On the ocean's edge and a stone’s throw away from central Cape Town, the Sea Point Promenade and the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront is one of the most famous hotels in the Mother City. Waves burst against the embankment of this hotel, offering guests the most magnificent views of the Atlantic Ocean – but this proximity to the ocean makes coatings a challenge. Through the unique Plascon 360° Partnership Pledge, a comprehensive, tailored service solution, Kansai Plascon was commissioned to undertake the task of repainting this building, in partnership with Plascon Preferred Applicator, PaintmasterSA. Radisson Blu has been using Plascon as its preferred supplier for over 15 years now, so it was a natural choice for the hotel brand to turn to for paint that could continue to withstand the harsh natural conditions. Colour stability, self-cleansing qualities and the adhesion of the coating were of paramount importance in this project. The exterior surfaces were coated with Plascon Wall and All, a premium-quality paint that provides ultimate exterior protection, dirt and water resistance, in the warm neutral white ‘Evening Mist’ (WHT08). Due to the proximity to the coast, washing the coats between applications was vital, to prevent surface contamination that could result in delamination, which is the separation of one coating layer from another. The Plascon 360° Partnership Pledge is a complete solution, custom designed for each project. Aimed at providing peace of mind by assisting with all the coating requirements of a project, it is backed by Plascon’s years of experience. It includes a building assessment for new and redecoration projects to determine coating needs, colour assistance, application assistance, quality management with regular site visits by Plascon representatives, a Quality Assurance guarantee and a maintenance plan. CLICK HERE to submit your press release to MyPR.co.za. Author: Karina van den Heever …
Outdoor living is bright and easy with Plascon
Imparting the joy of sunny South Africa into your outdoor spaces in a long-lasting way means saying farewell to the monotony of white and beige walls, and welcoming the charm and allure of colourful facades that can withstand the elements. ‘But,’ notes the Retail & Digital Marketing Manager at Kansai Plascon, Jeetan Makan, ‘we often find that homeowners shy away from leaning into brighter colours for their outdoor spaces because they’ve been told that colour is a no-go.’ Making introducing colour into your spaces both easy and inspirational is Plascon’s Colour Combination for 2024, a selection of aquatic hues that bring a sense of calm and optimism. Launched in a 60-30-10 ratio — the industry-standard design approach of 60% of a space being in a dominant colour, 30% in a secondary colour and 10% in an accent colour — this year’s colour combo is made up of Caribbean Sea (G7-A1-2), which evokes sunlit shallow waters on a warm day; North Beach (B4-B1-1), a bold and saturated azure; and Aqua Pura (G7-C2-2), a gently shaded blue-green reminiscent of rays of sun sparkling on water. Another reason that outdoor spaces like patios are often decorated in neutral colours is that homeowners fear the fading power of the elements. Luckily, Plascon’s UV-resistant Micatex ensures that the beauty of a colourful wall stays that way. This extremely durable premium-quality water-based coating with a fine-textured matte finish is suitable for application on all exterior surfaces, from PVC gutters to cement plaster and brickwork. What’s more, the colours in the Micatex range can be finely adjusted to personal preference thanks to the Plascon Inspired Colour (PIC) tinting system. A vital step in ensuring your exterior walls withstand the heat is proper preparation. Enter MasterPrep, Plascon’s very first water-based grey plaster primer, which will save you both time and money while at the same time ensuring a bolder topcoat colour. The low-VOC MasterPrep primer offers superior …
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A vibrant new mural at Plascon’s headquarters in Krugersdorp celebrates South Africa’s story
The new mural at Kansai Plascon’s head office in Krugersdorp is more than just a visual spectacle: it's a celebration of South Africa in all its colours, a picture of the indomitable spirit of our nation. When brainstorming for the design of the mural, the artist, Kevin Ngwenya – known professionally as Kev Seven – narrowed down key historical events, icons and figures in our country’s story on which to focus: inspiring liberation heroes, the Big 5, sporting personalities and memorable moments, and cultural diversity. The graffiti and mural artist, whose commission by Plascon was to paint a mural that reflects the story of South Africa using Plascon’s own range of paints, took as his inspiration a quote by Herbert Evans, the famous founder of Plascon who introduced the first-ever ‘ready-mixed’ colour paints in South Africa in the early 20th century, who once said that people could find ‘inspiration and innovation that is beyond colour’. For Ngwenya, this quote encapsulates both the Plascon brand and the ethos of South Africa. The dazzling mural spans the whole-ground floor wall of the Kansai Plascon head office entrance in Factoria, Krugersdorp, welcoming visitors with a burst of iconic faces, flora and fauna, and proudly South African colours – Nelson Mandela, Steve Biko and Mahatma Gandhi; world-record-breakers Chad le Clos and Wayde van Niekerk, Protea women’s team player Lara Goodall, and rugby legend (and Plascon ambassador) Eben Etzebeth; and local plants and animals, including the strelitzia, rhino, zebra, leopard and elephant. Here, ‘inspiration and innovation that is beyond colour’ describe both a rainbow nation that is able to look beyond colour, and how Plascon looks beyond just the colour of its paints, into the sustainability and quality of its brand. For more information about Kansai Plascon, visit https://plascon.co.za/. For more advice on what colours are best to use where, and why, contact the Plascon Colour Consultancy via email: …
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Introducing sustainable fashion’s finest – the winners of the 5th annual Twyg Sustainable Fashion Awards are out!
