curator
Lookbook x Palesa Kgasane
Palesa gets behind – and in front of – the lens…
To explore LOOKBOOK’s theme – ‘design is more than meets the eye’ – we matched culture writer/curve model/curator Palesa Kgasane with a Kat shopper, a collab between Design Afrika and Pichulik, and Bindu earrings from Pichulik’s new SS2021 collection ‘Nascent’. We asked Palesa to document her experience of living with these pieces in a series of images we turned into a lookbook.
My first impression was absolute delight! I’m a huge proponent of African design. I love Pichulik’s aesthetic and I think this is a great collab between the jewellery brand and Design Afrika.
I love that they’re local and handcrafted, and how well suited they are to my style.
Living with them has been an adventure! The earrings go with everything so we’ve been out and about together and the basket and I have been to the beach and to picnics. I’m trying to decide whether I want it to be a home for my plants or magazines, or something I go out with – it’s too beautiful to leave at home! I love the versatility of a piece of functional design.
It complements my style because I love a good statement piece. I tend to wear a basic palette or go all out with print, and the monochrome and rope detailing works for any look.
For my lookbook, I examined the all-seeing eye. I tried to look at style as a vessel, an extension of who I am whether I am inside or outside. Whatever the occasion, I seek to always be true to myself – a person who is constantly inspired by her surroundings.
To me, “design is more than meets the eye” speaks to the uniqueness of the human experience – we’re all so different, it’s impossible to see things the same way. We interpret and experience everything as we are, from the point of view of the self, and that’s based on culture, where we’ve been, what we read, and so on. There is no one ‘right’ way of being design minded. Yes, trends dictate what people are more inclined to be into, but, ultimately, it’s all in the eye of the one who sees.
Follow Palesa, Design Afrika and Pichulik on Instagram: @palesakgsane // @design.afrika // @pichulikafrica
