A Brand Is Born

Creative wunderkind Lezanne Viviers has taken the local fashion world by storm, and her next chapter is led by an exciting new approach to design

- Zodwa Kumalo-Valentine

In the leafy Johannesburg suburb of Parkview, a three-level, 3 480m2 property has been transformed into a monument to Mid-Century Modern design by its new owner, Lezanne Viviers.

Just six months after completing the renovation of her Hyde Park apartment, the former creative director decided to move into the abode, which was designed by German architectural firm Osmond and De Kock and built in 1960. But the property isn’t just Viviers’ new home: it’s her flagship space Lotus House, from where Viviers has launched her eponymous fashion label.

Included in the property is a collaborative working studio section, a concept store offering a selection of rare finds, a gallery of contemporary local art, a garden for Japanese tea ceremonies and an atelier for fittings. There’s even talk of establishing an artist-in-residency programme.

Drawing on her fashion experience working with designer Marianne Fassler, as well as her knowledge of the arts, Viviers says she wants Lotus House to be a meeting ground for creative people from different backgrounds. The gallery, for example, will be a ‘nice, accessible place to bridge the gap between the stereotypical old-fashioned art world and the streets,’ Viviers says.