This image features a woman with intricate braided hair, symbolizing African culture, set against a vibrant sunset background.
After graduating with a fine arts degree from Witwatersrand University, Tshepiso Lekganyane felt a little disenchanted with the art world and needed a reset. Having always been fascinated with fashion, she realized that jewelry design afforded an interesting fusion of her passions. “I found myself quite burnt out and a little bit directionless after I had completed my fine arts degree, and there was also this gnawing feeling throughout my studies of not really fitting in… My debut was a mix of feminine and masculine elements, outside the realm of fast-fashion jewellery and imported brands where it’s hard to find gender-neutral jewellery. Gender-fluid jewellery is important because it’s a guiding hand to question gender norms and hopefully embrace all identities.”
SOURCE: DESIGN INDABA