If there is one thing that we have learnt from 2020, it is that in the midst of trying times, South Africans know how to band together. In the spirit of spreading light and hope, SA Home Owner, together with the V&A Waterfront, brings you our Meet the Makers series where we share the stories of local brands behind the Waterfront’s Joy from Africa to the World festive décor showcase.
Meet Bonolo Helen Chepape, founder of Lulasclan
Chepape is a graphic and textile surface designer, founder of the textile and creative consulting studio Lulasclan. At her core she is a firm believer in the preservation of culture and heritage. Her love for different cultures is her blueprint that aids her creative process, and she loves to see culture evolve, reinterpreted, reimagined and passed on to the next generation, without losing its essence or key meaning in the process.
I became a designer to do what I love, inspire, document, learn, teach, build and educate.
I am inspired by my love of culture, inspired by my community and different areas of art and design that bring a positive change and capture the spirit of these times. I’m inspired by the past, hearing and listening to stories of long ago of how people and communities lived, how they shared and how they built together – it’s a mixture of the past, present and the future that excites me and keeps me creating.
South African design is like a big storybook – every piece is designed by its maker to tell a story of where they come from and how they grew up.
My message to fellow South Africans is to support local designers, makers and businesses. Do it with a purpose and aim of creating a positive change and being a part of the maker’s personal story.
Future plans include growing Lulasclan into a household textile design consultancy studio, creating job opportunities and skills development for the youth, and collaborating and forming partnerships with brands and other designers to collectively create, build and share knowledge with each other while creating objects and designs that can inspire the rest of the world.
Visit www.lulasclan.com
Leave a Comment