Luminance - Hyde Park Corner, Johannesburg

 












Luminance is an accessible luxury and contemporary fashion and lifestyle department store for consumers who covet world-class quality and beauty.

lu·mi·nance (l m -n ns). n. 1. The condition or quality of being luminous.
2. Physics The intensity of light per unit area of its source.

 

I was pleasantly surprised with the discovery of an unexpected, new destination for two of my passions – cappuccino and books which quite literally illuminated my day! To think that I had walked right past this opportunity for three months since Luminance had opened its doors in Hyde Park. I need to be a little more adventurous. One never knows what treasures await or who you will meet!

 

 

So don’t walk on by as I have done for three months, step into another world, browse around Luminance. Visit the 12 seater Library Coffee & Tea Shop and enjoy! It’s the perfect escape from the office or home routine and you get such a friendly and warm welcome!

 

 

 

Luminance offers a full range of fashion from shoes, handbags, jewellery, accessories, beauty, children’s wear, swimwear, homeware and undergarments. They have a network of 89 international and local brands and a Private Label as well as a Signature Collection.

Aside from offering an array of items from the likes of Oscar de la Renta, Mark Jacobs and Giorgio Armani, Luminance will also be home to more affordable labels like Kate Space and BCBG Max Azaria. You’ll also find a few South African designers in the mix; think the ever popular Stoned Cherry, Gavin Rajah and co, as well as exclusive, luxurious beauty goodies like Tom Ford Private Blend and Armani Prive fragrances.

The Library @ Luminance

The Library @ Luminance with an ‘Assouline’ theme is a great hide away especially while it is the best kept secret! But that won’t be for long once people hear how delicious their cakes and treats are (for a fair price) and then their cappuccino and teas are superb and if for that alone – if you haven’t already been there, you just have to pop in. Even some of the Hyde Park’s most established restaurateurs escape to The Library for some “me” time! It also makes the perfect spot for a quiet business meeting. Just perfect!

Luxury publishers Martine and Prosper Assouline are curators of lifestyle, one page at a time. ... “This phrase means “knowing how to live” and CEO Khanyi Dhlomo and the Directors of Luminance have interpreted this perfectly.

Assouline began with an idea and a belief: the first, a notion that beauty, perfected, has meaning that is capable of transforming our lives; and the second, that a book—artfully crafted and highly considered in its visual content—can open our eyes and minds.

Always having heeded the French expression savoir vivre, which translates roughly as knowing how to live. This means being guided by a clear value set that privilege our passions. It means we put our resources and our time into things that matter: knowledge, relationships, and experiences; into history, culture, and travel. An ethic of aesthetics.

Welcome to Luminance, South Africa’s leading fashion, beauty and lifestyle department store. Situated at Shop 45 in Hyde Park Corner, Johannesburg, Luminance is home to contemporary and luxury brands previously unavailable in the country.

The dazzling 700m2 multi-brand store reflects an African heritage with a global perspective. A gallery for merchandise, Luminance comprises several rooms each with its own distinct personality that lead you on an exciting sensory journey. From the buzzing cosmetics halls, vibrant homeware department through to the elegant library where guests can peruse our range of luxury books over coffee.

With superb customer service and luxurious packaging, we perfect the art of living life beautifully right down to the last detail.

The Luminance Signature Collection

The Luminance Signature Collection aims to source or commission arts and craftwork that represent distinctive African craftsmanship.

The focus is on high-quality, hand-made objects with a global appeal. This is why they have partnered with Eugenie Drakes and Josef Greeff, both product developers with a wealth of experience. Together with them and the National Empowerment Fund (NEF), have identified talented communities in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, the Western Cape, Swaziland and other neighbouring countries that have created a range of beautiful and unique items now available at Luminance. These communities include Ababumbi in Pietermaritzburg, Simunye in Kwanyuswa and Imiso in Cape Town.

The plan is to support craft enterprises in rural and urban areas nationwide to ensure sustainable income-generation opportunities for them. This will be achieved through product development assistance, business skills training and mentorship programmes.

Craft Artists and Products

When artist Zolani Mpente was in Grade 11, his father passed away. To support his siblings, he mastered the art of woodcarving. Mpente enjoys combining different woods to achieve interesting textures and tones.

A small group of Swazi craftsmen and women breathe life into enchanting interpretations of the animals and birds of Africa through a range of products, including tableware, drinking glasses, vases, jugs and ornamental African animals. All their products are hand-made from recycled glass, mostly soft drink bottles from all over Swaziland.

Imiso Ceramics is a high-end brand of creative ceramics based in Cape Town. Imiso embraces the dual currents of cultural heritage and cosmopolitan energy to invent work of sensual beauty for the contemporary lifestyle. The studio features unique, hand-made collector’s pieces by Andile Dyalvane and Zizipho Poswa.

The Simunye Handcraft and Jewellery Co-operative is based in Kwa-Nyuswa, Botha’s Hill. Through the Amaso Glass Bead Incubator, they were trained to manufacture glass beads. The co-op is made up 11 individuals who have grown from working only with traditional and glass beads, to incorporating metal in their creations.

Luminance offers a little bit of something for everyone.

Just three months ago Destiny magazine’s founding editor, Khanyi Dhlomo, launched and opened this, her very own boutique, Luminance, in Jozi’s Hyde Park Corner and as there are many thousands of Hyde Park Corner shopping centre fans and Destiny magazine fans I am quite sure that everyone in Jozi wish Khanyi and the Luminance team every success going forward!