April's Windows : Dioramas for the faint hearted by Flagg...

We've been excited for this exhibiton even before Flagg said the words "very large diorama" and anticipation has been steadily growing as she shared work-in-progress photo's on Facebook. After seeing it first hand this weekend, two things hit our minds simultaneously - 1) Flagg's diorama's never disappoint - each is as wonderful and absorbing as the very first and 2) the Very Large Diorama was, in fact, much larger and more fantastic than we could have imagined!

Flagg's spectacular diorama arrives at KIN on Kloof

All in the details - Flagg's creatures are wonderfully candid :)

What a visual treat the TRex's layered paper world is for our windows!

Watch the moment we flicked the switch that lit up this amazing work here.

Zee gets to work with the glass pens and easily finds helpful hands (and longer arms :) on Kloof Street #loveourhood

Flagg & Zee smoothly setting up a stunning display featuring Flagg's beautiful new pieces

A Sootcookie bunny delighted with it's lovely new shelf buddies

Jeweled with dioramas - if you're strolling down to dinner along Kloof street this month, you can't miss our windows warmly glowing with all these different little worlds

Find more on Flagg... here

Follow Flagg... on Facebook here and Instagram herehttps://instagram.com/flaggatron/

Autumn Inspiration

1. Sterling Silver Fudge the Rabbit Pendant by Forever Love
2. "I hate the beach" Diorama by Flagg... 
3. Dippy Egg Board by Alice May
4. Block-printed Pouch by Henri Kuikens
5. Brass & Sterling Silver Leaf Pendants by Inge Marais Jewellery 
6. Bunny Pillow by Fairy Caravan
7. Fabric & Resin Studs by Patatie
8. Surebuild Laptop Bag by the WREN design
9. Thread Artwork by Molomimi
10. Upcycled Computer Keyboard Magnets by Recreate
11. Boston Terrier Illustration by Patrick Latimer
12. Wooden Rainbow by MOKO & Ceramic Bunnies by Chandler house

Meet Our KIN : Flagg...

If you've visited KIN on Kloof recently, we know your heart would have been completely captivated by the tiny creatures living in their own little worlds inside Flagg's beautifully made dioramas. "What is a diorama?" you ask - loosely defined it's an encapsulated 3D scene which re-creates a specific instant in time. In Flagg's neatly boxed moments, each character is lit with tiny LED's and caught mid-thought, illustrating her brilliant sense of humour. From grouchy penguins to repenting sharks - it's almost impossible to pick a favourite!

Flagg will be exhibiting her new work as well as an extra large diorama in #KINonKloof's windows for the month of April 2015. This is definitely something you have to experience first hand so pop in to 99B Kloof Street to see these fresh wonders!

In the meantime, let's chat to Flagg...

 

Why did you start making your products?

I started making these dioramas because its something I personally wanted to see with my own eyes :) If someone else had been making them I would have gotten just as excited about buying their work. I've always been interested in the concept of "looking in". I like the idea of having a small static scene within an object, with only your imagination to bring it to life.

How did you learn to make what you do?

I had an idea of building a lit scene in a fish tank about 4 years ago. I just REALLY wanted something like that next to my bed. But like all good creative ideas I completely ignored it for a year and let it simmer. And then literally on the morning of my very first exhibition 2 years ago i decided that NOW was a good time to rush around and try and make one in the couple of hours before my show. I made a small scene of a dinosaur saying " Sugary drinks are for weekedns only" and boom, i just couldn't stop. In terms of "learning" how to make a diorama, its been a giant amount of trial and error. Lots of testing new methods, happy mistakes and hundreds of burns with the soldering iron.

What materials are your products made from?

This is a bit of a hard one to answer as my work can often consist of what ever is floating in my studio or in the bottom of the kitchen draw. I try to RE USE things like old toys, found objects, recycled files, books, LED strip lights, 9 Volt batteries, all kinds of fun toggle switches, clear perspex for the screens, random christams cracker toys, and things that I pick up off the floor.

Do you source your raw materials in SA, if not, where in the world do they come from?

