Bouwer bags unique relationship with art icon

An unlikely bond has been formed between Carol Bouwer and Esther Mahlangu thanks to their love for handbags.

I pick up the phone on a breezy summer morning and give Bouwer a ring so she can give details on her collaboration with Mahlangu, a globally celebrated Ndebele artist from Mpumalanga.

Bouwer is having her morning cup of coffee at her Cape Town home when she informs me – to my surprise – about Mahlangu’s handbag obsession.

“She’s someone I’ve admired for many years and I always knew that we will do something together,” Bouwer says.

“What I did not foresee is that it would be a bag. It’s just exciting to stop and pay homage to her. She’s a bag lover which is something I didn’t know."

The two women from two different walks of life have designed 50 custom-made bags crafted with Mahlangu’s signature artwork to mark her 85th birthday.

0 of 2

Made out of locally sourced python, ostrich and crocodile skin, the collection will be displayed for sale at Melrose Gallery in Melrose Arch, Johannesburg, from November 20.

“When Mam’ Esther does all these collaborations what a lot of people don’t realise is she’s got a lot of urgency,” Bouwer says.

“She’s very involved and the first two bags she rejected. That’s how we ended up with the round shape and we developed the story with her.

“She knows what she wants and doesn’t want. People always think she’s being paraded, but truth of the matter is she’s very strong and smart.”

Bouwer’s signature bag line might have launched only three years ago, but she has been making bags since 2010.

“I’m a township girl; tell me about a township girl that doesn’t like her handbag,” Bouwer says.

“The first bag I made was because someone I admired was carrying a fake ostrich bag and they didn’t know it.

“I felt like we have the best ostrich [hide] in the world, I better make sure that these ladies get introduced to the best of what SA can create.”

Born in Rockville, Soweto, Bouwer has been treasured as a pop culture icon throughout her 28-year showbiz career.

She kicked off her TV career at the age of 18 in 1992 as host of Teleschool on TV1 (now SABC3).

“TV1 used to be a channel where people that looked like us were not allowed,” Bouwer recalls. “So there I was as a black girl on this channel and the bug bit that time.

“I think I have continued to create a niche for myself in an industry that was designed for us to serve and not be stars in it.”

But it’s her next presenting gig as host of youth dating show Buzz that was a game changer.

“I was very fortunate with Buzz because it was a franchise show that started in the UK – then followed US, Germany and Brazil,” Bouwer says.

“The SA one became one of the most successful and the moment I left, the show basically died. What made it a success is that I forgot that I was working and went there to have fun.

“In the beginning they used to script it, but I said what I wanted. I’m very shy, but the minute I get a microphone it disappears.”

She became a superstar playing the villainous role of Kgomotso on SABC1 soapie Generations. It was a rollercoaster period that lasted for three years in the late 1990s.

“I loved it, but I was never a soapie lover. So I was never going to last in that environment,” Bouwer says.

“The last year given the character was challenging. I was so intrigued by this character and I became brilliant at it. So people couldn’t make the difference between me and this evil character.”

In 1997 Bouwer’s ambition pushed her to go behind-the-scenes and start producing TV content for the marginalised.

She eventually launched Carol Bouwer Productions that birthed TV shows Motswako, No Reservations, The Final Verdict and The A List.

Motswako recently returned on Thursday nights for its 20th season with host Sechaba Gqeba.

“I’m someone that does work out of necessity, instead of trying to set trends. So blazing the trail has been by default,” Bouwer says.

“I became a producer because I felt like black women’s voices should be amplified behind the scenes.

“I didn’t like the fact that black women were just beauties. We were more than our looks. We were our minds.”

Bouwer has also launched the Mbokodo Awards staging for the ninth time on December 4 in Cape Town. The awards have recognised icons including Mahlangu, Sibongile Khumalo, Zanele Muholi, Letta Mbulu, Mmabatho Montsho, Mary Twala, Pretty Yende, Simphiwe Dana and more.

At home, Bouwer is at her happiest with her husband of 20 years Edward and son Danté. Bouwer admits it has been challenging this year as Danté has been residing overseas.

“I think I’m a better person because of the child I brought into this world. But also I’m a more loving person because of the marriage I found myself in. I’m affirmed and constantly made to feel worthy.”