion populations have plummeted from over 200,000 individuals back in the 1960's to fewer than 21,000 today. A shocking number if you consider the size of that continent”

Hedge fund managers, activists, entrepreneurs, supermodels, artists, philanthropists, actors and many more, all united together to bring awareness to the African lion, a majestic creature whose population is rapidly decreasing.

The mission of this global organization is to raise awareness and to start protecting lions from further decline against poaching, non regulated hunting and many other issues that will allow the lion to thrive in its natural wild habitat. It has established a foundation designed to protect lions and to become a key strategic partner for governmental and other affiliated charity programs such as Ubuntu Educational Fund, The Mara Foundation and many more.

Guests were treated to traditional South African delights from Madiba Biltong. They were also invited to purchase the exquisite MccreedyBlue PAL bracelet, featuring a hand-made button in brass, silver, gold or platinum, designed by South African designer, Lianne Landman to further spread awareness and support the cause.

Guests included Ndaba and Kweku Mandela (the 2 key grandsons of Nelson Mandela), Tyson Beckford, Jen Goodall, Rohan Marley, Julia Jansch, Colin Cowie, Shaun Dewet, Jacob Lief, Constantine Bisanz, Dr Geoffery Scott Caroll, and the founder himself - Conor Mccreedy.

Find out more at protectingafricanlions.org  facebook.com/ProtectingAfricanLions
@PROTECTLIONS on Twitter

Taunina Atelier Launches at Barneys New York

In a modern-day fairytale come true, South African lifestyle brand Taunina is launching its handcrafted soft toy collections at iconic luxury department store Barneys New York.

This legendary specialty retailer located on Manhattan’s prestigious Madison Avenue is every fashionista’s best friend – the ‘go-to’ store for sought after designer brands. Taunina’s exquisite collections will be unveiled in March 2013, taking center-stage in Barney’s show-stopping Easter display - a coup for the Cape-based design house.

Arguably, the coolest department store in the world, with a deftly blended mix of cult-followed designer newbies and established luxury brands, Barneys’ A-list clientele includes chart-topping pop stars, Hollywood actresses – Sarah Jessica Parker, Reese Witherspoon and Halle Berry, fashion celebrities and New York City socialites. 

“It is a 9-story magical castle overflowing with beautiful, timeless and unique pieces of art. The perfect hideaway for our artists’ enchanting creations,”said Tracey Chiappini-Young, co-founder and CEO of Taunina.

Established in 2011 the sustainable luxury brand based in the hip suburb of Woodstock, employs underprivileged women skilled in its signature artistry to handcraft its heirloom-quality collections. Each piece is one-of-a-kind, created by a single artist over a four to seven day period and embellished with exquisite embroidery and appliqué detail.

"We are delighted to offer our one-of-a-kind Taunina treasures to Barneys' discerning clientele, and to provide them with the opportunity to serve as ambassadors of social good and protagonists for a better world,”said co-founder Karen Jansen. They meet the growing needs of disadvantaged communities through employment creation and authentic empowerment.

Besides paying the artists above market-related salaries, Taunina is structured so that 30% of the before tax profits flow to the artists: 20% through the Bear Essentials Fund to pay for housing, healthcare, and education, and 10% in the form of productivity-related bonuses.

Each Taunina creation carries the initials of the artist and is a manifestation of the artist’s inspiration and dreams for the future, providing her with financial security and the ability to transform both her own life and that of her family. 

“The unique beauty of each collection piece lies in how it transforms the life of the women who made it, and establishes a lifetime connection between the artist and the purchaser,” said Chiappini-Young.

Taunina’s soft toy collections made their New York City debut in September 2012 at premier children’s boutique store Bundle where these South African hand-made collectables flew off the shelves within a week. Taunina will be releasing its home décor range in April 2013.

Taunina collections are available for sale online at www.taunina.com and Bundle NYC  and at Barneys New York.

About Taunina

Taunina is a sustainable luxury atelier synonymous with social impact and timeless artistry. The name Taunina is an anagram of the African word “tau”, meaning “lion”, and “NINA”, an acronym for “No Income, No Assets”. Taunina gives women who were once without income and assets the power to become lions of their own destinies. Fashioned out of luxurious heritage fabrics from iconic textile houses. Gifts with soul. Gifts to be passed from one generation to the next. www.taunina.com

Carrol Boyes - Luxe Interiors

Cape Town based Martine Jackson is the creative co-director of the Carrol Boyes brand as well as a ceramicist in her own right. Ceramics remains a great passion for Martine, who was introduced to it by her late mother, ceramicist Barbara Jackson. Distinctive organic shapes adorned with repetitive patterns are the hallmark of Martine Jackson’s one-of-a-kind, hand-built ceramic pieces. This is reflected in Curve, her debut range of ceramics for Carrol Boyes.

