manifesto

starting point

2026 : July

A collection of maps, memories and markers that trace the worlds of the LOOKBOOK Studio team

curated by LOOKBOOK Studio

Charl

Creative Director & Co-founder

One of my favourite childhood memories (and perhaps a defining life moment) involves my mom, Myrtle, covering our kitchen table in drawing paper and drawing an aerial map of our street. My twin-brother John (the architect) then drew the homes, while I (editor and stylist) drew onto their drawings, colouring in, and adding the interiors and objects. One could say life was mapped out for us from that day…

This is a koki pen map that I drew as a little boy, mapping all of the places I had been to (or places I had heard of) up until that point in my very short lifespan, doodling places within the confines of Southern Africa’s border, and using phonetic Afrikaans. Swaasielant in Limpopo? Check. Joeanersburg in Botswana? Obviously. Ameerieka in Malawi? Duh.  

Good luck finding Sysals or Meriesus!

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Robyn

Project Manager

Lost and found myself a million times while chasing thoroughbreds around the world. Forget countries, I trace my travels by racecourses and horses. Follow the Epsom Derby, Kentucky Derby, Royal Ascot, Cheltenham Festival and the Melbourne Cup, and you will have a pretty good cheat sheet to my inner psyche. A life mapped in furlongs, fine horses, unforgettable friends and, naturally, even finer champagne.
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Jess

Art Director

As a designer, I’m always looking for inspiration when I travel. I love collecting little bits of ephemera like maps, tickets, brochures and postcards, and I’m always fascinated by how museum wayfinding can be both beautifully designed and genuinely functional.

This map from Patan Museum in Kathmandu, Nepal, which I picked up while spending time there as a volunteer after high school, is a perfect example of form meeting function.

Jana

Content Creator

When in Milano, one can only retrace the steps to the spaces and places absorbed the day before through ‘kiekie’ locations… because after so many events and too many negronis to count, it’s hard to pinpoint an actual address.

Murray

Market Editor

A place as vast and overwhelming as Beijing can be intimidating to navigate. Working at a drama school, I came to know the city via its subway system – stripped back, simplified, and legible. One night, after missing the last train and with not a taxi in sight, I followed the familiar stations above ground, retracing the route on foot until I arrived home.

Storm

Style Director

This screenshot from Maps.me is more than just a navigation app I use when I’m off in the mountains. It’s a map of some of my favourite places. Every pin marks a campsite, mountain hut or sometimes just a tea spot in the Cederberg that’s been part of an adventure. It reminds me of weekends spent scrambling, exploring, swimming in rock pools and escaping into the wild. It’s where I go to switch off from the world and just be me. It’s also how I dream up the next trip – mapping out unexplored routes, finding new places to sleep under the stars, and seeing which paths I have yet to take.

Pieter

Managing Director

My childhood was mapped by three places: our farm, about 120 kilometres north of Grootfontein; the town where I went to school; and Swakopmund, nearly 700 kilometres away, where we spent ten days fishing every December in a caravan.

Lisiwe

Studio Manager

On Instagram, I go by @whereislisiwe. A quiet space for my honest reflections, my every day, real conversation, personal style and the dreams shaping who I’m becoming. I follow only the untraceable. No map, no destination, just me.

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