good taste vol 4
My last entry was due on my birthday, so I decided to take a likkle break. But I’m back with another round-up of things that have inspired me recently.
Thank you to everyone who read the last editions, tagged me on socials, sent them to friends, or simply let me know that you read and enjoyed them. It genuinely makes me happy to know these little collections are useful to you, just as much as they are important for me to make.
The world belongs to the whimsical
I am so glad being different is cool again.
Being abnormally talented and passionate about something. Dressing in ways you know for a fact will turn heads when you walk down the street — and not necessarily in a good way. Making things that are so deeply specific to you that they couldn’t possibly have come from anyone else.
I love different people. Every time I meet someone like that, they immediately have my respect and attention because they are so hard to come by. There is something so refreshing about encountering someone who is completely and unapologetically themselves.
Like the girl making Zulu Pop. Or Granny World Cup. Or the girl whose personal style is so flamboyant you can’t help but look twice. Or when this guy posted a video of himself with Freddie Yauner’s mirror artwork, What I’m Looking At. Or this makeup look and video by Namibian MUA Ethan.
So refreshing. So special.
I think we need more people making things simply because they are fascinated by them. More people dressing for themselves. More people following a weird little obsession all the way down the rabbit hole.
The world is infinitely more interesting when people allow themselves to be a little strange.
The next era of influential people are those with talent or skills
And in the same breath, I’m just as glad that brands are starting to notice these people too.
There’s something really exciting about seeing brands move away from collaborating with people simply because they have a large following, and instead choosing people who are exceptionally good at what they do. People with interesting perspectives, unusual points of view, distinct creative practices, or simply a way of living that makes you want to pay attention.
Like Aritzia collaborating with the Juilliard School of Music, Dance and Drama for their back-to-school campaign. Seeing the students in the actual clothing as they do what they do —rehearsing, dancing, performing, moving through their day—makes the clothing feel lived-in rather than simply styled for a campaign.
Or Typo South Africa launching a new typographic collection and handing it over to 3 South African artists to interpret and use in the campaign. Rather than simply showing us the products, they gave the artists room to make something with them, and took us behind the scenes of their processes.
I love this shift because it makes the collaboration feel less like “here’s a product, please post it” and more like an actual meeting of creative minds.
Give me the ceramicist, the dancer, the illustrator, the musician, the chef, the architect, the writer, the person who has spent ten years obsessing over something very specific.
I want to see what they do with the opportunity.
Design Events
I’ve been thinking a lot about design events lately, and how we don’t really have them here.
And I understand why. Namibia doesn’t quite appreciate design in the way the rest of the world does, at least not yet. There aren’t that many of us making particularly interesting things, and there aren’t that many of us buying particularly interesting things either.
A design store like “Always Welcome” came and went, and I can only assume they simply didn’t get the foot traffic they needed to sustain the business. Which makes me a little sad, because I want more of that here.
More interesting furniture. More experimental spaces. More objects made simply because someone thought they would be beautiful or interesting. More people caring about the chair they sit on, the lamp in the corner, the clothes they wear, the way a room makes them feel.
So, instead, I’ve been watching design events from my screen and planning my first trip to one of them.
I want to go somewhere where people appreciate design as much as I do. Somewhere I can walk into a room and immediately understand why everyone is excited to be there. Furniture, interiors, decor, fashion, objects, architecture,I want all of it.
I want to bask in it.
And perhaps come home with an even longer list of things I want Namibia to have.
Counting down.
Nike Design Camp 2026
I recently went down a little rabbit hole about Nike Design Camp and, honestly, I cannot stop thinking about it.
Nike used to bring its designers together for these Design Camps — large off-site gatherings that could last anywhere from a day to a week. Designers from different disciplines would come together, work on collaborative design exercises, listen to interesting speakers, meet other designers within the company and, essentially, spend time thinking about design together.
The purpose was to inspire, challenge, inform and connect Nike’s design talent. Like a residency.
Imagine that.
Imagine working for a company that decides to take all of its designers out of their normal environments and give them time to just think. Should I do that for my designers? Really thinking about it.
I love the concept because for them it allows you to meet another designer whose work you’ve admired but never had a reason to speak to. To hear from someone completely outside your discipline. To work on something that might never become a product. To be reminded that you are part of a much bigger creative ecosystem.
This is the kind of thing I mean when I talk about wanting more design events.
I don't just want another conference where people sit in rows and listen to someone talk about design for 45 minutes.
I want spaces where people who are obsessed with making things can come together and make, look, think, argue, experiment and be inspired by each other.
And I just think that's incredibly cool.
Imagine what a Namibian Design Camp could look like.
I'm manifesting it.
Trendhaus
If you’re looking for a place in Namibia that really leans into craftsmanship and design, there’s Trendhaus in Swakopmund.
