Divine Design: Taking fashion by the throat

29 January 2015 - 02:12 By Rea Khoabane
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Designed and crafted in Cape Town, PICHULIK is a bespoke range of bright, unusual neckpieces designed by Katherine-Mary Pichulik.

She started by tinkering with ropes and found objects more than two years ago in a small village in Rajasthan, northern India. Since then, her jewellery designs have been referred to as ''world-renowned masterpieces".

On her return to South Africa, Pichulik began to make pieces for herself. Soon people asked where she had bought the necklaces.

''People were attracted to the jewellery because of its uniqueness," she says.

Pichulik' s pieces are big, bold and bright, and she promises that PICHULIK jewellery is sure to make a woman feel confident about her style.

''You need to be strong enough, inspiring and brave to wear it," she says. ''It's really statement stuff."

Last year, Pichulik worked with fashion designer Alexis Barrel on her 2014 spring summer collection.

For her upcoming collaboration Pichulik is working with women from the townships, many of them sangomas. The women are helping her complete her jewellery and handbag designs by weaving, beading and crocheting various elements on them.

She calls the united work between them the ''collaboration of ancestors". Pichulik's brother and uncle were also traditional healers.

In November , Pichulik released a series called Brave Women, based on her collaborative work.

She said: ''Collaboration is a powerful tool that forces you to let go of your own ego and open your mind to share and be creative with someone else."

Alongside 10 other amazing African designers, including South Africa's MaXhosa by Laduma and Simon and Mary, Vogue Italia named PICHULIK as one of this year's "Scouting for Africa" finalists in a search for emerging fashion designers based in Africa or of African nationality.

One designer will be selected to showcase designs at Palazzo Morando and at African International Fashion Week later this year. All 11 will be profiled in next month' s issue of Vogue Italia. The PICHULIK range is stocked in 16 high-end boutiques in 11 cities around the world, including Vienna, Zurich and Berlin.

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