African Sun Goddess
Beaming with pride
A winter’s morning at the home of Taunina
The Taunina studio in Woodstock in Cape Town is on the top floor of a 1950’s industrial building, where a bunch of entrepreneurs and established design businesses have taken up office. On the busy street below, taxis hustle passengers to and from the city centre.
This truly South African strip is sometimes rough, and sometimes sublime. Fine restaurants at the Biscuit Mill serve gnocchi with truffle oil and a glass of Chenin Blanc for lunch while pre-teens, barefoot and high on ‘tik’, graffiti their tags onto derelict walls only a few strides away.
The studio is a light-filled, open-plan space with brick walls and exposed beams. Looking out of the steel-framed windows, which stretch across the length of the room, you can see the city below. Beyond the highways to the left, the Atlantic Ocean spreads out into the distance. To the right, your view is of the majestic slopes of Devil’s Peak, part of the Table Mountain range with its granite cliffs lifting up to the sky from vast expanses of indigenous Fynbos. more…
Meet the ladies behind our collections
Taunina’s appliqued and embroidered collectable soft toys are special for a number of reasons, the most poignant being the close bond between the artist and her creation. Our teddy bears, bunny rabbits and puppy dogs are sometimes even named after the artists’ family members. What’s more, each handmade collectable soft toy carries its artist’s initials and, in its passport, it tells her story and explains her inspiration and her wish for the world.
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Our inspiration
The story of Taunina started more than a year ago when Taunina’s founders, Tracey and Karen, researched the collectable soft toy market as part of an Executive MBA programme. They traveled far and wide, and had the privilege of meeting some of the world’s most inspiring teddy bear and soft toy makers, each with their own special approach to their art.
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Follow the stories of our artists and the journey of our brand as it spreads a message of hope around the world.
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