COAST & KOI'S FEMALE-LED TEAM EXPORT WEARABLE ART ALL AROUND THE WORLD FROM THEIR GARAGE-SIZED FASHION MARKET
Coast & Koi manager, Aniefa Adonis, has been banking with Capitec for 14 years and couldn’t be happier.
The global impact that South African fashion brand Coast & Koi has is out of all proportion to the size of the team behind it. It’s because of the sheer originality of founding designer Caryn Wilensky and detailed mastery of the women who execute her vision…..making it unique in all the world.
Caryn warmly welcomed us into her mini-souk at the tip of Africa, the heart of her brand where the magic touch is added to all the pieces she and her team create.
Boss-lady Caryn’s foundation lies in buying for high-end international fashion brands. Her eventual return to South Africa saw her merge her ability to predict trends with her newly acquired experience in a ballet factory and step out on her own to start the proudly South African brand. Under which, she creates the most gorgeous kimono-style robes, leisure wear and shoes that have remained sought after for 17-years now.
No surprise there as Caryn has an eye for exquisite texture, colour, pattern and her aesthetic is nothing but exceptional and unique – having masterfully encapsulated her range of shoes into an ever-evolving tapestry of essentials and formal wear.
“We start off at our other factory creating the original shoe, and that’s a seven-step process that is very involved. After that the shoes come here to our mini-souk where I work with my girls. We sit on the floor and we put jewels and beads on each single one,” explains Caryn.
With Europe in full swing, and her collection shipped to every corner of the world, Caryn is exceptionally busy.
A significant reason for that is that these shoes, clothes and accessories have been championed by another woman entrepreneur with a thriving business and most excellent surname.
Catherine Magnifico, owner of Casa Wild, an online platform selling South African brands to the UK and Europe, explains, “For us it’s all about being different, and the beauty of Coast & Koi is that everything is once-off and each shoe is individually designed so there’s only one of them.”
“Caryn is incredible at uplifting the people around her and that is what also makes her brand so unique and incredible. For me, the background of her shoes and our brand collide like that, where we’re trying to uplift communities around this brand,” adds Catherine.
Manager, Aniefa Adonis, has been key to creating this world-wide enterprise, one glorious detail at a time.
“I’m proud of the fact that I can take something from nothing and make it into something for the clients,” shares Aniefa.
With Capitec’s banking app taking care of the little things, Aniefa can focus fully on what she does best.
“I’ve been with Capitec for 14 years now and what I like about them is that their banking fees are affordable. You can open a savings account, buy electricity and airtime on the app, and if I have money in my account and want to give someone money that doesn’t live near me – I can just use the app on my phone or I can use it at the bank without a bank card,” states Aniefa.
Just about everyone who experiences the brand becomes a fan, like Mersini Iakovidis.
“As a client and a friend, I think the things that stand out for me are just the magic that Caryn weaves daily. Most of all, her pieces just make you ridiculously happy. It’s dopamine dressing! It’s colour therapy! You just take on a whole different persona whenever you wear her clothes,” says Mersini.
Bucking trends toward mass production, our gifted country women are bringing the world back to appreciating unique design while uplifting those who create it. And we couldn’t be prouder to have captured a moment with the individual behind it all.
STAND TO WIN R1000 CASH
Have an idea of how to buck the trend towards mass production and uplifting those creating slow fashion? Reply on the competition post on our Facebook, Twitter or Instagram profile with #LiveBetter and tell us about it to stand a chance to win R1000. The competition ends 12 June 2022 and Ts&Cs apply.
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Address: 269 Beach Rd, Sea Point, Cape Town, 8000
