The Chommies Story

Chommies / [ˈtʃɒmɪz]
South African informal friends, pals, chums

Our story is one of friendship set against the backdrop of Table Mountain. It is a tale of special bonds and adventures with all the people and animals who share our passion and wonder for life.  

Africa is our home. The vibrancy and raw beauty of its landscape, people and culture is rooted in every handmade piece created in our Cape Town studio.

Here, in one of the most beautiful and extraordinary cities in the world, we put our products to work. We have the mountain, ocean, forest and city to explore with our dogs. One day they’re leaping through surf or catching balls on a windswept beach; the next they’re chasing squirrels among the Yellowwood trees or strutting along the prom. Every day – for them and for us – adventure awaits.

At Chommies, this is how we define luxury. When once luxury was a product, today it’s an experience. Where once it was exclusive, now it’s inclusive. It’s anything that resonates with our own personal values; something that makes us feel wonderful because it speaks to what is important to us. Walking our dogs amongst the peppery fynbos. Pausing with someone we love to watch the shadows fall when the sun sets. Being enveloped in a warm jersey after a cold water swim. And, ensuring that we leave as light a footprint as possible on our planet, by consciously choosing things that have been made locally and with a responsibility for all our futures. 

This is our world. This is the Chommies way of life. 

OUR FOUNDER'S STORY

I grew up in chaos. It was a creative kind of chaos where my parents encouraged me and my four brothers to search for the unusual in magazines, art and even places. They’d pile us into the family station-wagon and we’d head off on one of our many spontaneous trips. The jagged outline of Stuttgart disappeared in the rear-view mirror as we ventured out to explore what lay beyond its edges. Sometimes I didn’t know where we were going. Often, I didn’t mind at all.

When I was older, life brought me to Cape Town. I didn’t think I’d stay. I’d grown up with change but something about this far-flung corner of the world silenced my wanderlust. And so, as a way of laying my hat, I adopted a rescue puppy, Ringo. Cape Town wasn’t just a place to stop; now it was our home.

Chommies, like Cape Town, is the destination of all the many roads in my life that I followed. From the wonderful chaos of my childhood I learnt to adapt, create and to search for more than what is directly in my line of sight. I craved the magic that appears when you look beyond life’s edges. It was here that I discovered and was enchanted by the people I encountered and their many talents which had been passed down through the generations ... from weaving and beading to knitting. And with Ringo as my four-legged muse, I started to build the lifestyle brand that I’d always dreamt of owning: Chommies.