For eclectic fashion finds, Merchants on Long is a beautifully curated African design store that’s reflective of the entire continent, stocking labels from South Africa, but also across Kenya, Nigeria, and beyond. Emerging designers with a focus on ethical design come together in glorious prints, colors, structured clothing, and accessories.
“Things come and go quite quickly in Cape Town, so it’s nice to have decade-old stores that are quite iconic,” Khumalo says of Merchants, but also of AKJP. Coffee shop by day, bar by night, and concept store always, AKJP is rooted in community. The shelves are stocked with contemporary fashion, homeware, and art journals, all by young local designers. “AKJP really brings the Capetonian aesthetic by helping the first graduates of design school to find a foothold,” says Khumalo.
For beautiful handmade jewelry, Pichulik is a jewelry shop run by Katherine-Mary Pichulik, with striking handcrafted pieces made with rope and jeweler’s brass. In a light-filled atelier above the display floor, you can watch as the intricate designs come together.
Cape Town creatives to watch for
“South African art is having a moment,” says Khumalo, who collaborates with a number of creatives. Sinalo Ngcaba is one among them, whose work at the intersection of Black joy, Black pop culture, womanhood, and human rights issues comes to life on media like oil pastels and ink. Self-taught jewelry designer and sculptor from Cape Town, Githan Coopoo works exclusively with clay as a base medium, producing unexpected pieces such as vases and handbags with air-dried clay and acrylic paint.
The coolest galleries in town
On the buzzy V&A Waterfront, the Zeitz MOCAA (Museum of Contemporary Art Africa) is a striking sight. The towering concrete tubes of the historic former Grain Silo now house multiple galleries filled with art from across Africa. “The building is so iconic, a beautiful merger between architecture and fine art,” says Khumalo, who takes her kids there all the time.
