During the 2019 Rugby World Cup, my boss lost a bet and had to get a Springbok tattoo. He asked me to come with him to Palm Black Tattoo, at the time tucked away just off Roeland Street. While the needle buzzed the pride of South Africa onto his chest, I wandered around the shop and found that upstairs there were hangers filled with garments, and textiles strewn around a workshop space.
That’s where I met Nico, the owner of Stiebeuel. He was kind enough to let me buy a pair of pants, yet to be released, at a discounted rate. I left without any ink – luckily – but having discovered a local brand that produced epic cuts on a simple but distinctive colour palette. Over the years, this brand would take over that whole space, as Palm black moved out, and occasionally I’d stop by for a sale, maybe catch Nico for a chat and leave with another piece to last me a few years (I still have every piece of Stiebeuel clothing I’ve bought). The scale of production slowly increased, Stiebeuel became more prominent on social media, and continued to be a presence in other stores and boutique collections in Cape Town.
Six years later, Stiebeuel operates proudly out of its own store on Bree Street, consistently dropping awesome capsules and clothing lines, which are defined by the same clean cuts, creativity and production quality that characterised the clothing back in 2019. With spring on its way, Nico agreed to have a chat and fill me in on his story, and the evolution of Stiebeuel, as well as the separate in-house atelier, Lighthouse, that now services several brands in Cape Town.
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Run us through your journey.
I studied Film, specialising in design. Even back in high school, through skateboarding, I was drawn to how subcultures expressed themselves visually. While studying, I was the frontman of a punk rock ’n’ roll band. The music wasn’t for everyone; it was quite wild, but we were serious about our look: the clothes, the styling, the way it all built a subcultural aesthetic. That focus on style and subculture naturally evolved into my approach in film, bringing characters to life through the threads they wore and later became the foundation for Stiebeuel.
Stiebeuel became my new outlet for design, channelling a more mature and refined visual language. After graduating, I started by assisting on international TVCs and feature films, mainly within the costume and styling teams. A few years in, I got my big break working as a costume standby, responsible for all the male leads on a well-known American TV show. It was a high-pressure role, and one day things went wrong. The lead actor left the set without going back to change in his trailer. I didn’t realise he hadn’t returned it to his trailer before we moved location, and his costume (needed for continuity) went missing. As a result, I was fired. That moment pushed me to follow my dream of starting Stiebeuel.
I had some money saved up from assisting on sets, which gave me the cushion to kick things off. In hindsight, it turned into a happy ‘mishap.’ What felt like a setback at the time became the catalyst for everything that followed.
The first Stiebeuel collection was born with pieces ranging from Henley tees and well-cut crew necks to linen shirts, hardy shorts, and a small selection of leather goods like wallets and coin pouches. I got the collection stocked at A-Store, which was a great spot on Kloof Street, and Smith & Abrahams, which later became Corner Store. I also secured a stand at the Neighbourgoods Market’s design section on weekends, which helped get the brand in front of a wider audience.
The reality hit me that I wasn’t necessarily going to cover my bills and expenses straight away. Around that time, I got a few more offers to work on film jobs, which I took on with the intention of running Stiebeuel alongside them. What I didn’t realise would happen was that on my return, producers began buying into me as a designer and were using Stiebeuel’s website as my portfolio to book me on jobs. As a result, I was now considered for TVCs and feature films as head of department (keying) rather than assisting. With this bump up, I leaned into film work for longer and really enjoyed working on a variety of projects. Costume designing for feature films in many ways mirrored running an in-house atelier, with multiple departments working together.
Those years in film shaped my understanding of how an idea can come to a finished garment & gave me a clear sense of how all the cogs fit together, knowledge that I now apply directly to Stiebeuel and Lighthouse.
What inspired the founding of Stiebeuel in Cape Town, and how does the brand’s location influence its aesthetic and values?
Stiebeuel started because I wanted to make clothing that felt effortless, functional, and thoughtfully designed – stuff I actually wanted to wear myself. Cape Town has had a huge influence on the brand, both in look and in values. Between the mountains, the coastline, and the creative energy here, it shapes how we design, natural fabrics, quiet detailing, and pieces that work whether you’re in the city or out in nature.
