Heritage Swagg

And then they said we could'nt do it...Bashoeshoe le bo Shoeshoe had a different opinion! A young vibrant fshion label whose name is insipired by the concept of contemporary traditional Sesotho clothing. The designer,  Manapo Mopeli, has the vision to rebuild the youth's ethnic pride as Africans and to assist in re-evaluating our cultural values and to reflect back on our stylish sense of roots. In celebrating Heritage Day, I immediately had Miss Mopeli's vision in mind, Bashoeshoe le bo Shoeshoe. 

Picture: BLBS Logo

Mainly using the trademark Masolanka (traditional Sotho blankets) in the designs, we are reminded of one of the most significant iconic designs in the Basotho culture. They can be found in different designs such as:

• Colour: Red, Brown, Blue and black, Yellow
• Patterns: Mostly geometric and organic patterns known as litema(derived from ho lema, meaning "to cultivate"
• Headwork: Same design patterns transferred to braidings with the hair.

  

  Compliments of BLBS

  
  

The Basotho blanket owes its tradition to Moshoeshoe 1, who was presented with one by a French missionary in 1860. He wore the gift draped over his shoulder like one would the trdaitional skin kaross and today the result is a common sight in Lesotho. In the past, the blankets were made of cheap yarn from old woollen coats, but today the blankets are of fine quality and it has different meaning such as:

•  Social standings
• Traditional customs
• Geographic origin

Compliments of BLBS



Compliments of BLBS

Compliments of BLBS: Designer Manapo Mopeli

Orders available:

072 068 7955

napstology@gmail.com

manapo_mopeli@yahoo.com

 Take pride in your heritage...@MokD21

Teal:September 2012

Spring symbolizes the time for hope and to start celebrating all things bright and that are bursting with vibrant life. Introducing the coulour for the month of spring; teal in September 2012. I must admit, if it is used well it will bring out the fresh and crispy mood, perfect for spring.

Question is, "Is it the ideal colour for you and your home?"Here is a look of some of my favourate uses:

Living Space:Teal

Teal inspired

Spring harmony by Teal

What I personally admire about the colour Teal is that it compliments everyone and it is a unisex colour (perfect for both men and women) and also manages to blend in with a whole range of other different colours and shades.
The colours that make Teal work best are:

• Brown
• Metalics
• Naturals
• Orange and Red
• Pink

Teal looks beautiful and has a wonderful impact as a full wall colour in private spaces such as; bathrooms and bedrooms. It is a magnificent accent colour for smaller spaces; even in small doses, it still adds sophisticationn and richness to any look.

Teal in the study room

Timber Skyscraper

Think of substituting the concrete jungles in our cities to urban and eco-friendly forests of wooden skyscrapers. Changing from cement and steel to timber is the main mission and vision for a number of enviromentally-minded architects who are planning high-rise buildings across the globe.

Stadthaus London: Murray Grove Building

Timber has been used for centuries ago, but was stopped being explored with the advent of steel and concrete; now we're looking at a whole new system using mass timber products. One of the few cultures that still use timber in constructing shelter is the Japanese, with their elegance, class and sophistication.

Staudthaus:From a different perspective

The change came when we start thinking about climate change. Steel and concrete are wonderful materials to use, but they are not enviromentally friendly. Cutting down trees in order to create buildings is a cintradiction towards eco-friendly, but if the process is sourced from sustainably managed forests (e.g. those in Europe and North America) it can be more enviromentally sensitive.

Stadthaus London: Murray Grove

 One such of a building constructed completely from timber is the Stadthaus London: Murray Grove Building.

• Nine-storey high-rise
• Comprising of private units
• Provides twenty-nine apartments
• Assembled with a cross-laminated timber panel
• Up to 13m in length

This building is the first in the world of this length to not only be constructed on load-bearing walls and floors, but also stair and lift cores entirely from timber.

Remarkabble