Launched recently at Keyes Art Mile in Johannesburg, Wanderland Collective will be a hit for those looking for luxury, wearable design.
It's the brainchild of creatives Nicole Levenberg of Aureum and Carike Greffrath. The two met while working on Ardmore Design's Zambezi fabric collection, with Carike on product development and Levenberg on textile design.
"Having worked in creative business over the years, we've realised it's impossible to be a master of all trades," the pair say, which is why they've opted to cross-pollinate various art forms and artists to create richly varied and luxe products.
For their first featured artist collection — Wanderland Collective x Aureum Oceanum — Levenberg has put her hand to producing illustrations for an evocative, aquatic-inspired range of tactile velvet bags, silk scarves and accessories that the duo refers to as wearable art. Her artworks channel the calm, other-worldly beauty of ocean life in vivid colour and fine detail.
"Being a native Joburger, December holidays were always spent along the Cape coast where the allure of the ocean took hold. This, coupled with endless hours watching the whimsical underwater worlds of Planet Earth, catalysed a desire to capture this weird and wonderful space on fabric. Curling, twirling shells, textured mosses, dancing algae and darting jellyfish submerge us into this magical aquatic world," says Levenberg.
The brand takes the homegrown element of their collection seriously, with suppliers, manufacturers and artists locally sourced as far as possible. Together they aim to uplift communities and develop new craft skills.
"I am passionate about small business and the ability it has to influence and elevate society. I've recently partnered with two passionate businesswomen, Natasha van Heerden and Leandré Ehlers, to create an informal training ground for entrepreneurs," says Greffrath of her work with Ardmore Designs.
And this is just the beginning. Wanderland Collective plans to work with a number of South African creatives to expand the boundaries of what they can do and translate their talents into commercial products while protecting the essence of their artistry.
"We want to work with artists who believe in our collaborative approach. We will embrace both young emerging creatives as well as more established stalwarts who have perhaps not worked in this sphere before," they say.
The marketing campaign for the Wanderland Collective x Aureum collaboration has given us a taste of their dedication to the collective power of creative community. They joined forces with floral couturier Karen Dalton of Dalton & Bloom, bloggers and personalities Misha Coetzee of Brandslut, Thameenah Saint, Amanda Custo, Naledi Mabuse and Mrs South Africa, Nicole Capper, as well as jewellery brand Pichulik.
Watch this space for future collaborations...