The Currency gift guide does … locally made

We say this all the time – there is a glut of excellent goods being produced in South Africa. Sure, sometimes we grump at the items only available abroad, and we love a shiny, fancy international item, but when it comes to a gift guide, we wanted to highlight that the grass isn’t alway greener on the other side.

In fact, if you put your mind to it, you could easily only buy items produced here and conjured up by deeply creative and clever citizens. And this is especially true of prezzies.

Our selection below speaks to all types of gift recipients. For the cool guy who cares about his skin there are the sterling Face for Him products. For the hound-obsessed, there’s the zenith of trendy pet attire from Chommies. We chose a fabulous monogram collar charm from the brand, but the rest of its range is madly desirable.

It’s also worth highlighting the hot-off-the-press new yuzushu from Pienaar & Son. This traditional Japanese liqueur in its cracking bottle is actually part of a trio, and the perfect gift for the person who has everything else.

1. Bluebird for Happiness stoneware ceramic by Kevin Collins (they come in three blessings: peace, joy and love), R1,500, 083-313-6694.
2. The Box bag in teak, R2,420, Project Dyad.
3. SPF moisturiser, R349, Face for Him.
4. Charm alphabet letter, R400, Chommies.
5. Cape Town Shell Beach jacquard tea towel, R350, Lucie Demoyencourt.
6. Z12 balance bike in strawberry shake, recommended retail price R1,800, Zini Bicycles.
7. Yuzushu 500ml, R395, Pienaar & Son.
8. Pebble ring by Frieda Luhl, R3,600, Tinsel Gallery.
9. Le Dolce Vita and I Am crackers, R100 each, WhatsApp 082-680-1337. Sarah’s note: they have actual proper gifts inside!
10. Small plant hemispheres, aluminium hanging plant basket in dark cherry, R1,100, Pedersen + Lennard.
11. My Favourite Recipes by Ina Paarman, R495, Exclusive Books.

Love what you see above? For more of the goodies in the Currency gift guide go here and here.

_{Top image: Currency collage}