Heather Moore’s personality-filled designs are in demand around the world. Luckily for us, this inventive illustrator and designer has just set up shop in Cape Town
Words: Kim Chaloner Photographs: Pippa Hetherington
Gifted illustrator and designer Heather Moore steals a moment of downtime in her industrious, working-artist’s studio after the opening of her new shop, Skinny laMinx
It’s the Saturday after the mid-week opening of her first dedicated store and I’ve descended upon Heather and her artist husband, Paul Edmunds: they’re both sporting bicycle helmuts and they’re busy locking up shop. ‘No, no, please come in,’ they insist, as they usher me into the small but not-insubstantial Mid-Century-inspired space. With a scheme described by Heather as ‘An homage to the 1950’s style, with a dash of Right Now for spice,’ home to Skinny laMinx is an airy section of the Silk and Cotton Co’s showroom on Somerset Road in Green Point, just upstairs from Vida.
Left: One of Heather’s newest fabric designs, ‘Cutlery’; Right: real pincushions offset her latest fabric of the same name.
Heather’s creations – from delightful graphic-printed tea towels, to cushion covers, purses and ‘cut out and eep’ laser-cut greeting cards – are deftly displayed in an old Scandi-style wall cabinet she picked up on The Gumtree some time ago. ‘In the back of my mind I’ve been collecting for a retail space,’ muses the bubbly creative, who counts being a committed online communicator as one of her talents (she won Best Design Blog in the SA Blog Awards for two years running).
Illuminating the soft-turquoise-painted backdrop is Heather’s own design: a liquid-black metal sign inspired by the 1940’s apartment-block signage so evident around the City, custom-created by local artist Kevin Brand who heads up the Industrial Design workshop at Cape Peninsula University of Technology.
Before shutting up shop and heading off to new urban hotspot Hemelhuijs for brunch through the streets of Green Point on her ‘mishmash of premium parts, put together as a surprise for me by my dear (bike-mad) husband,’ Heather lets me in on a few of her secrets…
A jovial Heather (in lively coral pink) and Pearl Thompson, business and production manager at Skinny laMinx, celebrate Heather’s shop opening with a well-deserved glass of bubbly
Skinny laMinx, Silk & Cotton Co showroom, Somerset Road, Green Point, www.skinnylaminx.com
What’s the story behind the name, Skinny laMinx?
We have a little Siamese cat called Monkey, who is pretty slinky and skinny. She gets called Minxy and Skinnymalinky, and it’s just a riff on that old playground chant, really. It’s fun and cheeky and kind of cute.
How do you feel on the opening of the first dedicated Skinny laMinx store?
I’m pretty good at denial, so tend to sail through potentially stressful situations acting like they’re perfectly normal. The morning after the opening I felt completely flattened, so I think it was a pretty emotionally taxing thing to do. We’re also managing a great number of wholesale orders at the studio right now, so it’s an incredibly busy time.
How did the collaboration with Silk & Cotton Co. come about?
I seem to have a lot of good fortune, and this is another example. One of the people from Silk & Cotton spotted my things at the Biscuit Mill market, phoned the owner in Jo’burg, suggested she take a look, and next thing they were suggesting that they carry my range of fabric. I’m thrilled to bits to have my little retail space inside their beautiful showroom.
How does each of your new designs evolve?
Often a design doesn’t really start out as that. It’s sometimes a sketch of an idea, or something I spot and jot down, and then later mess around with a bit more. I think because I have no training in design I tend to get taken by surprise by things I’ve taken note of and then, all of a sudden, I’ll realise their potential.
You’re an illustrator and designer, marketer, businesswoman… where does your passion lie?
Best of all, I’d love to sit in my studio all day doing cut-outs from paper. That said, I must admit to having enjoyed the steep learning curve I’ve been on over the last couple of years, as I’ve worked out how to run and market my little business. I think I enjoy the blend.
Does doing what you love become more difficult as you expand your business?
Absolutely. There’s less and less time just to sit and think and play in my studio. However, I’ve recently taken on a production and business manager who is doing a lot more of this, and it’s marvellous to start seeing my time for studio work expand again.
What keeps you going?
This job is fun. It’s pretty intense, and requires a lot of self-motivation, but it’s great to be learning new things all the time, and I feel very lucky to be doing it. I am also very grateful for all the opportunities that keep coming my way, and want to show my gratitude by making the best of them.
Favourite illustrators and designers?
Stig Lindberg, Lucienne Day, Orla Kiely, Mina Perhonen, Fog Linen, Heath Ceramics, Satsuma Press.
Favourite spots to grab a bite in Green Point?
Hemelhuijs is amazing, and well worth a visit. We tried the new Mexican spot, El Burro, recently, which was nice, but my all-time favourite is Giovanni’s, of course.
