Cape Town’s Hoi P’loy lets you build your own perfect lighting
Hoi P’loy creates ‘good and simple’ design while championing local crafts. Their modular system gives customers the freedom to configure pieces without compromising on quality.
South Africa has long been notorious for its frequent power cuts – so the idea of a Cape Town-based studio finding success by producing lighting might seem a little ironic. “Initially, Hoi P’loy wasn’t meant to be a lighting brand,” says Ploy Phiromnam, who co-founded the company with Guy van der Walt in 2013, originally as a lifestyle company. “At the time, Cape Town lacked attainable design. So we had a desire to make things both beautiful and accessible.” Lighting, they decided, was a good place to start.
The initial concept was straightforward: to put together a modular collection so that consumers could pick and choose parts to create their own bespoke illuminations. However, Hoi P’loy’s initial ambition to ensure that some of their pieces were locally produced complicated matters, with light bulbs and fabric cables needing to be imported. So they partnered with international suppliers to create a custom collection, while producing some elements on home soil.
The duo continued to import but also produce elements in South Africa, establishing a factory workshop (equipped with solar energy, in case the power goes out) that is now located in Cape Town’s industrial Salt River neighbourhood. From here, Hoi P’loy works with international manufacturers but also produces a wide range of pieces, such as brass screws and enamel plates, all with a commitment to craftsmanship and quality, and the idea that customers should be able to construct their own lighting configurations.
Hoi P’loy is also finding new ways to experiment with technology, including the 3D printing of components. “What’s nice about it is that the materials are more cost-effective, so we can create products at a more accessible price,” says Van der Walt.
Though 3D printers are now an important part of the production process, the duo have no intention of straying from human craft. “It’s great working with people locally,” says Van der Walt. “You get to build relationships with them.”
The advantages, he says, are twofold: turnaround times tend to be quicker and it helps South Africa’s craftspeople to stay in business. The brand can also work with these producers in a very hands-on way, talking through ideas or solving problems together.
New to the range are handles and stationery but Hoi P’loy still follows that same guiding light – and its plan is to never stray far from what it does well. “It’s not groundbreaking design,” says Phiromnam. “Rather, it’s all about the desire to make things that are good and simple.”
hoiploy.com
This article is from Monocle’s March issue, The Monocle 100, which features our editors’ favourite 100 figures, destinations, objects and ideas.
Read the rest of the issue here.
