What are South Africa's Most Beautiful Objects?

When fashion designer Tiaan Nagel relaunched his label after working as a magazine editor, he was inspired by a piece of writing from Ntokozo Mbokazi, titled Remember You Are. He wanted to find a way as a white, privileged, straight Afrikaans male to be as authentic as possible, reflecting his identity and experience. 

Nagel explains that the launch collection drew on hyper-local inspirations such as the studio pottery of Andrew Walford and Esias Bosch, Old Transvaal Furniture and contemporary art by the likes of Michael MacGarry, Givan Lots, Eduardo Villa and Zander Blom. 

It features brutally honest and progressive shapes in simple but luxurious materials. The accompanying stills campaign, directed by Nagal and shot by Travys Owen at the Melville Koppies in Johannesburg, encapsulates many of these gentle influences 

It features brutally honest and progressive shapes in simple but luxurious materials. The accompanying stills campaign, directed by Nagal and shot by Travys Owen at the Melville Koppies in Johannesburg, encapsulates many of these gentle influences 

The accompanying stills campaign, directed by Nagal and shot by Travys Owen at the Melville Koppies in Johannesburg, encapsulates many of these gentle influences.

 “These images are so deeply moving,” says nominator Jodi Balfour. “They feel poetic, expansive and calming, but also evoke real drama. They make me take a long, deep breath. The play of light, the richness of colour, and the environmental mood are all truly remarkable.”

The Dawning installation by fashion designer Thebe Magugu is a celebration of South Africa’s progress, particularly in the empowerment of women, despite its challenges.

This scroll, featuring text from the South African constitution, acts as a pathway for the mannequins who stand on it. 

 It depicts three African women sitting around the table writing a pact on a scroll of paper which drops down to the floor and runs across the room and was nominated by, Manthe Ribane.

Other symbolic references include the white and red mountains, which refer to the South African landscape, and also appear to be piles of ashes, representing death and rebirth.  The scale is deliberately confrontational and intimidating, and the colours are simplified to emphasise the shapes and enhance the directness of the message.

“With this installation, I want it to feel like South Africa is forging its own path, unaided by influence,” says Magugu.

The scale is deliberately confrontational and intimidating, and the colours are simplified to emphasise the shapes and enhance the directness of the message.

The Delicate Bracelet is made by the non-profit community project Izandla Zethu (based in Walmer, a township in Port Elizabeth), which creates employment and develops skills to empower young people. 

The bracelet is made using corrugated iron, a material commonly used to build shelters in informal settlements.

 It symbolises the transformation of poverty into beauty through creativity. 

In this self-portrait, multitalented Trevor Stuurman, who is known not only as a stylist, fashion consultant and social media influencer, but also as an artist, photographer and filmmaker, engages with his own image as a pioneer of modern African aesthetics.

“To me, this image is the most beautiful thing right now,” says Sunu Gonera. “Not the chair, or the background, or the fashion. This image is beautiful because of what it represents: it shows an African artist who has come into his own, found his voice''

 Gonera says that the image exemplifies the ability of African creativity to reconnect with its heritage, transcending elements of its painful history and rediscovering beauty on its own terms. 

“For me, Trevor represents the progress that African artists have made on the world stage, how we have brought our unique voices forward, our aesthetic unmistakable, our imperfection part of what it means to be who we are,” says Gonera.