South Africa’s Stoned Cherie, Mali/Paris’s Xuly Bet, Nigeria’s Tiffany Amber, MOMO and now Jewel by Lisa are the confirmed designers to show at ThisDay/Arise Magazine: African Fashion Collective, Fall 2009 Show. And guess what, we were right on the money, since the launch of Ladybrille by predicting that the works of Stoned Cherie, Tiffany Amber and Jewel by Lisa, among the list we cited, would make a global hit if only they were afforded the right exposure on a platform like New York Fashion Week. Revisit our Veoh TV interview at the SXSW Conference 2008.
Without further ado and in this LADYBRILLE.com exclusive, we introduce you to Nkhensani the brain behind the absolutely brilliant brand, Stoned Cherrie.
LADYBRILLE.com: Hi Nkhensani! How are you? We still haven't really connected but Noni [Noni Gasa is South Africa’s media personality and Face of Sanlam SA Fashion Week 2005] has told me only great things about you.
Stoned Cherrie: Hi there! I should hope she has! [Adds] Just joking!
LADYBRILLE.com: [Laughs] So, you are coming to New York [saying it in a sing song tone]. How were you approached to participate and what does that feel like for you?
Stoned Cherrie: We are coming to New York! [Responds in a sing song tone.] It feels great to know that African stereotypes will be challenged and that Africa will be represented on a world stage. We were asked to participate as part of the African collective showcasing on the 13th and we are thrilled to be introducing the world to Stoned Cherrie’s Afro-urban take on fashion. The organizers, in line with the launch of Arise magazine, wanted to showcase what Africa has to offer.
LADYBRILLE.com: South Africa has had a presence before in 2002 with the Afridesia show sponsored by Anglogold. It featured some South African designers but it seemed like there was never a conversion to actual sales. How do you think your presence in New York will be different from your predecessors?
Stoned Cherrie: I am not sure why nothing came of their participation in Afridesia. Stoned Cherrie is a popular South African brand that attracts a lot of American tourists who have always said Stoned Cherrie would do so well in the U.S. market. Stoned Cherrie has always been more about a certain headspace than it is about a specific demographic, making it a celebrated brand bringing together like minded individuals who believe in freedom, heritage and spreading the message of Love.
Over the past couple of years I have been part of a mentorship program that is based in New York and they are assisting with securing a few key meetings so hopefully those will yield something meaningful. We have also been involved with one of South Africa’s major retailers for a few years so we no longer have a one-dimensional view of fashion being solely about expression and couture. We have been producing commercial products for some time and are looking to exporting some of our more product lines into the US market - we’ll see how it goes.
LADYBRILLE.com: I am sure it will go well! Ladybrille has been featuring your work for a while now but help many in the fashion world in the States who have never heard about you. Give us a synopsis of your background?
Stoned Cherrie: We are a product of our universe. Our aesthetic oscillates between past present and future lending a nostalgic and fun edge to our design signature [that] has been inspired by our history. I think that we are a very expressive brand that is not necessarily influenced by the latest trend in fashion rather seeing ourselves as trendsetters. We were born in 2000 and already have quite an impressive collection of awards and nominations including receiving a lifetime achievement award and a best brand award a couple of months apart. South Africa is a country undergoing tremendous change at the moment and we are boldly evolving with it while keeping our signature style.
Stoned Cherrie represents everything that is celebratory. It was created in an effort to provide a platform for self-expression and to represent a New Africa that challenged preconceived ideas around Africa and identity. We have managed over the last 9 years to spark the desire of many throughout Africa.
LADYBRILLE.com: We've heard Stoned Cherrie was inspired by your work with Face of Africa, the one responsible for putting Supermodel Oluchi Onweagba on the map. Tell us how you got the epiphany to start the brand?
Stoned Cherrie:I was participating in Face of Africa as the spokesperson and presenter of the show, which meant I got to do a lot of the scouting for models across the continent. Although I always made clothes for my dolls I was never exposed to the world of fashion until my participation in the show. Because it was a model search I was flung directly into the world of fashion and I couldn’t help but think “where is the African aesthetic” in all of this. The designers were all international designers and everything else was an interpretation of what someone else thought Africa was about.
