Established 2008
Red Hot Blue Design Concepts launched in 2008 and now calls the charming village of Suurbraak, just outside Swellendam in the Western Cape, home. With decades of creative experience under our belt, we’re passionate about sharing what we know to help brands and small businesses unlock their full potential.
Since the beginning, design has been an integral part of Red Hot Blue, working with businesses across branding, graphic design, and later websites and social media content creation. Our love for strong visuals, storytelling and creativity flows through everything we do, from the brands we build to the products we create.
Our company now operates through two core divisions: Retail & Manufacturing (Mandy Makes), and Design Services (Red Hot Blue Design).
Retail & Manufacture: From Retro Roots to Today
We’ve been doing this for a while. From 2008 to 2022, we poured our hearts into South Africa’s vintage and rockabilly scene, creating labels like Miss Happ, Boot Hill and Miss Happ Bride. We designed, manufactured and sold our own collections, ran our own factory and opened Retrospective stores in Pretoria, Johannesburg and Cape Town.
Our flagship store, Retrospective, started in Pretoria and expanded to Parkhurst, Johannesburg, and Cape Town’s Long Street. In Cape Town, we created an immersive experience with professional hair, makeup, themed photoshoots, and the best curated retro fashion in the country. Along the way, we built a wonderful community of vintage lovers, worked with stockists in Australia, the USA and Canada, appeared on shows including Top Billing, Dag Breek and Die Skatties, and even took our work to the Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Festival in the USA.
It was a big, colourful chapter, and one that taught us a lot about making things well, creating experiences and staying true to your own style.
So yes, we’ve been around the block a few times. And we brought some fabulous 1950's dresses along the way!
Location, Rebrand & New Beginnings
In 2022, following a major global shift, we rebranded and relocated to Swellendam, closing our factory, photo studio and Cape Town store. Retrospective & Co opened at Carlton Mall with a fresh new direction, evolving from our traditional 50s and 60s aesthetic into a more relaxed 70s and bohemian-inspired lifestyle brand, celebrating fashion, sustainability and beautiful things for home.
“Living in the serene surroundings of nature allows me to tap into my creative side and come up with some pretty awesome projects”
2026 The Year of the Horse
As our retail journey evolved, so did Red Hot Blue. What began in fashion and retail gradually shifted towards our true creative roots: graphic design and brand development.
Creative Design Services
Today, Red Hot Blue works with local, national and international clients, offering graphic design, branding, social media content creation and website design. From bold visuals and memorable brand identities to online stores and landing pages, we create designs that don’t only look good, they help businesses grow.
The Studio
Our creative studio is located on Suurbraak Main Road, inside In Paradise, a vibrant collective space celebrating local creativity. This is where Mandy Makes comes to life, the creative side of the business where Mandy gets to play, experiment and make things by hand. Mandy Makes encompasses Miss Happ Bespoke, our collection of handcrafted hats and flower crowns, along with handmade accessories and limited-edition pieces created for the retail offering at Retrospective & Co.
From hand-burned hat designs and decorated fedoras to one-of-a-kind accessories and colourful handmade pieces, everything is created in small quantities with a healthy dose of personality.
You’ll find Mandy Makes creations at our Suurbraak studio, online through Retrospective & Co and at selected Western Cape retailers.
