By Louise Irvine
We celebrated International Women’s Day early at WMODA with the arrival of Megan Holles from Ardmore in South Africa and Kim McCall from Safari Royale. During her Safari Strut presentation, Megan told the amazing story of Ardmore Ceramic Art and Design over the last 40 years and paid tribute to her mother, the founder and artistic director, Fée Halsted. Enticed by Kim, several guests are eager to go on a South African safari and visit Ardmore aboard the Rovos Rail luxury train, known as the “Pride of Africa.”
WMODA guests enjoyed our Safari Social and tasted Amarula, a creamy South African liqueur made from the marula fruit, which comes from the “elephant tree” preferred by pachyderms. Then, they had a whale of a time in the Splash! exhibition, discovering Ardmore’s underwater travelers riding whales, sharks, fish, and other unlikely sea creatures. Bonnie’s Jonah and the Whale scarf on the exhibition wall is a poignant tribute to the first Ardmore artist.
You should never smile at a crocodile, according to the popular song, but it is hard not to be amused by intrepid Zulus riding crocodiles and all the other dangerous animals in our Safari for the Soul gallery, including hippos, leopards and lions. Undeterred by all the wild beasts, our guests shopped for pillows and table linens in the Ardmore Design Shop. Nick Geimer and Lawson Ricketts, the owners of Ngala Trading, were on hand to give guidance and advice. They will be returning to WMODA soon for another Ardmore adventure featuring all the latest designs.
Megan brought a selection of Ardmore one-of-a-kind ceramic gifts from South Africa, which we had never seen at WMODA before, including their Spirit Candles and diffusers. We were intrigued to learn more about spirit animals, which are spiritual guides, protectors, or symbolic representations of inner traits. They are believed to choose individuals, often appearing through dreams or meditation. The zebra spirit animal, for instance, symbolizes balance and individuality, highlighting the harmony of opposites.
We were also excited to see Ardmore’s new collection of chubby safari animals, which have clearly been feasting in the African savanna. Officially, these plump little creatures are part of the Thabisile collection, which means “bringer of joy” in the Sesotho and Zulu languages. The wordplay between “tubby” and “chubby” perfectly describes these cheerful characters, which radiate pure happiness as they soak up the African sun.
These whimsical gifts are now available for sale at the Ardmore Design Shop, alongside larger ceramic sculptures. The playful leopard candlesticks on the event invitation were snapped up right away by our newest WMODA corporate member.
The Ardmore fashion collection was also a great hit with our guests, who are ready to strut their stuff on the runway with their safari silk scarves. We were thrilled to receive the new Hoopoe Hop reversible design in shades of rust and red, as well as more perennial favorites such as Phinda Pride and Protea Plains.
Also new to WMODA is Ardmore’s versatile Silk Twill collection, which can be styled as neckties, belts, hair accessories, headbands, bracelets, or purse charms – elevating everyday wear with a whisper of the wild. Ribbon scarves were introduced in the 1930s by Princess Grace of Monaco, and the glamorous look continues to be popular with Hermès Twillies. Ardmore builds on its success with Hermès designs to create its own silk twill collection, a sophisticated celebration of Africa’s untamed beauty—artful, emotive, and undeniably elegant.
Thank you, Megan and Kim, for sharing the spirit of Africa with us during our Safari Strut event. We look forward to seeing you on a future Ardmore-Style African adventure with Safari Royale.
Read more about Ardmore at WMODA
Safari Strut
Ardmore Fashion
Fishy Business