Yes, all from Cape Town.

Which part of the country, and which city do you make your products?

I make all of the dioramas in a dark garage in Cape Town.

What is your favourite part of the process?

My favorite part of my process it to finally put the diorama together, clean and organise my studio, turn off the lights and turn the newly made diorama on. Best feeling in the world :)

Show some love and  follow Flagg on Facebook here

KIN at V&A : Moving forward

To all our KINfolk,

September 2010 saw our first pop-up at V&A open.
It was the start of a relationship that would span almost five years. In that time, we have achieved so much we are proud of;

• we brought locally manufactured contemporary design to V&A,
• we helped rent a space that was empty for over two years to two new stores,
• we moved from pop-up (2010-2012) to permanent (2012-2015),
• through the wonderful collaboration of V&A, CCDI, Blue & Red Shed Stall holders and KIN, we were part of the conceptualisation of the Watershed,
• over R7 million in sales from our 25sqm space at Alfred Mall between September 2010-February 2015

Oh if we could count how many loads this little Ka has done!

It has been an incredible journey and one that I would not had the opportunity to record and marvel at if it were not for the news I am about to share.

KIN's mantra has always been that every home in SA should have a SA designed and manufactured object. Our goal with V&A was to give space to, and prove the commercial viability of contemporary SA design. With the opening of Watershed as well as stores such as Made in SA, it has been wonderful to be a part of and witness the remarkable growth of SA design at the V&A. Although we celebrate this and our time at the V&A, we feel that we are needed elsewhere and that our time as the flagship of contemporary SA design at V&A has passed on to, and is well represented by, the designer-owned stores as well as the wonderful stores supporting SA design.

From a practical perspective, this means that the store will close, at the end of our lease, on 13 April.

None of this would have been possible without the amazing community KIN at V&A effortlessly created - our wonderful KIN Angels, designers, locals, tourists, V&A staff and fellow shops in the lovely Alfred Mall. We have customers from all over the world who still make KIN a part of their visit to Cape Town. Luckily, we live in a time where staying in contact is as easy as a few clicks - we hope to keep in touch with all our KINfolk over emails, through our website, or on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and via our newsletter.

It is the belief and support in what we are doing that is the fuel that drives us forward. Thank you for being at part of the celebration that KIN at V&A has been, and I look forward to venturing forth with you as KIN on Kloof, KIN online and other incarnations.

With kin(d) regards,
Chantal

​Wall of Fame
We are incredibly grateful for the belief and support of the following people;

Thessa Bos, my co-founder and first KIN

V&A
Adine Lourens
Chantelle Cole
​Emma Jackson
Hannlie Rennie
Leigh Thomas
Mark Noble
Natasha Louw

Cape Town Magazine
Lana Kenney - Lanalou Style
Meg de Jong - Mind the Curves
Vicki Sleet - iwantthat

Angels
Eliana Guevara
Melany Hodgson

Adelaide Mavu
Anna Raimondo
Anna Richerby
Emalie Bingham
Hloniphile Cebekhulu
Hayley Murison
Keri Muller
Lindsay Meyerowitz​
Mimi Ncube
Natasha Steyn
Ruby Baille
Sonja von Maltzahn
Sam Floquet
Tshego Ramatlo
Tamzin Warden
Tasneem Kamies

Studio Sneak Peek : Head On Design

A Sneak Peek? What's this? Chatting over tea at HQ one day, we were marvelling at how lucky we are to work with such an array of wonderful designers, and in doing so get to know them, their spaces, people and pets. Suddenly we thought, "We should share them!" and voila! we now have a spot on the blog for Studio Sneak Peeks!

We were fortunate enough to spend some time chatting to Joanna Orr, the talented hands behind Head On Design, in her sunlit showroom in Canterbury Studios where she shared some of the history of her animals and many amusing lessons she's garnered along the way from being a small-scale start-up to a streamlined business able to cope with multiple large orders.