I was inspired to create a brand that would be an authentic expression of the urban energy that I love about South Africa, Lagos, Tanzania and all the urban and peri-urban centers of Africa. Walking in the streets of Lagos, I knew that I needed to go back home and start something big. I saw a wealth of opportunity and beauty all around me: I recognized that the energy that exists on the continent was not being branded and packaged and I wanted to celebrate what it means to me to be an African in the 21st Century. I like the idea of being daringly different and busting stereotypes of what it is to be sexy and sultry yet sophisticated and subtle.
LADYBRILLE.com: I want our readers to really appreciate your emergence on South Africa's fashion scene and industry. So, please set the context for us. What was the state of South Africa's fashion industry at the time, especially as it pertained to Black South African designers?
Stoned Cherrie:At the time we started, South African fashion did not have its own identity. To a large degree it followed safely in the footsteps of Euro-centric ideals of what fashion is. There was a sprinkling of designers here and there but the black force was not all that visible. Remember we are a young democracy just coming out of apartheid and unequal opportunity so at the time there wasn't much visible success among black folks. At the beginning it was a challenge for us to break into an alternative market and completely breakaway from stereotypes. We also didn't want to go to the other extreme: The deep from Africa look. We wanted beautiful stylish timeless pieces that exude femininity, independence pride and dignity.
LADYBRILLE.com: You seemed to have accomplished your goal. Your brand is urban, sexy yet cosmopolitan. How have you been able to sustain the huge amount of capital required to keep a business like yours going?
Stoned Cherrie: We have had a very interesting journey. We have had people who believed in us, we believed in us. We worked really hard and took calculated risks and we gained recognition for our efforts. In 2003 we won two awards in the business sector and in 2006 we were selected out of about 200 applicants as winners of the New York based mentorship program, Endeavor. So our efforts have really paid off.
LADYBRILLE.com: Yes indeed. Congratulations. You have a knack for 'getting it' and putting the ‘Urban’ in urban-chic African. Walk us through the creative processes you and your staff undertake as you prepare for each season?
Stoned Cherrie: Thank you. We are great believers in infinite possibility and that is always our guiding principal. We are also passionate about Africa and its people and being situated in the City Center ensures that we are constantly inspired. Our process differs with every range but it is always based on in-depth research and a thought process.
LADYBRILLE.com: I think many are curious if business practices are sort of the same in South Africa with a fashion business owner in the USA. Demystify it for us by sharing with some of your daily challenges as a business owner?
Stoned Cherrie:I suppose they vary from finding the right suppliers with products at the right price to ensuring that your pricing is right. The greatest challenge for any creative within this industry is balancing the creative and the business aspects of the business.
LADYBRILLE.com: The economic crisis is hitting us hard globally and especially in the USA. We understand South Africa is also affected from ongoing questions on the Chinese quota and recent financial fraud. Where do you see the industry going and what direction do you think it ought to take?
Stoned Cherrie:There is no doubt that the recession is having its impact. We are starting to see it this side too. I am, however, an eternal optimist and I believe that we will make it through all the changes. That is why I have always been focused on building a brand rather than just a fashion label. Those people who are sensitized to the changes and who continue to be involved in meaningful work will survive.
LADYBRILLE.com:We expect Stoned Cherrie will 'WOW' them at New York Fashion Week. Are you ready and able to meet the demand when buyers approach to order thousands of units of you merchandise?
Stoned Cherrie:Fortunately we have been dealing with big factories because of our involvement with a big retailer in South Africa so we are prepared to meet demand.
LADYBRILLE.com: What is the bigger picture you hope you can send to America and international fashion industries that will be watching, about Africa?
Stoned Cherrie:I am hoping to challenge stereotypes about Africa and hopefully get some meaningful trade going that will empower some of the communities we are working with.
LADYBRILLE.com: I know you are a mom. How many children and how do you do it with seemingly amazing finesse?
Stoned Cherrie:I have three kids and a twelve-year old niece who is like a daughter to me. It is a constant juggling act full of enjoyment, anxiety, fulfillment and all the things that go with being a parent. I try as much as possible to live in the moment.
LADYBRILLE.com: Welcome to the USA and New York! We wish you nothing but success.
Stoned Cherrie:THANKS! Hope to see you at the show.
Ymib.com
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