I always assumed it was just another curio centre, so I never really had much reason to go. But when I visited in July, I realised it was so much more than that — and I’m honestly sorry I hadn’t gone sooner.
It’s this little magical world of good design, and perhaps one of the few places where you can find so many Namibian makers under one roof. I wouldn’t be surprised if most of the Namibian designers making genuinely interesting things can be found somewhere in there.
There are people weaving in real time, making these beautiful carpets and rugs. Pottery. Skincare. Beautiful wooden pieces. Things inspired by rock paintings. Objects that feel considered and tactile and distinctly connected to Namibia, without feeling like the usual “Namibian souvenir.”
There’s just so much to look at.
I loved wandering around in there and discovering what people are making. It felt like stumbling across a little pocket of the kind of design culture I’m always wishing we had more of here.
I can’t wait to go back.
This time, with a wad of cash.
Travel Music Videos
I am trying to wean myself off my discomfort with travel by watching more travel content lol.
Don’t get me wrong, I love being in and experiencing other places. I love seeing how other people live, eating new things, wandering around somewhere I’ve never been before. It’s the admin of it all that I don’t love. The planning, the bookings, the logistics, the packing, the getting there. Yikes.
But I’ve recently realised that my country has done all it could for me, and I have done all I can with it for now. I need to expand my area of play.
So I’ve been slowly bringing myself around to the idea of travelling more frequently. Getting used to the idea of airports, itineraries and being somewhere completely unfamiliar. Basically trying to trick my brain into thinking this is a fun thing to do.
One thing I’ve particularly enjoyed watching is the little music videos people make while travelling. Watch an example here.
You know the ones?
They pick a song, then film themselves singing different lyrics at different points of their trip and then piece it all together into this silly little music video with their friends or loved ones.
I LOVE them.
So if I can pick a song and, more importantly, remember the lyrics, I am absolutely going to try making one on a trip this year.
Wish me luck.
Imagine your job is to capture BTS on Christopher Nolans movie set
I’ve been following this creator, @aguywithamoviecamera, since I think around Covid. He was one of the first people I followed online, and I’ve been a little obsessed with watching his journey unfold.
He started, as far as I remember, by simply talking about movies — sharing recommendations, talking about film, and sharing what it was like working in the industry. Then he started documenting his life as a production assistant on a TV show.
And then, slowly, the world around him started getting bigger.
He began getting invited onto other film sets, to premieres, award shows and all these spaces that I imagine he once only watched from the outside. And now, from what I can tell, he gets invited onto film sets to document behind-the-scenes content or work on their social media. I can’t be entirely sure what the exact job title is at this point, lol.
It’s so satisfying to see someone start with a genuine interest in something and then, almost imperceptibly, build themselves a place within that world.
I haven’t watched The Odyssey yet, but here he is on a Christopher Nolan set.
Like???
How cool is that??
It’s also a nice reminder that sometimes you really can talk yourself into the rooms you want to be in. Start by being interested. Keep showing up. Make things. Share what you know. Let people see that you care.
And one day, you might find yourself on a Christopher Nolan set with a camera in your hand.
Very cool.
If you could pick a scene from your day, what would it be?
This guy documented his life, but he had one rule: he was only allowed to take one shot per day. Click to watch his video.
That’s it. One frame.
I love how much intention that forces you to have. If you only get one shot, you have to actually pay attention to your day. You have to notice something worth keeping. It’s like when I am putting together a carousel post and I have more than 20 images. Which one gets to leave and
It inspired me to try something similar soon. Maybe pick a month and commit to one shot every day.
I used to do something similar on Threads, where I would post one picture from my day, every day. I think it quietly trained me to appreciate my own life a little more. Even on the hard days, I would find myself looking for something worth photographing.
A good meal. A funny moment. The light coming through the window. Something I was working on. A person I love. A tiny, ordinary thing that would otherwise disappear completely.
I definitely want to pick that up again on Threads, but I also want to try this one-shot-a-day version.
Who wants to join me?
And that’s a wrap on goodtaste Vol. 4.
I think the common thread through this edition is probably paying attention.
Paying attention to the people making strange and beautiful things. To the designers and craftspeople building interesting worlds around us. To the possibilities that open up when we leave our little corners of the world. To the people who have found their way into rooms they once only dreamed of entering. And, perhaps most importantly, to our own lives.
I think that’s what I’ve been craving lately, more things that make me stop and look twice.
More whimsy. More craft. More curiosity. More travel. More design. More people making things because they simply must. More reasons to get out of my own head and pay attention to what’s happening around me.
Anyway, I hope something in this edition made you curious enough to go down a little rabbit hole of your own.
Until next time,
B x