Can I SKOP* It? … YES YOU CAN!!!

Leçon du jour… *Skop (Afrikaans) = Kick (English)

South African designers Lara Kruger and Roché van den Berg of Cape Town have joined to form SKOP. Together they have taken on a challenge of upcycling 1,000 reject soccer balls into dynamic and functional objects such as jewelry, home accessories and decorative pieces.

Through Roché’s work with the elderly, she rediscovered her passion for celebrating what may be seen as long-forgotten elements in our lives. This beautifully manifests in her work with SKOP and re-using materials and objects that are no longer seen as useful or valid. Together Lara and Roché’s work re-validates the beauty and presence of these pieces, which would have otherwise been sent to be destroyed. Together they re-validate and show the hidden and alternate beauty from another angle.

Kruger and Van Den Berg unpick the rejected soccer balls and re-stitch and crochet them into dynamic and engaging patterns, combining colors that celebrate the vibrancy and variety in South African culture. They engage social design as a community effort, creating and encouraging opportunities for community involvement and skill development. SKOP works with students from Langa and Durbanville to collaborate on physically creating the pieces.

These pieces are upcycling done right. Beautifully and meticulously crafted, with engaging colour combinations, social engagement and investment, and a variety of styles, it will be no surprise when orders continue to come in well after 1,000+ !

 

 

 

 

Images courtesy of SKOP and Jacques van Zyl Photography.