Fashion & Homeware News South Africa

Mr Price Home collaborates with Durban designer Lou Harvey

South African fashion and textile brand Lou Harvey has teamed up with Mr Price Home to launch a colourful collection of soft furnishings, kitchenware, crockery and stationery.
Mr Price Home collaborates with Durban designer Lou Harvey

The designs comprising the Lou Harvey ColabCollection are all quintessentially Lou Harvey - oversized florals in pinks, reds and oranges with a touch of leopard print. The range of soft furnishings include velvet bolsters, bedroom scatters, a woven blanket, a printed cotton duvet cover, as well as printed velvet ottomans and an oversized beach towel.

Commitment to local production

“I was really excited to collaborate with another homegrown Durban brand,” explains designer Lou Harvey. “It was really something different from what I normally create and was certainly an opportunity for me to have a creative outlet on items I wouldn’t normally manufacture. It's so exhilarating to see my designs on functional items that now, through Mr Price Home will reach a wider audience.”

Mr Price Home collaborates with Durban designer Lou Harvey

Harvey loved that Mr Price Home is a local brand, with a key focus on local production, something that resonates with her business philosophy.

“The Lou Harvey business is completely local, from the fabrics to the employees and production process and our distribution sees product going as far as Australia, United States, Israel, Dubai, United Kingdom, Norway, Kenya and New Zealand.

“It was wonderful working with the creative and dynamic team from Mr Price home who constantly think out of the box and identify new opportunities for their brand. I also admire that they have a strong appreciation for local designers and are willing to give them a platform to showcase their designs on a mass scale."

Brand expansion

After studying fashion design and interiors, Harvey began designing cushions for Wetherlys and Home Fabrics. She then saw an opportunity to buy a business that made bags and slowly developed the business into what she envisioned.

After giving birth to her first daughter, Izzy, she noticed there was a desperate need for attractive parent-friendly accessories that were fashionable, yet practical. Harvey then started selling at open days and flea markets, but her big break happened at the St Ledger Christmas Fair in Johannesburg.

Mr Price Home collaborates with Durban designer Lou Harvey

While originally known for its bags, the Lou Harvey brand has expanded over the last 17 years to include everything from travel wallets, cosmetics bags, stationery, wine coolers, lunch boxes, laptop bags, kiddies backpacks, aprons, wallpaper and more.

Harvey says that SA’s creative talent is world-class and on par globally. “We have so many amazing young designers and creatives that we can be incredibly proud of,” she says.

The Lou Harvey ColabCollection range is now available at selected Mr Price Home Stores, as well as online.

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