My beautiful cousin Rochelle and her wonderful husband Richard, both have blogs that I feel the whole wide world should know about.

Both Durban born,this amazing couple got married on a cold day under rows of trees at the Botanical Gardens and left for a life in Hong Kong.

I can only aspire to the talent they both have for photography and proudly show off my wrist tattoo done by Rich. Not only do I admire them as a couple but as individuals rocking their unique style,travels,crazy dog and general antics in the deep of Hong Kong.

Click here for Rochelle’s blog

And here for Richard’s blog

All photo’s featured are from these talented kids and on their sites.

Fashion kids have you SEEN this online thrift shop? I know where my next paycheck is going.

Seriously, you need to check out Lambley if you want to spruce up your wardrobe,cost effectively and retro-fabulously.

All images courtesy of the Lambley Facebook Page.

One of my favorite spots because I don’t have to scan the menu for the odd vegetarian option. The V’s actually stand for vegan meals and I love that this is a totally meat free restaurant.

The atmosphere is quite magical. It’s almost uncanny how the sun seems to sneak perfectly between the foliage and how there is always,ALWAYS, a breeze. It’s a great place to sit outside, in nature and be a little bit of a shoeless hippy on the odd occasion. Best part is that there is a deli and organic food store attached so once you’ve eaten some yummy and healthy food, or had a vitamin packed smoothie, you can stock up on some fresh veg and other organic products to take home with you.Most of it is also locally sourced!

This place is ideal when you need to simply get away from it all to enjoy the simplicity of a leafy garden and a red cappuccino.

Earthmother Organic Facebook Page

106 Bulwer Road

Durban

0312021527

G: I’m a 25 year old designer and illustrator based in the great city of Durban. I’m a bit of a dork, caught up with recollecting my childhood one toy at a time. I spend my weekdays working with a truly inspiring team at THB Disturbance. Always inspired and keen to create.

Why, when and how did you start up Tokyo-Go-Go

G: Tokyo-Go-Go started out simply as an alias. It felt a bit odd writing my name on my work so I wanted a name that basically summed me up instead. The ‘Tokyo’ resembles my love for all things Japanese. I’ve been obsessed with the popular culture side of the city for years, not to mention the traditional art side of things too. I always tend to smile or be inspired by the character work and culture that seems to thrive within that overly talented population. Then the first ‘Go’ stands for how I’ve learnt and progressed since I began studying design. The second ‘Go’ is all about what’s to come, how things will continue to inspire me to learn and create.

G:I try and keep the answer to this question as varied as possible. My illustration work does tend to follow a bit of a cartoon inspired slant. I aim to dabble in as many avenues of creativity as I can so in the past I’ve been asked to create numerous tee designs for various brands both locally and abroad. Mobile app illustrations, toy designs, mascots, stickers, skateboards and 3D modeling. The list goes on. Some of the local clients that I’ve had the honor of working with include Lola Malone, the tattoo parlor on Florida Rd, Mooki Noodle Bar in Glenwood as well as various Wakaberry branches in Durban, Cape Town & Johannesburg.

G:I think it definitely varies from person to person for sure. The trend seems to be to head over to Cape Town or Asia right now but I’m pretty happy here hey. Couldn’t ask for anything more, great weather, genuine people, a relaxed pace. Durbanites are really lifting their game here lately too, the creative scene seemed to be a bit behind with regards to shows and the level of passion. Over the past year or two this has definitely picked up. It’s great to be a part of it all.

G: I would have to say running my own company and working with a dream client. I started my own illustration studio in January 2012 and had a hugely successful 15 months before being offered a position back into the advertising game. Working with some great brands. One of which being SEGA, the video game company based in the UK. Completely strange how things go full-circle. Sonic The Hedgehog was literally the very first character I could draw. Never thought I would be working with the brand itself some 20 years later…

Well your talent definitely deserved that recognition! What is your ultimate goal for Tokyo-Go-Go? 

G: I think the last few months of freelancing have taught me a pretty substantial lesson. Your passion needs to thrive and be an outlet or an escape for the most part. Tokyo-Go-Go is better off being my escape. The creation of my mad, cute, crazy illustrations that I enjoy most. I feel as though the ultimate goal for Tokyo-Go-Go is to maintain it as an enjoyable part of what I do but not my everything.

Future wise, I see myself still taking part in various art shows, creating products every now and then, as well as just doodling away when a glimmer of inspiration pops up.

Describe your average weekend.

G: I must say I do try and keep my weekends as average as possible. I enjoy my downtime. The beach, beers at Amsterdam, Saturday morning’s at Love Coffee. Sunday’s spent with the family or watching the Formula 1. Pretty basic.

Still sounds like a pretty decent weekend!Any advice for those wishing to get on the same track?

G:Work as hard as possible and keep at it. Seriously, theres no letting up. Creating anything should never be a chore, it should always be the activity that makes your day. Always!

How do we get hold of you if we are interested in what you do?

G: You can contact me through my site www.tokyo-go-go.com
OR follow me on Twitter @tokyo_go_go and Instagram :instagram.com/tokyogogo

If anyone had ever told me that one day I’d be prancing around the depths of Warwick Junction, brazenly flashing my beloved Canon SLR, I would have asked you what you were smoking.

I recently began working for the Legal Resources Centre and one of our assigned cases revolves around informal traders. As a result we were taken on a guided tour of the Warwick markets and I left with such a smile on my face.

 

I had expected an environment of chaos and mass produced chinese goods.What I got was a nine market extravaganza of traditional medicine, beadwork, foods and crafts. The markets are a thriving metropolis of it’s own that I ignorantly turned away from for the entire time I’ve been living in KZN. Little did I know that this informal tradepost is pretty much the pulse of city centre and an integral part of Durban’s culture and economy.

The most exciting part was the herb market. I felt as if I had walked onto a movie set for some deep south, voodoo based film. As I described it to a friend of mine “Dried out monkey skins, bags of herbs and powders, collections of bottles filled with various muthi’s and of course a legavaan that had just been hit by a truck and subsequently dissected by a sangoma. My animal right’s hackles raised but I have to remember it’s predominantly recycled road kill.”

Plenty more to see as we were guided through the bead market, spice stalls and bovine head cooking market. This last one was apparently quite popular during the world cup as foreigners were eager to sample the local cuisine. We were offered very  gourmet looking boards of meat and dumpling.I politely declined but those that ate, were pleasantly surprised! I instead,left with a bag of lemon pepper and handful of SA’S quintessential sweets- Chappies.

Warwick markets are surprisingly safe, due to the internal measures taken by traders.The crime affected them as much as the victims, so the community has since rallied up to deal with thieves,making crime minimal. I would highly recommend getting a group together and taking the tour. Only then will you truly know Durban and something this prominent , needs community support.Let’s stamp out some ignorance here kids!

Cost is R100 per person but if you get 8 or more of your mates together, it’s only 70 bucks each.

Call 031 309 3880

or visit

www.marketsofwarwick.co.za

twitter.com/MarketsofWarwick

Facebook.com/Marketsof Warwick