This elegant and interesting bowl named Sling Man – is just one example from a new range of products with a copper finish by Carrol Boyes called the Fire Collection. Available now, the dynamic body of work has taken close to two years to complete. After a lengthy period of experimentation the perfect colour was created, reminiscent of the hue of pink gold. This carefully devised process has been developed in such a way that the copper does not react with the elements and therefore will not tarnish.         

                                                          

Other innovative new ranges are the results of the successful collaboration between Carrol and her two stepdaughters, Kim and Martine, who are now also the Creative Directors of the brand. Kim Jackson-Meltzer and Martine Jackson-Klotz both grew up in an artistic environment. 

They graduated from the Michaelis School of art at the University of Cape Town. Both women have strengths in different areas which, combined with Carrol’s expertise and guidance, allows for interesting and unique designs. The varying skills and capabilities of Kim and Martine means they are able to complement each other in the work they do as Creative Directors of Carrol’s company.

New York Sale

Martine specializes in graphic design and creative direction. Recently, she was commissioned by the developers of the V&A Waterfront Marina in Cape Town where she was asked to create installations for the lobbies of eight apartment buildings. Kim has worked with high end brands such as Harrods London, Kelly Hoppen, Neiman Marcus, Sferra Bros and Century Furniture to name but  a few. She brings her expertise and experience in the areas of styling, product design and creative direction to the company.

The inimitable combination of Kim, Martine and Carrol means that the company has been able to mark its twenty first year with truly unforgettable and unique product ranges. Their combined passion for business and design undoubtedly creates a positive future for the already world renowned company.

 

Social responsibility Programme

Savane Organic Skincare Debuts in New York City

Savane Organic Skincare, the first ethical, certified organic luxury skincare range from Africa, is coming to New York! Launching this Saturday, 29th October at Shen Beauty.

The people of Southern Africa have relied solely on indigenous plants to protect their skin from the desert sun and harsh climate for thousands of years. Savane Organic Skincare blends this ancient traditional knowledge with modern green science to bring you Africa’s unique botanicals in their most potent form.

Savane values the rich natural and cultural diversity of Africa and the complex relationship between people and their natural environments. A member of PhytoTrade Africa committed to fair-trade and ethical sourcing of its ingredients. To contribute to a better world by providing safe, ethical and sustainable skin care products.Rich in some of the most powerful natural antioxidants and deep penetrating essential fatty acids (omegas 3, 6 and 9), our skin care range restructures, regenerates, and revitalizes your skin, protecting it against premature aging and restoring its natural balance.

All products are certified organic by Ecocert and endorsed by Beauty Without Cruelty. They contain one of the highest certified organic and fair-trade content available. They do not contain petrochemicals, animal or genetically modified ingredients, mineral oils, color additives or synthetic fragrances.

To reduce their carbon footprint product packaging is recyclable, and if you return it to the store they will recycle it for you and give you a discount on your next purchase. Ladies looks don't have to kill, with stockists in Cape Town, Johannesburg and the US visit them now! Savane They promise it's love at first slather.

Maiyet - African Luxury Fashion Label With Heart

Maiyet, named after the Egyptian goddess of truth and harmony, is currently working with groups of artisans in five countries: India and Indonesia for textiles and embroidery, Colombia for silver jewelry, and Kenya and South Africa for accessories carved out of bone and horn.

Co-founder Paul Van Zyl, a lawyer and former executive secretary of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, founded the fashion house with the label's president, Kristy Caylor.

“We don’t want to be a pity product,” Caylor told The Associated Press in an interview. “It’s not sustainable. It lasts a couple of seasons and then the customers stop coming back. “We are about making things that people genuinely desire, regardless of whether they’re ‘good’ or not,” she said.

 

Launched with a runway show during Paris fashion week, Maiyet aims to promote development through high-end consumption, by tapping into the skills of artisans in developing countries to churn out sleek, desirable luxury clothes, handbags, shoes and jewelry.

“We don’t tell them, ‘do this faster and cheaper,’” Van Zyl said ahead of Sunday’s show. “We say, ‘do it slowly and carefully and better and we’ll put it on a rack at Barneys.’”Final products are put together in small factories in Italy, the Mecca of the luxury industry.

Because artisans in the developing world often don’t have the tools or training necessary to churn out luxury products that meet international standards right away, Maiyet is working with an organization called Nest that provides training to help craftsmen and women hone their skills, Caylor said. She added that artisans in three additional countries — Liberia, Togo and Mexico — are undergoing training and could soon be contributing to Maiyet.

The idea for the label grew out of Van Zyl’s experience of being named a “Young Global Leader” by the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in 2008. After a grant provided initial seed money, Van Zyl went searching for people with top fashion pedigrees.

Enter Caylor, a merchandising executive who had worked at The Gap, Banana Republic and the L.A.-based fashion label Band of Outsiders, among other leading brands. Deals are in the works for the brand to be carried at some top retailers in the United States, including the exclusive New York department store Barneys. Meanwhile, Van Zyl is dreaming big."I want it to be an absolutely gigantic success,” he said, with a grin. Visit Maiyet online.