A Northcliff resident Carien Brewis had a Fashion Fun Pop-Up event in Northcliff on 14 November.
Focusing exclusively on South African designers, Brewis has taken up the task of selling designer clothing suited for mothers at the House Higgo Boutique Guest House. What is lovely about these designers is that they print all their fabric themselves, layer by layer.
She is representing six fashion designers from all over Cape Town, Polokwane and Durban, but she would like to get local designers from Gauteng involved. “At the moment I am bringing designs from other provinces to Gauteng but I would like to work with more designers from here and broaden the market and reach,” Brewis said.
Brewis has been organising pop-up stores for one year in Johannesburg and five years in Pretoria and it happens every two months at the same venues. The designers are Maya Prass, Sway designs by Petra Giliomee and Antoinett du Plessis from Cape Town, Beau designs by Robeau Liebenberg from Stellenbosch, Heart of Africa by Henk Smith from Polokwane, Penny Royal designs by Penny Mann from Richards Bay and Menck Clothing designs by Ilse Menck from Cape Town.
Brewis said there is a gap in the market, you do not get clothing like this except from small boutiques and it is usually quite expensive, but Brewis is selling these clothes at less than 30 per cent market pricing.
There is a problem also when it comes to sizes, clothes that are made in China are made in smaller cuts and bigger women have a problem with finding their exact sizes. “These designers are real South African moms making clothing for real South African women, they cater for South African sizes,” said Brewis.
Brewis was in the business of manufacturing sandals for 12 years which is where she was connected with the fashion world. She describes her pop-up store as a second hand boutique for South African women.
Details: Carien Brewis carien@localtalent.co.za or 082 811 6699.