Jo's elegant sculptural pieces are a play and an ironic twist on the traditional "hunting trophies". She has taken a concept so tainted in our green, eco-conscious age and transformed it into something beautiful, iconic and earth friendly. Both the ranges of trophy heads and the free-standing animals stocked at KIN are made from sustainable materials - Xanita (a strong, recycled cardboard which is 100% re-pulpable), a thinner recycled paperboard for the smaller sculptures, or bamboo.

Instead of being symbolic of man's power, Head On Design's figures celebrate the inherent beauty of African animals, and highlight Joanna's innate understanding of form and flawless expression of it. Through her design work, Jo is also cultivating an understanding of how precious these creatures are, and the most recent addition to the range, the rhino, has been created to bring awareness and funding to the right people, with the hope that of saving these majestic creatures from extinction.

The muted, natural colours compliment the ethos of the company and enhance any interior space - indeed we have spotted the trophy heads in glossy magazines, boutique restaurants and even at the high-fashion J&B Met.

The animals are made up of laser-cut 2D pieces that slot perfectly together to create the exquisite 3D sculptures. Each comes flat-packed with full instructions for fun and easy assembly. There is something wonderful about opening a small, neat cardboard box full of abstract shapes and transforming them into the complex animal structures of the Nguni, Kudu, Elephant and Rhino.

Browse or buy Head On Design items online here

Follow Head On Design on Facebook here

La Galería Collaborative Project // Zine

Sometimes life has those moments...something sparks and people who never thought they would be connected are, and the results are beautiful, surprising and quite awe-inspiring. We had just such a start to 2015, when Andrea Velázquez Fossas approached us to be a part of La Galería, an intimate collective art show held at The Wepartist Village, New York. The show takes places every second month, and February's Moments is a collaboration between artists in New York and, now, South Africa. After digital words sent back and forth and Skype calls across time zones and miles of ocean, it has been astounding to see the physical results. Three KIN artists, Elsabe Milandri, Maria Magdalena van Wyk and Nadia du Plessis of Bvbblegvm, were asked to create illustrations or art works, in response to words written by poets in New York, to be exhibited and published in the Zine online.

Illustrations by Elsabe Milandri, Text by Jess Gawrych

Illustrations by Maria Magdalena van Wyk, Text by Hazel Encarnación

Illustration by Nadia Du Plessis,Text by Phillipe Chatelain

One of our highest delights at KIN is connecting people, and we are so proud to see our designers work alongside their international contemporaries. As Andrea says, "La Galería celebrates the power of human connection and creative collaboration" and we feel Moments is such a beautiful, powerful example of this. 

Please take a look at their incredible work and celebrate with Andrea and with us all that can be accomplished by saying "yes" and venturing forth. 

View the whole magazine online here.

See Andrea's photo's from the exhibition night here.

Introducing : Clay Creations 56

Perfect for holding anything from delicate pieces of jewellery to tasty nibbles, Clay Creations 56's ceramic bowls make exquisite gifts. From the smallest bowl to the largest round platter, each piece is hand-formed and has signature handpainted details. Debbi Radomsky chats about how her pieces are thought up, created and loved.

Why did you start making your products?

I've always been a numbers person and financially minded, but have also always had a passion to be creative and work with clay. Since starting, I am completely passionate about my ceramics and find it a good switch off from the numbers world too.

How are your products made?

All hand made - most using moulds to get the basic shapes

 
How did you learn to make what you do?

I attend ceramic classes but work mostly on my own and just use the studio for firing my work mainly.

What is your favourite part of the process?

Seeing how the products come out the kiln as things change when fired and you never sure how the final result will look.

"I am completely passionate about the ceramics range I make and enjoy every moment of my time spent creating each item. I love the creative process and experimenting with new and different techniques. I find time flies when I am creating and I completely lose myself to the outside world."

Debbi Radomsky

What materials are your products made from?

All ceramics made from clay, painted and then clear glazed applied and fired in the kiln.

Which part of the country, and which city do you make your products / have them made?
All in Cape Town

Are there are special care/cleaning methods we can suggest to customers?

I would suggest hand wash as items are delicate, although all products are dish washer (and oven) safe.