Celebrating the power of upcycling and giving new life to pre-loved materials, the 67 Blankets team and knitwits joined in the fun in honour of Mandela Day at Brooklyn Mall, supported by Embassy Direct.
Carolyn Steyn, the founder of 67 Blankets, thanked everyone for attending this wonderful occasion to showcase the “fashion show,” where 14 designers from the Stadio School of Fashion explored their creativity using blankets to create fashion items. The winners received Brooklyn Shopping Cards as prizes, sponsored by the Scoin Shop and The Douw Steyn Trust. Enrico Sarmiento won first place (a R6000 prize) for his ballgown dress creation. Azi Mahlangeni won second place, and Mpho Mukeevho won third place.
Ambassador Julio Fiol from the Embassy of Chile presented a blanket made with the colours of Chile to Carolyn Steyn. The Embassy of Chile, as well as the International Diplomatic Spouses Association, each took a large number of the blankets to distribute in their community. The staff from The South African Gold Coin Exchange and Scoin Shop have been crafting away and created more than 100 scarves, which they kindly donated. The Ambassador of the Turkish Embassy also contributed a handmade scarf.
The majority of blankets on display were meticulously made by the Standerton Knitwits, and these blankets will be distributed to outreach projects supported by the diplomatic community.
The 67 Blankets is an amazing movement doing amazing things.
by Marion Kate