On Thursday 23 November 2023, South Africa’s increasingly global fashion industry turned out in well-heeled force at a dazzling gala event that succeeded in being even more glamorous thanks to its mindful host, Twyg, an independent media non-profit organisation working at the intersection of fashion and sustainability. Celebrating designers who use sustainable practices, this was the fifth annual edition of the Twyg Sustainable Fashion Awards, with the 2023 ceremony taking place at a consciously decked-out Centre for the Book in the heart of Cape Town. Designers, members of the media, finalists, judges, sponsors and visionaries gathered to usher in the 2023 cohort of sustainable fashion’s finest. While they waited in anticipation for the ten category winners and one overall winner to be announced out of 31 finalists revealed earlier in the month, the prestigious guests were guided to watch a series of XR sustainable fashion film projects created by the Design Futures Lab, and to explore bespoke activations created for the occasion by fashion labels POLO South Africa and Foschini. Once the formal proceedings kicked off, the awards adjudicator John Shija introduced the jury and explained the rigorous judging process. Facilitating the process, emcee Danielle Bowler introduced each of the category awards, the winners of which were then announced and presented by a Twyg partner. Emerging Designer Award presented by SKYY Vodka and Pantone Sundays: Handed over by Nandi Dlepu, founder of Pantone Sundays, this award is given to a current student or young emerging designer who is challenging fashion’s status quo, and engaging with environmental and social responsibilities in a playful and creative way. The 2023 winner is Khumo. Accessories Award: Handed over by Twyg’s partnerships manager Benn Ndzoyiya, this award recognises a brand or designer who implements ethical labour practices, limits the use of toxic chemicals and utilises sustainable materials in the …
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The finalists of the 2023 Twyg Sustainable Fashion Awards have been announced!
At the forefront of sustainable-fashion advocacy, Twyg’s annual Sustainable Fashion Awards strive to celebrate and support designers, creators, thought leaders and innovators who use best practices to help change fashion. After thoughtful consideration by our panel of esteemed judges – Nigerian entrepreneur and founder of Lagos Fashion Week Omoyemi Akerele, Swiss creative consultant, writer and editor Mimma Viglezio, CEO of textile startup Rewoven Esethu Cenga, head of the department for design studies at Tshwane University of Technology Dr Sipho Mbatha, fashion magazine stylist, director and editor Sharon Armstrong, and Tanzanian-born curator and founder of Industrie Africa Nisha Kanabar – 31 finalists have been selected from the pool of outstanding candidates. The 2023 category winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on 23 November 2023 in Cape Town. Meet the finalists of the 2023 Twyg Sustainable Fashion Awards. Emerging Designer Award, presented by SKYY Vodka and Pantone Sundays This award is given to a current student or young emerging designer who is challenging fashion’s status quo, and engaging with environmental and social responsibilities in a playful and creative way. Bash Studios Khumo VNTU Accessories Award In recognition of the craftsmanship of sustainable accessories, this award is given to a brand or designer who implements ethical labour practices, limits the use of toxic chemicals and utilises sustainable materials. Orange Juice Spaces Plasticity Verse Footwear Award A new category for 2023, this award recognises a brand, cobbler or designer who makes quality, durable footwear using sustainable materials, implements ethical labour practices and limits the use of toxic chemicals. Ifele Reefer SoulShooz Innovative Design and Materials Award presented by Polo South Africa Celebrating innovation in fashion, this award seeks to recognise a designer who uses innovative techniques to reduce textile waste and the …
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Brooklyn Studios student apartments benefit from 360° Plascon Partnership treatment
