Big Blue

It's almost Christmas and I am still shopping!

I found myself in Rosebank the other day and stumbled upon a shop I had heard about called Big Blue.

Jeff Gross/Getty Images

Now Big Blue means something entirely different in the USA, specifically in New York and New Jersey. There, it is the nickname for the NY Giants football team (... who play in NJ. Don't even get me started!) In SA, it is the name of a successful chain of clothing stores (with some novelty dry goods too) whose shop layout and look reminds me of the USA's Anthropologie. 



Big Blue opened their first shop in Centurion outside of Pretoria just a little over a decade ago and they now have 21 stores.
 Their philosophy is that shopping is an experience, so the stores are all uniquely decorated with vintage and collections of South African memorabilia. Hence, the similarity to Anthropologie.

But what first caught my attention about Big Blue is that it is environmentally and socially conscious and brings this consciousness into everything they do. They recycle fabrics where possible, use crafting groups like Hillcrest aids project, Diepsloot Crafters, Ilithuba, and Topsi Foundation. They use renewable bead jewelry from Mozambique in support of a drug rehabilitation project there. And newer shops have energy efficient lighting and employ timers for electrical appliances and air-conditioners. 

Big Blue maintains jobs for South Africans, provides ongoing skills development and allows independent entrepreneurs an avenue to retail that they might otherwise not have. 

And their stuff is lekker cute!