Brimming with Fashion Flair, Local Ingenuity and an Exclusive Array of Designs, The Trading Company at Spice Route has “Destination Store” Written All Over It!

What happens when international trends find their African mojo? A compelling retail offering, that’s what! It’s to be found at artisanal estate Spice Route in the form of recently launched destination store, The Trading Company. An outstanding array of exclusive local designs awaits: all have been handpicked and developed to showcase how appealing European styling can be when it’s modernized with a contemporary African flavour. The Trading Company offers an exuberant and heady retail experience where beautiful merchandising and interior styling combine with exquisite products that are awash with local colour.

And this retail offering is as vibrant and dynamic as The Trading Company’s proprietor, Abigail Bisogno. Formerly the MD of the Foschini Division of the Foschini Group, Abigail left behind 35 years in corporate retail in order to purchase Spice Route farm together with her brother, Charles Back, who also happens to own Fairview, the renowned cheese and wine estate alongside Spice Route.

Abigail has been responsible for the creative direction and project management of all the renovations and additions at Spice Route, but The Trading Company is her own special “love” project. The shop is an outlet for the fabulous flair and drive that, right from the start of her career, propelled this one time fashion designer with a self-confessed love of colour, into pattern making, retail buying and then all the way up into executive management.

Abigail has brought her incredible retail experience and knowledge to bear on the range development and exclusive product offering of The Trading Company. The store boasts singular products that are available nowhere else and which express the global spirit of the times in a bold, local language. Abigail keeps a keen eye on international trends, and follows fashions closely, but expresses them in a contemporary African aesthetic.
   
The gorgeous array of goods is testament to the generous collaborative spirit in which Abigail engages with her suppliers. She always pushes them to go just that one bit further towards the utterly fabulous. She has commissioned, embellished, chosen colour-ways, added trimmings, injected pattern, defined shapes and localized trends in an accessible and attractive way…

“I can keep going forever and a day!” she says, “I enjoy working with suppliers and developing product with them!”

But her passion is undoubtedly meeting a need in the market because the store has been profitable since the get go and is patronized not only by international tourists but local shoppers, too. Of course this has a lot to do with the desirability of the goods – but it also has to do with the beautifully appointed interior of the shop. This powerful combination is what makes The Trading Company a veritable destination store.

“The store is absolutely a creative outlet for me. Very much so!” Abigail explains. “And I love merchandising the store and playing with different products and mixing it up to make it interesting for the visitor.”
  
While Abigail does the visual merchandising herself she worked hand-in-hand with interior designer Camilla Fraser on the look-and-feel for the store fit-out. The interior direction modernizes a rustic farmhouse feel with strong and exuberant colour. Many of the signature furniture pieces currently used in the store were old bits and bobs that were found on the farm and then refurbished. The striking feature wallpaper that makes such a statement behind the main counter is a cropped and enlarged section of an original painting by Camilla’s mother, the fine artist Patricia Fraser. Other such thoughtful and original touches abound, making the store a delight to visit.

For example, traditional klompje bricks were chosen for the floor, and exposed wooden beams were added to the ceiling to create a feeling of provenance. This gives visitors the impression that the store has always been there, despite it being a relatively new  – yet now invaluable – addition to the farm.

What’s more, as a vibrant and bespoke showcase of South African creativity that proves how artisanal products can indeed find a viable market, The Trading Company brings something invaluable to the local design industry itself! Happy Shopping!