We created Blindeye to draw attention to stories and creatives that often went unnoticed, playing on the expression "to turn a blind eye."

At the time, we felt that the same established names appeared repeatedly in South African media. We wanted to make room for emerging artists, writers and independent brands

Alongside this, we wanted to create a space for conversations around topics such as ecology, feminism, masculinity and sexuality.

Both the print editions and our online platform brought together a network of writers, photographers, illustrators and other creatives. Across the two print issues, we worked with more than 20 contributors per edition, commissioning and editing work around a shared editorial direction.

Each issue also included two editorial fashion shoots featuring local designers. Maria Stallmann and I developed the concepts and art directed the shoots together, from styling and location scouting to coordinating collaborators and overseeing production.

We collaborated with independent South African fashion and jewellery brands including Atlas Label, Hannah Lavery and HempLove, as well as photographers, stylists and other creatives.

We also had the opportunity to work alongside stylists such as Blomboy and photographers including Armin Prinsloo, Marguerite van Eeden and Marlé Retief.

Visually, we looked to publications such as Kinfolk, Cereal and The Gentlewoman. We wanted Blindeye to feel quiet and minimal, allowing the photography and writing space to breathe. Playing on the magazine's name, we used a handwritten logo and cursive section titles, later adapting the same visual language for the online platform.

Looking back at BlindEye, I still find it difficult to believe that we pulled it off. In many ways, we were simply two students trying to create the kind of magazine we dreamed of working for one day, because we couldn't quite find it around us.

Maria and I met in our French lectures, and our shared interest in French publishing shaped the project from the beginning. We loved the sense that print could still be something tactile, considered and worth keeping, and wanted to bring some of that spirit into Blindeye.

More than anything, the project taught me what kind of work I enjoy: collaborative work that brings together people with different skills and perspectives to create something none of us could have made alone.