Brooklyn Studios in Pretoria is a complex of fully furnished private studio rooms and apartments offering upmarket student living close to the University of Pretoria’s Lynnwood Road entrance. Its onsite facilities and communal spaces include a clubhouse and swimming pool, indoor gym, yoga square and green room, complemented by spacious rooms and beautiful interiors. Through the unique Plascon 360° Partnership Pledge, a comprehensive, tailored service solution, Kansai Plascon was commissioned to undertake the task of preparing and painting this new building, in partnership with Plascon Preferred Applicator, Firstclass Projects. All exterior and interior walls were prepared with Professional Gypsum & Plaster Primer (PP700), a primer coat for use on alkaline substrates such as cement plaster and concrete. They were then painted with two full coats of Professional Low Sheen (PEM1000), a quick-drying, non-yellowing coating that offers a smooth non-porous finish with good washability and stain resistance. All interior and exterior mild steel was spot-primed with Plascoprime 170 primer (UC170), an alkyd primer with a high zinc-phosphate content and very good corrosion resistance. This was followed by two coats of Water-based Velvaglo (VLW), with an attractive satin finish that forms a resilient barrier that is UV, peel and flake resistant. The Plascon 360° Partnership Pledge is a complete solution, custom designed for each project. Aimed at providing peace of mind by assisting with all the coating requirements of a project, it is backed by Plascon’s years of experience. It includes a building assessment for new and redecoration projects to determine coating needs, colour assistance, application assistance, quality management with regular site visits by Plascon representatives, a Quality Assurance guarantee and maintenance plan. CLICK HERE to submit your press release to MyPR.co.za for free. …
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The woman redefining dance in South Africa
Standing starkly in the centre of a dimly lit stage, alongside a baby grand piano and its player, is a figure in an unexpected pose. With her twisted limbs and contorted body, she looks, at first glance, to be in pain – but slow, rhythmic pulses reveal profound intention. The woman is jackï job, and she is performing the latest iteration of her award-winning dance series And Then… together with classical pianist and longtime collaborator José Dias. Dr jackï job is a dancer and choreographer, theatre-maker and director, producer, and academic researcher at the University of Cape Town (UCT). Her impressive career spans over 30 years of discovery and creation on stages worldwide. At the centre of her lifelong craft is a personal journey: ‘To dance, question, investigate … create work at the global cutting edge, and forge connections, collaborations and exchanges with artists on national and international levels.’ In the late 1980s, jackï job trained in contemporary dance before becoming a member of Jazzart Dance Theatre in 1991. She began her independent career in 1994, and the work she did in the years that followed informed and evolved her eclectic style: community-based teaching; founding and directing dance companies; creating and choreographing numerous productions; living for eight years in Tokyo, Japan, as a dancer, choreographer and teacher; and completing her PhD and lecturing at UCT, before becoming an associate professor in 2023. One of the key features of jackï job’s career is her pioneering of the Butoh dance style on the African continent. Introduced to the avant-garde dance form – traditionally performed in white body makeup, with slow, hyper-controlled motion – during her time in Tokyo, she became famous for her unique, polished Butoh-inspired dance style when she returned to South Africa. The latest step in jackï job’s career marked by exploration is the And then… production. The award-winning duo of dancer and pianist takes audiences on …
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How the winners of South Africa’s sustainable fashion world are wowing us now!
