Juditha Sakinofsky’s high-end fabric business has pledged to have ZERO waste.
J
Talented artist Juditha’s products are made to guarantee absolutely none of her resources are wasted, every single strand of fabric is used in her grand designs. Juditha has accumulated over thirty years’ experience in the retail, design, and media field. The products are brought to life by deep textiles, intensely stunning raw materials, and an influence of traditional detail. This style has been influenced by her extensive travels while gaining her experience in the fields close to her passions.
Starting in Cape Town, South Africa, Juditha worked for Fair Lady and Cosmopolitan magazines preceding her to take the leap to Toronto, where she was a magazine and TV stylist. This led SA’s local entrepreneur to launch a company named Spotted Zebra, a corporate gift service. This venture spanned the period of 18 years and handled gifts for law firms and film production companies in the ’80s. Juditha then ventured into business with her brother who lived in New York. They worked with collections of characteristic and artisanal pieces for customers worldwide.
Now? Juditha is back home, enjoying her views of Lions Head in Cape Town and using her Bohemian style to continue her lifestyle collections. This is made up of home pieces such as vintage Suzani, handwoven Ikat, and a beautiful range of scarfs. The business here in South Africa started from Juditha having time on her hands, this time led to big bags. The leftovers evolved into smaller bags, lavender pillows and wrapped soaps. This continued to developed by establishing symbiotic relationships with other companies.
What inspired the zero waste?
My entire adulthood was spent in a city, Toronto, Canada, that was packed with forward-thinking minds around waste-disposal, being green, and recycling. To reuse and to repurpose was constantly active within the city. For more than half my life, I have been thinking this way and found the opportunity to not add to the bags that overflow in the landfills. It became an opportunity to reuse and repurpose, creating an entire product brand. Even down to the masks, everything takes the excess of one piece to create a new piece. I don’t only use leftovers, but when there is excess from one project, it gets turned into something else, and people are really happy with it. We have happy and loyal customers that enjoy supporting us. People want to support a sustainable ethos.
What are your superpowers?
The ability to do whatever it takes; you have two choices every day. Think positively or think negatively. Think positively, really really think positively. It makes such a difference to the way you behave and interact with others. It changes the way you approach things. I also think the ability to look sideways enables you to look at Plan B and at Plan C. These plans are just another name and don’t consider it as anything lesser than.
What do you love about Africa?
Wow, where do you even start! There is something extraordinary visceral growing up beneath Lion’s Head. It is a beacon and a marker for Africa. I love the colours and the smells of Africa. I love how it changes, and I love the Capetonians.
What made you take the step into the unknown to become an entrepreneur?
It wasn’t the first choice, but I loved the independence. I had feared the independence. I had been stimulated by the independence and exhilarated by it. It tosses you about, and you have to stay on course, there is no rest period. I love the pulse of day-to-day business, even the frustrating ones. However, I do love the adrenalin it gives you.
Where else can we find you other than designing Zero-waste products?
The Markets! The Markets are like my town square and also the best place to get a green juice.
