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My First House

Fabric of life

Wether it’s prompted by fame, fortune, or simple logistics, few of us still own the first house we ever bought. But for SA fashion designer Amanda Laird Cherry and husband Glen, success aside, there’s never been a compelling reason to sell and move from a loved home, one that has had the chutzpah to periodically reinvent itself in response to the changing needs of a growing family.

Amanda and Glen had only been married 18 months when they bought this Kloof home, their first. Both originally from the Upper Highway area, marriage had prompted a move down the hill into their own apartment in Ridge Road on the Berea, closer to town. For Amanda – still studying fashion design at the then Natal Technikon (DUT) – it was a question of convenience, but for Glen, Berea urbanism jarred against Kloof country: ‘Glen longed to return to the space and trees of Kloof,’ says Amanda.

So the couple returned west to find a home. A grin: ‘More than the house, we fell in love with the garden. It has a fascinating yellowwood tree, which looked like a bonsai left to its own devices to grow up to be the real deal. It’s huge and gnarly with loads of character, and we find it truly compelling.’ In addition to the garden, ‘we were drawn to the irregular shape of the property, and the peaceful stream meandering down the one side’.

Twenty-six years have naturally meant significant changes to the home: ‘Three separate alterations,’ says Amanda wryly, ‘and still so many more we’d love to make! I had so many ideas floating in my head over the years, but once the children arrived, our priorities changed. Being involved in the busy-ness of parenting, working and travelling abroad with them at every opportunity, the house was put on the back burner. Still, 22 years ago we turned the end bedroom of the house into a dressing room, then added a new main bedroom and bathroom; 18 years ago we built an entirely separate section that included a triple garage, laundry, garden storage room, two rooms and a bathroom for our housekeeper and gardener, on top of which we laid a slab and built an apartment for my mom; and 10 years ago we added a swimming pool.’

The home’s a shadow of its former self, but, Amanda shrugs, ‘I still love the yellowwood tree, the high ceilings and the garden. I also love the swamp Cyprus trees that line a section of the river. They have these incredible roots like stalagmites, and were a great catalyst for a make-up world for my kids’ garden adventures.’

But Amanda never did get round to loving the kitchen and kids’ bathrooms, which somehow dropped off the list…

Cape Town born, Amanda’s very much a Durban girl. When she was five, her dad, acclaimed horse-racing trainer Syd Laird, moved his stables to Durban. Her latter years of high school were at Kloof High, and pretty much like the suburb’s apple-pie slogan, ‘Come Home to Kloof’, somehow, everybody does. Fashion design wasn’t Amanda’s first choice of career, but it was a strategic decision by a young person with a head for business: ‘I’d always had an innate interest and passion for clothing, but my first love was drama, then art. When I rationalised these as careers, I was convinced that studying fashion was the best life option.’ And it has been.

Today, Amanda Laird Cherry is an established fashion label throughout SA and beyond. Her primary retail outlet, The Space (one in Umhlanga, another on the Berea) was the brainchild of Neil Roake, and became a collaborative venture with other designers: Colleen Eitzen, and Roche and Greg Dry. Her brand has officially been established for around 14 years, but effectively, Amanda Laird Cherry designs have been around for about 25. Her home was the workshop where many signature matric dance or wedding dresses were created. Today, her workshop-cum-design studio is in Durban and, being based in Charlotte, North Carolina, she commutes home every two months, ‘fine-tuning my technological skills to keep in close touch with the business’.

The family’s move to the US last year revolved around 18-year-old Raqel’s registration at The Masters College in California; 13-year-old Ethan is at middle school in Charlotte. The length of their stay will be determined by the children’s study choices; meantime, Amanda is investigating opportunities for her brand in America.

Not that her name’s unfamiliar on foreign shores, for she’s been showcased in London Fashion Week, been quoted and featured in Time magazine, had her work featured in Dazed and Confused Magazine of London, the Sunday Newspaper of Norway and Collezioni of Italy, and The Space was mentioned in Vogue. Using her own designs, she has worked with trend guru Li Edelkoort and Koto Bolofo on a shoot for Bloom.

Locally, she’s a regular participant in SA Fashion Week. She has also been involved in most aspects of Design Indaba, from panel discussions to presentations and talks. She’s Proudly South African, and SA’s proud she’s one of us.

With all those accolades, Amanda still finds every acknowledgement of her success a thrill, a privilege, even a surprise. Commuting between countries isn’t for the feint hearted, but for her, coming home to that very same space where her adult life, career and family began, is always comforting and grounding. It’s home.