Trenery Guild campaign celebrates creative craftsmanship

The Trenery Guild campaign launched this month at the V&A Waterfront store with an installation by textile artist Pierre Fouché, who worked in collaboration with fellow artist Pierre Le Riche. Together they have created a work that distils the essence of textile fabrication.

Fouché finds common ground with Trenery’s design process, noting that every garment must start with a single thread – much in the same way his elaborate installations begin. According to the retailer, the simple, modern colour palette of navy, pink and grey references Trenery / Edit, "a curated collection of fashion-focused silhouettes defined by beautiful fabrications, bolder shapes and clean, modern lines". The artists’ installation will be displayed in the V&A store window for four weeks from launch.

This is then followed by African tea brand, Yswara, which brings to life the richness of the Autumn/Winter prints in the Folkloric Spice collection. In time for Mother’s Day in May, artisanal perfume-maker Marie Aoun of Saint D’Ici evokes the luxury of cashmere through a bespoke scented candle. In time for Father’s Day, craft distillery Pienaar & Son will be revealing their collaboration which speaks to the heritage of tradition, of a handover from one generation to the next, as is the case in traditional tailoring – with a modern twist.

A limited edition gift with purchase will also be available for customers at events taking place throughout the campaign at select Trenery standalone stores from February until July 2018.

February/March: Pierre Fouché and Pierre Le Riche, V&A Waterfront Trenery Store

After a prolonged mutual admiration for each other’s work, textile artist Pierre Fouché and fellow artist Pierre Le Riche met through friends. Fouché’s exploration of lacemaking began in 2009 and has grown to define his style and become his signature, with his work exhibited in museums around the world. He is currently working on a large scale installation for the Spier Foundation and in mid-2018 he will be teaching a masterclass in bobbin lace making in the UK.

Le Riche is an emerging artist whose work is increasingly visible on the local scene with recent exhibitions at Salon91 and various art fairs, and at the Woordfees in Stellenbosch in 2019. Fouché achieved his MA in Fine Art at Stellenbosch University in 2006, while Le Riche recently completed his Masters in Fine Art at Michaelis School of Art.

This will be the first time that they collaborate on an artwork.

April/May: Yswara

Swaady Martin

Founded in 2012 by Ivorian Swaady Martin, Yswara is a growing African luxury brand known for high-end products using local natural resources, all produced by African artisans. The product range centres around exquisite teas sourced from across Africa, each finely crafted from heirloom plants that are unique to the continent. Yswara’s mission is to promote and preserve Africa’s rich culture and history through her exceptional products. Traditional techniques combine with contemporary designs to preserve artistry and participate in the cultural survival of Africa.

May/June: Saint D’Ici

Marie Aoun is the founder of Saint d’Ici, a natural parfumerie based in Johannesburg. She worked in the fashion industry for over a decade before deciding to pursue her interest in gardening, where she realised that her love of nature and fashion’s storytelling could meet in natural perfume. She read voraciously, trained with celebrated natural perfumer Dominique Dubrana in Italy and finally launched Saint d’Ici in 2016.

Aoun created the brand as an antidote to commercial fragrances. She uses ethically-sourced ingredients from farmers with sustainable farming practices and crafts them into limited edition perfumes that pay homage to the seasons. She believes in creating beautiful products that she can be proud of and that the rest will follow.

June/July: Pienaar & Son

Pienaar & Son is a small, craft distillery in the centre of the Cape Town City Bowl. A stone’s throw from Parliament, at the end of a cul-de-sac this tiny distillery goes about its business finding fresh ways of creating and introducing people to quality, modern spirits.

Bringing a twist to tradition, Pienaar & Son’s master distiller is still in his twenties, all the equipment is newly handbuilt locally and the processes are based off cutting edge engineering principles developed by the chemical engineering brains behind the operation, Schalk Pienaar. A father with more than forty years of distilling technology experience together with his son handcraft spirits with science and art - this family believes in starting traditions, not following them.