The collision of Selfi and Shelflife is a collaboration for the South African archives; each occupies its own distinct space, with Selfi rooted in refined minimalism and narrative-driven design, and Shelflife anchored in the bold, graphic language of streetwear culture. The culmination? Conscious design meets the structured sensibility of streetwear in the new Selfi x Shelflife capsule — a 15-piece limited edition range in sky blue, chocolate brown, and soft cream and as the collection notes state, “rooted in nature and emotion, the palette reflects earth, sky, and skin, with every piece an ode to sisterhood, loyalty, style, and self-expression. Designed and made in Cape Town, the silhouettes embody clean utility, soft strength, and a modern edge.”
Using one of Selfi’s signature fabrics from their all-natural library, cotton forms the foundation of the collection: from crisp T-shirts and an everyday bag, to weighty, boxy co-ord work jackets and trousers, pleated skorts, and a perfectly cut sky-blue pleated dress. Each piece is intentionally designed to be worn monochromatically or mixed across colourways, with the adherence to the three colours entirely and totally delightful. Selfi’s founder Celeste Arendse’s signature attention to fit and technical precision is ever-present, only here, it’s filtered through Shelflife’s streetwear lens, demonstrating the growing space for femininity in streetwear and how it can – and should — be reasserted with intention.
Supported by Nike, the collaboration was celebrated through a Women’s Day Bestie Brunch hosted by Shelflife alongside Studio H, Ceremony Matcha, Pina Jewels, and of course, Selfi. The event was as much a feast for the senses as it was a gathering of creative minds. For photographer Anke Loots, the project carried a personal weight: “When I was a lot younger, Selfi was a brand I obsessively collected, so it’s been a full circle moment shooting this collection. Shelflife is always an honour to work for, and this has been a magical collaboration of women who’ve all poured their hearts and souls into it.”
Photography by Briony Blevin for CEC
Stylist Kristi Vlok echoed the sentiment: “When Celeste reached out to me to style this collaboration my curiosity was piqued — and with the mention of Anke shooting, I was all in. The collection is thoughtful, comfortable, and beautifully tailored. The chic, effortless trans-seasonal minimalism that imbues the spirit of Selfi is beautifully balanced. I aimed for true femininity paired with braids, bows, and metallic sneakers, and when I’m on a project with an all-female team my creativity is fuelled. Women holding each other creatively and commercially; magic happens.”
The brunch menu, curated by Hannerie Visser and her team from food design studio Studio H, was an interactive celebration of local, women-led food producers. “Today is very special to me because we founded FoodXX, a network for women in food, on Women’s Day,” she shared. “The meal was cooked by an all-women team, with as many ingredients as possible sourced from women-led and women-owned businesses.” The food was as inventive as it was beautiful, with Studio H, as always, skilfully demonstrating the possibility of food as a central medium of connection. Starters were laid out along a checked cloth almost as a mix-and-match game; among them, colourful crudités, whipped salted butter, devilled eggs, gluten-free crackers, roasted garlic and feta dip, walnut and spinach dip, baba ganoush, and flaky cheese-filled pastries.
For the main course, each table pulled a multi-tiered savoury cake to the centre, with each of us dismantling it layer by layer: the first tier, an olive oil cake with tomatoes and fior di latte layered with basil cream cheese; the second, a bay leaf cake with pickled cucumber and carrot, finished with a cream cheese and ricotta frosting and more pickled cucumber. Dessert was abundant and playful — chouxettes with a piping bag of roasted strawberry custard for DIY filling, the most sensational tiramisu, and a variety of cakes.
The ingredients told a story of women’s enterprise and craft within our local, mindful agricultural spaces: dairy from Cream of the Crop, fruit and vegetables from Meuse Farm, matcha from Ceremony, eggs from Homegrown Eggs. In the spirit of generosity and care, all leftovers were donated by Studio H to a local women’s shelter; beautiful.
From Shelflife’s side, Caitlin Hoogervorst explained how the partnership came to life: “Each season we collaborate with a local creative who resonates with our culture. This year we wanted to focus on women’s wear, something we haven’t explored enough. Selfi’s clean aesthetic, minimal branding, and neutral tones felt like the perfect counterpoint to Shelflife’s bold graphics and colours. We worked hard to merge both worlds, and the result is something we all fell in love with.”
Photography by Briony Blevin for CEC
For Celeste, the inspiration for Selfi has always been an act of artistic tribute, while this collaboration pushed her to adapt to a new design language. As Caitlin noted, convincing Celeste to embrace certain streetwear cues — like embroidered ‘Selfi’ and ‘Shelflife’ branding alongside Selfi’s abstract logo — was a gentle and deliberate shift! Celeste shared that, “I started Selfi to honour women, friendship, and self-empowerment — inspired by my sister, who I lost at a young age, and a family history in tailoring. This collection celebrates women who balance careers, family, and creativity, while cherishing the joy of connection. We dyed two new colourways, including a blue neither brand had used before, to create something truly special.”
Between courses, women from the collaborating brands took the floor to share their stories; among them was Mikayla McClean of Ceremony Matcha, and Courteney Krauss of Pina Jewels, who gifted each guest a Pina x Shelflife star-chain heirloom necklace engraved with both brand names; a cultural heirloom to carry the day forward. Crucially, though, is the position from where each collaborator leads in exalting women’s work, women’s networks, and women’s vision. The brunch gathered pioneers from across creative industries; women who, like the collection itself, embody creativity and instinct to build futures in which the multiplicity and tenacity of womanhood is centred. As Jake Lipman, Shelflife’s brand and marketing manager, reflected, “When we started, we had about 30% women and 70% men through our doors. Today, this figure is more 50/50,” expressing the brand’s focus on creating space for women, alongside Nike, who continue to champion women in sport, culture, and design.
When women gather together, reality bends ever-so-slightly; new possibilities emerge in the liminal, feminine spaces between conversation and creation. This brunch, and the collection celebrated at its centre, is proof that when the work, the joy, and intentions align, the outcome is more than the sum of its parts. The Selfi x Shelflife capsule is beautiful on its own, though elevated through the relationships, shared resources, and creative generosity that brought it into being make it a marker of a moment in which culture is actually advanced through collaboration, and women-centred communities shift from an abstract ideal into a lived reality.
For the gals, by the gals and with the gals? Divine.
Selfi X Shelflife is available both in-store and online at Shelflife
Written by Holly Beaton
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