Blueblood

Blue blood, the Dutch label I blogged about below is located on Bree street in an un-assuming place. Yet once you spend enough time there you begin to realize just why this location was opted for over say, The Waterfront or Cavendish Square. It's small at first glance but after a moment or two that feeling leans more towards intimate. A moment longer and that feeling may just have you feeling entitled to it. After all you are spending good money on a product that you're merely putting on your back, right? J.P, the owner of Bluebloods new Cape Town store doesn't seem to think so, but I'll get to that in a minute.

I asked him "Why Blueblood?" to which he answered with no shortage of passion, or words for that matter, that while in Amsterdam he met a man named Alex, who with the same excitability lured J.P in without ever seeing a single garment. It was the passion he had for Blueblood and the vast knowledge thereof.

In my mini-interview with J.P, words like 'tradition' and 'lifestyle' jumped off his tongue like he had been thinking about it for days. This lifestyle he speaks of makes complete sense to me, you are as a fashion conscious man or woman aspiring for the level where you not only look like that person you want to be, you actually are. "It's not about the clothes, rather that the clothing you wear is an extension of you".

As far as inspiration is concerned J.P believes it's foundation is Tradition. Good moral values, quality, classic style and dress, the late great stars of the 30's and 40's who dared to stand out. Of course he couldn't pin one down but it's understood his inspiration doesn't just come from one place, it's in design of all kinds from spaces to illustrations.

In short, J.P got into fashion like many do. His father was in fashion and before he knew it he was in Italy working as an intern for Replay getting to understand how everything works in the industry from that level. What better way to prepare oneself for bringing in International brands into a country like South Africa. So I asked him what it was that we were missing, to which he replied that 'Competition is one of the most important things to have. South Africa seems to put themselves in a sort of handicap on an international level...because the government makes it so impossible for us to bring in brands like Paul Smith and Blueblood because the prices are so much more expensive than overseas, and therefor it isn't feasible for us, or our consumers and it doesn't show our local designers what they're competing against. We have the talent, and we should be competing on an international level."

Perhaps he is right in saying that Italy (where all of Blueblood's products are manufactured) has the advantage. Generations go back hundreds of years, the knowledge and passion and quality is lacking from our shores because we just don't have the resources. We are not from a lineage of boot makers who passed down their secrets. But that isn't to say we are without the potential. We see that in our youth who are escaping abroad for a few years of culture and experience. Hopefully they will return one day soon and start something else we can call 'Proudly South African'. Products that mix in with all the other countries in the world because ultimately that's what we want. Original products recognized on an international level. And Rightly so.

I was immediately impressed by the whole store and the pictures below will show you why.




J.P, JOAL and ME