The sense of summer fun encapsulated in a collar
Summer in Cape Town is all about white sand between your toes, linger-longer sunsets and carefree days… Capturing the spirit of the Mother City over high season, the new eye-catching ‘Holiday’ collection of dog collars, leashes and accessories by Chommies are gorgeous to look at, and so masterfully made, they’re worthy of a pedigree.
The fun-in-the-sun collection is aptly dubbed Clifton 1st, after Clifton’s iconic only dog-friendly beach. Delicately beaded, but not delicate, the collars are meant for dogs that roll around in the sand and catch waves as much as those that enjoy the vibey walking and cafe culture of the city.
‘Clifton 1st has been a long time in the making,’ says Chommies creative director and founder Nathalie Klijn. ‘I always wanted to work with beads in a colourful Chommies way, but it’s taken two years to develop and fully bring the concept to life. Clifton during the summer perfectly encapsulates the feel-good essence of Cape Town lifestyle, set amidst the extraordinary surroundings most often enjoyed in the best of company.’
The trio of patterned colourways have playful, fun names to help get you into the holiday spirit, with nods to a typical Atlantic Seaboard beach scene in high summer. The ever-present granadilla ice-lolly vendors gave rise to ‘Jolly Lolly’; people going for dips in the ocean while not wearing all that much led to the cheekily termed ‘Skinny Dip’; and the laid-back vacation culture of loose plans, where things happen according to a relaxed timeline, was the inspiration behind ‘Now Now’.
Beading, a long-revered African craft technique that is prevalent in many South African traditions, is a new addition to the Chommies landscape. It was ‘a natural development when it came to doing our next African-inspired collection,’ says Klijn, who worked with a collective of Zulu beaders from KwaZulu-Natal to bring her own hand-drawn patterns to life, combining her contemporary nous with their master craftsmanship. Each piece is entirely handmade; a collar takes more than a day and a leash about two days to make, completed at Chommies’ Cape Town studio by local artisans.
The Holiday collection options range from the slightly more saturated nature-led greens and browns of Now Now to the pastel pops of Jolly Lolly. Colour as a form of visual delight is typical of Chommies. Well known for its beautifully bright aesthetic, the Chommies world is a multi-hued one indeed, a world where striking handcrafted dog and cat accessories are proudly worn and loved across the globe.
In addition to collars, Clifton 1st offers corresponding beaded leashes in the same three colourways, designed to look good on all types of fur, male and female dogs – and all people. If a fur friend’s obliging human is of mind to play ‘match-match’ even further, there are shimmery key rings and bracelet cuffs to complete the ensemble.
With the Chommies brand having grown remarkably since its inception in Cape Town in 2016, starting out with rope-based products only, the new collection constitutes a creative departure, and a welcome extension of the existing ranges. As in previous collections, Clifton 1st marries the vibrancy and raw beauty of Southern Africa with contemporary high-quality design.
Clifton 1st is available from 01 December 2022 online at www.Chommies.com. It will further be available from 03 December 2022 at The House of Chommies (110 Hatfield Street, Gardens) and OZCF market in Granger Bay, Cape Town.
Shop here: www.chommies.com/collections/beaded
For more info visit www.chommies.com
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