Without a doubt, the festive season in South Africa is a collective revitalization of the senses. South Africans embed themselves in nature, surrounded by loved ones, and breathtaking views while indulging in some of the best wines, food and company as they unwind from a busy year. Decembers are in stark contrast to those overseas as the traditional Christmas décor with snow and gingerbread men is not authentic to our climate, so with that in mind, JP Mahecic, Poetry’s visual merchandiser brand lead, took inspiration from the vibrant, bold indigenous art to conceptualise our festive window installations. By partnering with local artisans, his vision of creating unique baubles hung in the shape of a Christmas tree was brought to life.
Yellow Thread is a collective of artisans that create masterpieces by using art forms that are deeply ingrained in their communities. The team of 8 artisans are responsible for creating the bulk of the baubles from a wide array of materials and many take the raw materials home where their community assists them in making these magnificent pieces.
The recycled tin bauble is made by Dennis, Monica weaves raffia around the wire form, Nasieba and Zolani work together to create the paper mâché cage bauble and Cleo was inspired by her braids for her fringed bauble. Lucky and Roger combined their creativity to come up with their breathtaking sisal and copper bauble, and Martin masterfully used wire and beads to create his bauble.
Dani Le Roy (@moonbasket) accidentally fell in love with crochet 15 years ago, and her bauble is an ode to an intricate art form that’s as old as time itself. An interior decorator by trade, Dani’s foray into crochet was sparked by her fascination with using a stitching technique to create a versatile, three-dimensional fabric. The bauble is stitched using hemp yarn and once it’s done, it gets pulled over a form and impregnated with tinted resin that makes the traditionally flat fabric three-dimensional. The design is a combination of some of her most iconic pieces, with elements pulled from lampshades, wall hangings, jewellery and more.
For Nicholas Koursaris, like most people, ceramics started as a hobby. He spent 10 years in advertising, and after COVID-19, he developed this passion into a blooming business. When he was designing his bauble for the window, he was inspired by more textured, natural finishes and wanted to complement the other baubles effortlessly. Each bauble starts as a malleable clay body, thrown on the potter’s wheel into two hemispheres before being joined together. Once the piece is leather-hard, Nick goes in with various tools and glazes that bring the final bauble to life once it’s placed in the kiln.
The team at Mia Melange are the masterminds responsible for taking an everyday object like rope and bringing it to life in the shape of a bauble. Their workshop is based in Stellenbosch, South Africa and aims to empower women from the area by providing them with a chance to earn an income and to teach them valuable skills that can be used to support themselves and their families. Their pieces are also made using local, sustainable, high-quality rope that’s sourced from South African farmers who are part of the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI). The team uses tightly braided rope with tight stitches to achieve the spherical shape of the bauble.