There is a little courtyard in the back of the Collage Fashion Deli that could very well be the scene of many a wonderful coffee dates in the not too distant future. Born of a desire to create a space that evolves, and houses art in various forms, the Collage Fashion Deli is a fashion haven for those who want something extra special but not with that extra special price tag. Thulare Monareng’s latest venture is the culmination of visualization and meditation. The bare stone and 100-year-old brick space where she has set up shop is a testament to the strength of ideas. Hearing about the process is like being aware of a delicious madness, and it works because of its focus on the integrity of the building. Located on the vibey Long Street, “the spine of Cape Town” as Thulare refers to it – the Collage Fashion Deli offers tempting fashion treats in the form of her two eponymous lines. Thuli is younger, urban street-wear, and Thulare Monareng is for that discerning woman of taste. Her fit is incredible, and her details and tailoring are what you might find in major ateliers in fashion hubs worldwide. Not surprising, since Thulare studied Fashion and Merchandising at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Not a stranger to AfriPOP!, we profiled her fashion pedigree here.
Thulare is an African designer passionate about the art currently emerging from the continent, and when she talks about attending FESMAN, also known as the World Festival of Black Arts, last year, her eyes light up. She describes it as a fascinating, and amazing experience, where she also got to see what other fashion designers are doing around the continent.
Her vision was not only to create a space for herself, but also for other designers. Along with the Thulare’s own lines, Kenyan Liz Ogumbo’s long and diaphanous dresses are given, not ordinary rail space, but are hung from crates, which are suspended from the ceiling. Clare Kane’s dresses are displayed in old Pepsi fridges. Undacova, the men’s underwear range, are rolled up and displayed in steel mixing bowls. Pastel-coloured unisex shirts from Shirt & Co hang from meat hooks in an old deli fridge. Edible fashion? Perhaps not quite, but it is a space that leaves you craving many of the goodies on display. Besides these established designers, she has a trio of local designers like Intsango, a local t-shirt design duo, that she has given space to, and she provides them with advice. (Watch this space for when she stocks acclaimed Nigerian designer Ituen Basi, as part of the store’s evolution and up and up philosophy. Yes!)
Quirks like milking canisters from Recreate that look like they’re fresh from a farm, but now turned into low stools fill the shop. She craftily combines finds from other places with her own, and is candid about the process of discovery and re-invention. “The crates, oh [laughs] well they are from my building.” So far this sounds like the typical artist; they can see beauty in unusual items.
The challenge here, because it is an old building, was how to display the clothes without dust being a perpetual problem. Because the old brick and some of the revealed stone structure of the building itself is one of the shop’s strongest features, the thinking had to be bold. Conventional shelving and store design was not an option, and instead, the crates and the old-fashioned fridges, some with a very 70s look (which was a happy accident) became mainstays. The decision to hang the crates so they could become rails for the clothes adds to the organic and airy feel of the Collage Fashion Deli.
The space ended up totally dictating the concept. “Fashion is my primary focus but I love music, I love art, I love film. I love music inasmuch as I love fabric, and art and film.” She is an arts-oriented person, a visual creative who extrapolates not only the contemporary but also decades-old sensibilities and files them away, only for them to turn up in some of her renowned wearable pieces of art. Sharing her love for music, art and film, Thulare recently hosted “Winter’s Harvest: Smashing Artists Meet The Collage Fashion Deli”. Guests were treated to a display of art, photography, music and film. Emerging artists were able to share a platform and talk about their work with the public. It was intimate and lively, and just the ticket that the arts scene in Cape Town has been needing. Some shopped, some networked, and all in all the success of the Deli was there for all to see.
“When you enter, and then you leave, you leave with a positive experience,” says the visionary Thulare Monareng.
-Find Thulare on Facebook.
-Picture credits: Luso Mnthali
