South Africa the Rainbow Nation, where diversity stretches far beyond its people.
Business
Just a little bit of history, since I can remember, I’ve known I wanted to be my own boss, own my own business. My first business at the age of seven, was an ironing business, my customers were my mother and father. I was 7 years old, so my hourly rate was $7, that made logical sense at the time. I ironed my father’s business shirts and my mother’s kitchen tea towels, a reflection of the opportunities for men and women of that time.
After dinner, I would set up the ironing board in front of the TV and try to do one hour 3 to 4 times per week. I spent it on things all seven year old’s needed, like roller-skates, lollies and bubble gum. I worked out early I wasn’t going to be a domestic goddess, ironing men’s shirts and kitchen tea towels wasn’t going to be my gig. I haven’t picked up an iron since.
My second business I learnt a new skill from my grandmother, knitting. This time I made a product, I taught myself how to make colourful woollen vests for the winter, it was two squares stitched together with holes for the arms to poke out. They were made from the softest and fluffiest New Zealand wool. I sold these for $7 each, even though I was a couple of years older I hadn’t increased my prices. My customer base was now family and friends. I worked out I was adaptable and enjoyed making something that people liked. I think I put this money towards buying a BMX bike and started chasing boys. Starting businesses was put on hold for while.
Business is in my family, it’s in my DNA, it is here to stay in some form. I’ve started up businesses, ranging from coffee shops, retail stores, biotech research centres around the world, sales showrooms, importing business, renting out rooms to uni students before air bnb was a thing, family businesses, until moving into fashion, creating, designing and manufacturing. I think the term is “a good all-rounder”. With heaps of fun meeting new people along the way. It’s been a healthy, sometimes painful mixture of failures and successes; the start-up small business blog is next cab off the rank. The best business tip ever passed on, is CIMITYM, any guesses what that stands for? Only one other person would know straight away, my father because he made it up and passed it on, I’m just learning how to do this.
Fashion
The fashion industry has many parts of what I love to do rolled into one, expression through style, beautiful fabrics, patterns, colour and watching women feel good about themselves by transporting them somewhere. There are some aspects which don’t sit well with me, when someone I was loosely associated with, said he is known in the industry as Canon “the fastest copier around” this should have rung alarm bells. (Business lessons learnt will be in business blog, coming soon)
After working in the industry for a while, making 3 collections per year, everything speeding up, I realised if I stayed on this merry go round, year after year, season after season, my life would flash before my eyes. Owning your own business and the liberation that gives was feeling more like a trap, I hadn’t realised I was backing myself into a corner, time to realign.
March 2019, spring selling season kicks off, South Africa is calling, time to go back to visit the Naudic agents and launch the next collection. During South Africa visit 2018, I had a similar feeling as I did when I stepped off the plane into India for the first time, a sense of mystery in the land of ancient cultures, so much to discover and explore over the breathtaking landscapes. I needed to start exploring, couldn’t wait another year. The obvious first exploration choice is a safari, so I asked around, where is the best place we can go for a safari?
Safari Adventure 2019 - Photos by @keyurbs
Travel
The creative eye behind the film camera, aka “The Director”, Keyur whilst on the road behind the steering wheel, we all need to multitask in this early phase, captured all of this, it is work in progress. I felt this country, our friends, the nature, the animals, needed to be filmed. What I love about film and these are not my words, Keyur said something along these lines early on “the film camera does not lie; you can’t hide from it”. After owning a fashion business and being in the industry for the past 14 years, this was like a breath of fresh air. Something I felt strongly about, to blend and weave into the Naudic vision and my own way of living, so we can continue to grow. New challenges arose and a couple of lessons had to be learnt again, all temporary they are passing. I’ll write about it in that business blog coming soon, can’t wait? Nothing new, just my version.
The great part is we did it, and here is the next capture of South Africa, trip 2019, highlights of the beautiful country we experienced firsthand by locals who love their land and have the generosity to share.
The first couple of days are spent in Capetown launching Spring and selling to Naudic stockists. The South African showroom is in full Spring bloom. Sidney and Rick rearranged their apartment to have everything so beautifully displayed, the Spring collections of Naudic, Vintage and Some Daze, plus accessories is dazzling in their apartment. Sidney has baked biscotti and cupcakes to feed an army, you can smell the aroma as you step into the building on the ground floor, he lives on the fifth floor. The table is laid out for morning tea, clients are given the royal silver service. We are treated like special guests when lunch is served, a salad of the best local produce, vitamin colours from nature, with homemade bread. Mouth-watering and since it is only day 1, I try to restrain from that second cupcake.
After selling is complete, we did a roadie with Sidney in his new Jag, he took us on the best afternoon drive around the South African coastline, along Chapman’s Peak Drive stopping at Lions Head, passing through charming villages called Noordhoek, Muizenberg, Kalk Bay, stunning gardens and vineyards, to end up on the other side of False Bay, just outside of Simons Town, at Boulders Penguin Colony. This is where we were greeted by thousands of African penguins, they look and act friendly, some just stand there like stunned supermodels. For dinner we ate ham (and veggie) burgers, no penguin on the menu, drank beers at the local hipster surfie hangout and listened to Sidney retell stories about his version of South Africa, a country he loves, stories to treasure.
The next day was my birthday, has another year just swished by? I got to celebrate with this wonderful gang again, also by doing something completely new outside my comfort zone, little did I know I was about to become a thrill seeker off Table Mountain, more on this later. Afternoon champagne on the rocks whilst watching the surf and sunset, my idea of heaven. Finished off with drinks and dinner on the rooftop at the Silo Hotel. The perfect day, thanks to everyone.
This was just the first few days of this tour and the new adventure, the new chapter was about to begin as we left Capetown, flew to Port Elisabeth and drove very late one night into a new horizon and entered Shamwari Private Game Reserve, a place that is “Conserving a Vanishing Way of Life”. Out in the dark wilderness listening to the animals at night, waking up and breathing in the freshest air we can have on this planet, spending time with everyday heroes’ called Headman, Johan, Chris, Catherine, Glen at the Born Free Foundation was the best thing I have experienced in a while, all in next week’s blog.
The dream of completing the loop, of tying everything into a way of life and a business that can inspire, connect, entertain, share and create a community, was starting to unfold and become a reality.
“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone” Neale Donald Walsch
love Emma x
Photo by @keyurbs
