Made In Parkhurst: AUGUSTINE

AUGUSTINE is a menswear label that gives true meaning to the buzz term, ‘bespoke’. Clients are invited to participate in the tailoring process, selecting the fabric, trim and detailing down to the last button. The level of detail that a tailor-made AUGUSTINE garment is quickly becoming renowned for, is mirrored in the space, as well as the kind of experience that AUGUSTINE creates for its clients.

Bold, daring and anything but run-of-the-mill. Each garment has a personality of its own, and subtlety is not one of its traits.

We visited AUGUSTINE, and met the two ladies, Justine and Marea, behind this bold new men’s label.

Where is your space and what about it appeals to you?

We are based in Parkhurst in Johannesburg. We are at number 87, 6^th Street.

We love our location because Parkhurst has grown into a really incredible place for a brand like ours to be. We also love our pressed ceilings and wooden floors, and our garden, which has already hosted many memorable moments.

What have you hoped to achieve with the space?

AUGUSTINE has always wanted to create an environment which allows people to have a different shopping experience. A space in which you would want to have a coffee or surf the net while our tailors are putting the finishing touches on your garments.

What is the AUGUSTINE aesthetic?

Directionally tailored, elaborately detailed and with a hint of grunge.

What is the story behind the brand?

Justine started the brand in 2010 after returning from living in London. It was mainly inspired by her love of the fashion she saw whilst there.

Justine: “Men wearing perfectly fitted suits is something that inspired me and stuck with me when I got back to South Africa. It took a while to find the perfect tailors and perfect the art of suit making, but once we got it AUGUSTINE was born, and the label was officially launched in 2012 when Marea came on board as a business partner”.

Your space manages to feel both sophisticated and homely at the same time. How would you say you’ve managed to achieve this?

The premises were once a home. We love that about the space and have tried to keep the “homey” finishes when renovating. We also drew inspiration from the logo, which has strong lines, is black and has a minimalistic quality to it.

Can you tell us about the kind of experience someone could expect from visit to AUGUSTINE…

Personal, interactive and specialized. We have two in-house tailors and all garments are made on the premises. Visitors are able to see the space in which their garment is made and feel the fabrics beforehand, making shopping at AUGUSTINE a tangible experience. The experience is very personal, as clients’ visits are usually one-on-one in which their measurements are taken in a comfortable setting. But most importantly, the experience is friendly as we all love what we do!

Collaboration is key, right? So who would be on your dream-team collaborators’ list?

Collaboration is key to break open the tunnel vision that creatives can sometimes get stuck in and to allow a fresh perspective. In all honesty, Maps was a dream collaboration for AUGUSTINE. We met Maps by chance and it all just came together. This is how our collaborations generally work. Because our inspirations, trends and the industry are ever-changing, we can’t pinpoint people right now as they very well could change tomorrow.

What’s on the cards for AUGUSTINE and the space in the future?

Fashion Week, more collaborations and just constantly pushing ourselves to go from strength to strength and continue to turn out incredible clothing. We are working on the space and getting it closer to our end goal: of an interactive and lifestyle-orientated space.