DOKTER AND MISSES

The DOKTER AND MISSES store invites you to view Easy Now,
a new collaborative collection of fashion and furniture
by Adriaan Hugo and DOKTER AND MISSES
with a new album by Givan Lötz.

Givan Lötz will be performing new material off the Easy Now album.

Joe Paine’s exciting new garden range will be on show.

Please join us for a drink to celebrate the store’s first birthday. Cash bar at Boat.

Thursday . November 6 . 2008
7:00pm
DOKTER AND MISSES Store
44 Stanley Avenue . Milpark . Joburg

RSVP to info@dokterandmisses.com
www.dokterandmisses.com

DOKTER AND MISSES is a studio in Johannesburg. It’s not just any studio, it’s ones where dreams come to life and vodka slaying superheroes support and uplift South African design. We like what they do so we laid down some questions:

What is DOKTER AND MISSES?

DOKTER AND MISSES is a label producing vests and T-shirts, jewellery, ceramics, gift wrap, cardboard handbags, lights and furniture. We opened a store at 44 Stanley in Joburg to stock our products and those of like-minded designers.

There are a variation of people explain how every one came togther and their current roles:

Dokter and Misses is designed by Adriaan Hugo and Katy Taplin. Adriaan and Katy began designing a cardboard handbag range while still in University under the name Dokter and Misses in 2004.

ADRIAAN HUGO

After completing an Industrial Design degree at the University of Johannesburg (the WITS Tech) with distinction in 2005 Adriaan began his focus on furniture design. As well as producing his signature pieces for Adriaan Hugo he assists the renowned furniture designer Gregor Jenkin.

KATY TAPLIN

After designing SL Magazine in Johannesburg for close on two years, Katy Taplin moved to New York in 2006 to work for multidisciplinary design company Tender Creative. Here, the University of Pretoria (2004) graduate worked on projects for a range of fashion, architectural and entertainment clients.

Katy returned to Johannesburg in August 2007 to work on DOKTER AND MISSES.

What are you wanting to achieve?

We like designing new products and we like seeing people using them. I guess thats our aim - to make products that people enjoy.

What is your design process?

Our process is pretty insular and driven by our personal design needs and fancies. A new product often comes about after learning about a new production process or after we’ve developed a new pattern or graphic that we’d like to explore.

What would you say are the core aspects of your studio?

Nick Logan of The Face put it well when explaining concept of the magazine, ‘The way that The Face has been set up… has given a lot of freedom that wouldn’t exist in a large publishing house. Quite simply, it could not have been called The Face… because there is no way I could have explained to anyone els why I wanted to call it this. I just liked the combination of words. So many other decisions on design and editorial came from the same reasons, what feels right.’ (Nick Logan, July 1987)

We can identify with this sentiment of things just feeling right and would say that it could be our core aspect. We’re two different voices and its interesting to see how they play out together - it’s what makes DOKTER AND MISSES what it is.

What is your office culture?

We run out of a home office in Brixton. We both have other jobs and Adriaan also has his signature range so its very much a culture of juggling.

How do you feel about South African design?

We think there is great talent out there. Our primary concern is the lack of outlets and production constraints that young emerging designers have to face. We’re happy to be able to provide a platform for designers and love what people like Tonic and Whatiftheword / Design Studio do.

Top SA artists/designers?

• The Avant Car Guard crew both as the threesome and in their personal careers - Zander Blom, Jan-Henri Booyens and Michael MacGarry.

• Kudzanai Chiurai

• Black Coffee

• Joe Paine

• Gregor Jenkin

What are you listening to right now?

A lot of Bob Dylan

What are your favourite buildings in JHB and CPT?

Any NG kerk from the 70s and 80s

Would your company be a super hero or villain?

Both

Which one and why.

Dokter and Misses has a split personality. Dokter is a gallant character who saves lives and Misses is a deadly vixen type from Dallas.

What is the cool right now?

Spring

Vodka or Chi Tea?

Vodka

What would you add to your studio if money wasn’t a question?

A fully equipped factory with workforce. A truck, chef and a giant large format printer. A PA and a photography and a screen printing studio. Uncapped high speed WiFi, floor to ceiling bookshelves and a fleet of Monkey Bikes.

If you could Kung Fu the one person - who would it be?

Criminals

www.futurespace.co.za/2008/09/dokter-and-misses-interview/