GONE RURAL SWAZILAND X DOKTER AND MISSES
RURAL CRAFT MEETS AFRICAN DESIGN CHIC
Innovative South African design company, Dokter and Misses have teamed up with artisan weavers Gone Rural Swaziland, a high impact social enterprise in rural eSwatini, to develop the modular Soldier Screens system. The screens are made of a slender steel frame with inserts woven from a combination of sustainably harvested sisal and indigenous Lutindzi grass, which grows wild on rocky outcrops in the Swazi mountains.
The inserts, handwoven by the Gone Rural craftswomen in Swaziland, introduce this age-old production method to the home and office environment. The Soldier Screen system allows one to define and divide a large space. Used as a single stand-alone panel, the screen inserts a strong graphic into a space and when joined together they create linear or curved partitions, as well as enclosures that resemble rooms. The total assembly size of this modular system is variable and does not require professional installation.
Speaking about this exciting collaboration between the two companies, Mellisa Mazingi, Managing Director of Gone Rural said:
“Our collaboration with Dokter and Misses represented the coming together of two strong African brands - both with the objective of demonstrating how African design can be chic, modern and high end and illustrating the evolution of the overall African aesthetic. I believe that collaborations like these are necessary to capitalize on the growing following of design brands from the continent as well as to create unique, inimitable home products that are contemporary yet timeless. The blend between industrial and natural materials is beautifully representative of a continent whose urban spaces are developing at a rapid pace yet remaining true to its roots.”
Mellisa Mazingi
Managing Director, Gone Rural Swaziland
Gone Rural is a Swazi handcraft company inspired by women weavers, using creativity and design to ignite change on a community level through ethical, handmade products. Offering income to more than 780 rural women artisans, these women are skilled weavers and are at the heart of everything the company does, as it aims to provide them with sustainable income, decision-making powers and creative outlets. Gone Rural is constantly reinventing the traditional weaving techniques, and revolutionizing the world-view of African handcraft. Its products range from functional homeware to gallery pieces, with traditional weaving techniques reinterpreted into new and innovative contemporary designs. Inspired by the lutindzi grass of the mountains of eSwatini (formerly Swaziland) and the women leaders of rural communities, Gone Rural transforms the indigenous art of weaving into high-quality products that are showcased and loved all over the world.
Gone Rural began as one woman's mission to empower women in eSwatini’s most remote areas. Jenny Thorne's visionary business model was started in 1992 with 30 basket weavers and artisans, with the objective of creating a way for the rural women to earn an income from home as well as share their beautiful craft with the world. From a craft shop in eSwatini, Gone Rural has grown to working with 786 artisans, selling their products to more than 300 customers all over the world. Gone Rural has blossomed from a local women's empowerment project to a global leader in handcraft and design, using creativity to ignite social change. A quarter of a century later, women and the community remain at the heart of everything the company does.
Katy Taplin
Co-founder, Dokter and Misses
Husband-and-wife team Adriaan Hugo and Katy Taplin are Dokter and Misses whose respective industrial and graphic design skills combine to create work described as “modernist, where strong construction lines and a bold use of colour create graphic shapes and spaces.” Working from their studio in Johannesburg, Adriaan and Katy’s work has become synonymous with the city in which it is conceived and produced. Their innovative selection of furniture, lighting and interior objects has not only captured the imagination of South African interior design enthusiasts, but also that of international collectors. The couple, who met at university, attribute their growing success to the inspiration they find in one another. Starting out with limited workshop space and few tools at their disposal, Adriaan and Katy made use of what was available to them, adapting their processes organically. Initially using hand tools and silk screens, their work now employs a range of techniques, including laser-cutting and the use of bold, graphic patterns and hand-painted surfaces, which have proven to be an important part of the Dokter and Misses aesthetic. Several designs feature contemporary reinterpretations of traditional African patterns.
Dokter and Misses was a member of Design Network Africa (2012-2014) and have exhibited their work in London, Miami, New York, Dubai and Basel. Adriaan and Katy are inspired by the idiosyncrasies of their surroundings, their modernist, angular design has a bold, upbeat energy that makes their objects and furniture immediately desirable and urban cool.