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Being in Cape Town also means being part of a really connected creative community. We collaborate with local illustrators, designers, and even winemakers, and that energy feeds directly into how Stiebeuel evolves. It also lets us stay hands-on, work sustainably, and take a slower, considered approach, nothing rushed, nothing excessive,e which is at the heart of the brand.
Could you run me through the meaning of Stiebeuel and how it translates to the design and production ethos?
The name Stiebeuel means ‘stirrup,’ and it connects back to my quiet upbringing in Wolseley, a tiny one-horse town, and my days in music. I used to collect badges, buckles, spurs, and hardy jewellery from antique stores and markets like Camden Town – that mix of rock ’n’ roll attitude and cowboy-Western influence really stuck with me. The stirrup felt like the perfect symbol for the brand: hardy, durable, and built to last. Today, Stiebeuel’s design is much more minimal and intentional, a clear departure from the louder aesthetic I had back then. But I like to think that, if paired the right way, it’s still rock ’n’ roll, and it still has an essence of style and flair.
All pieces are produced in-house in the atelier – what are the joys and challenges of that hands-on, small-team approach?
Everything we make is produced in-house in the atelier, and that’s really at the heart of what we do. The best part is being hands-on, from choosing fabrics and making patterns to fittings and finishing touches. You get to see an idea grow from a sketch all the way to a finished garment, and that’s really satisfying. Because we’re small and produce in-house, if a style does well, we can press play on a rerun quickly. The challenge, of course, is that every piece is labour-intensive, and we have to be intentional about what we make. Managing a growing team definitely has its challenges, especially when your team feels like family. Everyone has their own stuff going on from time to time, and because it’s such an intimate setup, it can take a bit of time to sort things out and keep everything running smoothly across departments. Every single team member is key. Everyone plays an important role in making sure operations flow. There’s also a lot of joy in it. Seeing people grow from a starting position to taking on senior roles, really stepping up, is incredibly rewarding. You get to know your team, understand their strengths, and build a group that takes pride in what we’re creating. It just takes patience, communication, and care to keep everything moving.
Can you walk us through your design-to-finished-product process – how does a concept evolve into a garment?
I run Stiebeuel’s design work in two streams. First is the core collection – the everyday pieces like trousers, shirts, and outerwear staples. These are things we refine season after season: well-cut, durable, and in a timeless palette that people can identify as a Stiebeuel core item. Then there are our narrative releases, like Return to Nature with Compassion, Volley, Mountain, or Fresh, Pure and Organic. These collections give us the freedom to play with colour, experiment with silhouette, explore storytelling through the garments, and introduce bolder prints. They also let us wander away from just staple items, but the concepts always stay in line with our brand ethos. Honestly, we often feel like these collections could almost be brands on their own, each with its own identity and world.
The store is a recent extension of the Stiebeuel brand. Could you talk me through the decision to open up a space, and how you have found the experience of having and running a store?
Opening the store felt like a natural next step for Stiebeuel. It gives people the chance to touch fabrics, see details up close, and really immerse themselves in the brand. Having our own space also lets us shape the identity in a way we can’t when we’re stocked alongside other labels in boutique collectives – from the interior to the product display, and keeping the team up to speed on product knowledge so they can curate the experience. Beyond shopping, it’s becoming a space for creative experiences: launches, collaborations, and events like First Thursdays in the summer, where people can connect directly with the story behind what we make.
How do you engage with the local creative community, and how much does that inform your collections or direction?
We connect with the local creative community in lots of ways, collaborating with illustrators, graphic designers, and even winemakers. One of my favourite projects was with Waisted Wine Club: we dyed T-shirts with grape skins from their wines, and then served the same wine at the
launch. Working with other creatives keeps our collections fresh and inspires new ideas. It’s not just about the clothes – it’s about creating experiences and stories people can really engage with.
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Pictures: Lauren Fredericks