Stars of circularity, the ever-so-talented Katherine-Mary Pichulik, Cleo Droomer and Shamyra Moodley are among the line-up of winners at last year’s Twyg Sustainable Fashion Awards who have accomplished some impressive feats since then. Almost a year later, let’s take a look at what these progressive, conscious fashionistas have been up to… ‘The past year has really been about thinking and dreaming into new ways of making, especially within my immediate communities,’ says Cleo Droomer, who has continued his exploration of zero-waste textile pieces. A ‘story-tailor’ and the designer behind Droomer, not only did Cleo win in the Innovative Design and Materials category presented by Polo South Africa in 2022, he was also the winner of Twyg’s Changemaker Award, which last year was sponsored by Country Road. ‘I’ve been exploring new projects and ideas, and I'm excited to be working with key partners who support me and my work to bring these ideas to life,’ he says. Alongside many other recent creative projects, Droomer created a patchwork dress with historical details for Aaniyah Martin, founder of The Beach Co-op, for the One Blue Heart zero-waste gala dinner in Cape Town in February 2023. LaaniRaani, also known as Shamyra Moodley, was the winner of the Nicholas Coutts Award, which honours the late designer Nicolas Coutts. The award is presented to a designer who uses artisanal craft techniques such as weaving, embroidery or botanical dyeing to make fashion that foregrounds, celebrates and values the skills of the people who make the garments. Moodley is a mother, writer and self-taught fashion designer, whose unique pieces are handmade in her home studio from vintage and reclaimed fabric. She’s been on a whirlwind fashion adventure over the past few months, showcasing her work in Paris and Milan, and being selected as one of Design Indaba’s Emerging Creatives for 2023. The Twyg Sustainable Fashion Awards offer a much-needed platform for South African …
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Meet the stellar line up of judges for the 5th edition of the Twyg Sustainable Fashion Awards
For the fifth annual edition of the Twyg Sustainable Fashion Awards, a renowned panel of six local and international judges will bring a strong global perspective to the evaluation process. This will be the second year that this same panel will be judging the awards. “We are confident that this dynamic panel, with wide-ranging and multidisciplinary expertise, will offer a refined outlook that matches the calibre of talented makers, designers, creators, thought-leaders, and innovators who have entered the 2023 awards,” says Twyg founder Jackie May. The jury members for 2023 are Omoyemi Akerele, Mimma Viglezio, Esethu Cenga, Dr Sipho Mbatha, Sharon Armstrong and Nisha Kanabar. Omoyemi Akerele A former magazine editor with multiple degrees in law, Omoyemi Akerele established the fashion business development agency, Style House Files, to create opportunities for African designers by spearheading initiatives that promote the advancement of designers and the evolving ecosystem. Since the company’s inception, Omoyemi has advocated for African creatives and nurtures, develops and promotes the African fashion industry. She established the biannual Lagos Fashion Week, a multi-day platform that presents African designers in Nigeria and beyond. Through the Lagos Fashion Week platform, Omoyemi launched Woven Threads for the protection of craftsmanship in communities and Green Access to re-emphasise the need for fashion to be designed with resource efficiency, biodegradability, longevity, and recyclability in mind. Omoyemi collaborates with designers on various projects to promote their work and earn their brands’ creative and commercial success. This devotion to seeing designers from the continent thrive has earned her multiple awards on the continent and the rest of the world, including a placement on Business of Fashion’s Global 500 list. Mimma Viglezio Mimma Viglezio is a Swiss creative consultant, writer, editor, and broadcaster. In 1992 she was hired by …
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An unforgettable performance inspired by the praying mantis: jackï job’s latest dance production, And Then…, heads to Artscape
And Then…, the latest iteration in an award-winning dance series, opens at the Artscape Arena Theatre on 29 November 2023. jackï job is an accomplished artist known for constantly raising the bar of contemporary dance performance. Her dance series And Then… began in 2018. It has taken on many forms – each one planting the seed for the next – including a film that aired during lockdown in 2020. And Then… was nominated for a Naledi Theatre Award and won the UCT Meritorious Award for Creative Works in 2022. jackï job approaches her creations with a sense of magic, constantly seeking to conjure new textures and vibrations on stage. A contemporary dancer, first-generation Butoh performer and pioneer of Butoh on the African continent, she has created a polished, unique dance style that ignites the imagination. Using shaking, unpredictable, rhythmic movements, her body extends and contracts in ways that reach into the heart. She creates true musical phrases in movement, animated with the ebb and flow of tension and relaxation. Her dance is grounded on the human breath. In concert with her longstanding collaborator José Dias, she creates innovative, organic performances that have riveted and moved people all over the world. The duo intricately weaves set movement and structured improvisation techniques, creating unusual synergy and connection, carrying all those who witness to a place of deep soul-listening. Dias brings the piano to life, and it becomes the third performer. He manipulates the chords and strings, acknowledging the piano’s ancestry as wood and tree, as metal and rock, as ivory and animal. And Then… is about the way we love and vibrate with sentient worlds. It reaches for the most basic and universal of human instincts. It is an organic journey of desire, compassion, acceptance and love. Deeply personal, for both the audience and the performers, it allows each individual to develop their own very intimate interpretation of their work. Always, …