James Robertson and the legend of Big Blue

Just like Andy Warhol was both the curator and creator of American pop art, so too has James Robertson been the keeper of Mzansi’s iconography.

He built a brand around it, and while he can’t spell to save his life, his eye for colour and instinct for shape, his love for South Africa has created a brand with almost a cult following.

It’s called Big Blue.

It began with a single shop. Then one became three. Then, like clockwork, they opened a new one every year until the Covid-19 pandemic got in the way.

Today there are 24 stores and maybe, if things go well, another one before the year is out.

Big Blue is hard to define, said Robertson. It’s not just clothing, although that’s a big part of it.

It’s not just novelty gifts, although they’ve built a large wholesale business around those too. It’s more of a feeling. One part humour, one part memory, one part garments.

‘I just wanted to work for myself’

“We never set out to make some huge retail empire,” said Robertson. “I just wanted to work for myself. My dad did, and I admired that. I didn’t have a specific skill. Or I didn’t know what it was yet.”

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Before the bug bit him, Robertson worked in corporate product development before walking away gatvol of its confines.

“I started helping out with self-help craft projects in Venda. I’d sell their products at flea markets and give feedback to the crafters about what was selling, what needed changing. Bigger, smaller, better colours. That sort of thing.”

His late business and life partner had the stall next door to him at these markets. It’s how they met. Eventually, they joined forces in business too.

Both cashed in their pensions. Big Blue was the offspring of the pairing.

From the get-go Robertson said, the intention was to make local products with a purpose.

“We wanted to help keep people working. But we also knew that if the business didn’t make money, it wouldn’t survive. So yes, we cared. But we were also in it to turn a profit.”

‘No one has a political opinion about a bottle of chutney’

A women’s clothing line materialised. Then came the prints and T-shirts of South African brands and popular culture icons. It took off faster than the pair ever imagined.

“We realised you can’t use national icons like you can in America. If you print the Union Buildings, half the country loves it, half don’t. But things like Oros or Mrs Ball’s, things everyone grew up with, that hit a cultural and patriotic nerve. No one has a political opinion about a bottle of chutney,” he said.

As the business grew, so did the challenges. Local production, while ideal, wasn’t always possible.

“There’s a lack of proper equipment. Not enough investment in technology. Skills are disappearing. Sometimes we’ve had no choice but to produce certain things offshore. But everything is still developing here. The ideas are South African. The humour, the references, the tone.”

The bulk of Big Blue’s stock is still manufactured locally.  

“We only use natural fabrics. No synthetics. And we don’t overproduce. If anything, we make too little. But that means we don’t sit with piles of stock we have to dump on sale. People value the product more when it doesn’t feel disposable.”

The brand is also known for its weird and wonderful novelties.

“It’s hard to compete just on clothing, so we leaned into design-led gifting,” he said. “Especially the cheeky stuff. There isn’t really a novelty industry here, so we built one. The big stores shy away from four-letter words. We don’t.”

Business is still done at home

Robertson runs the business from his home on a small holding just outside Fourways in Sandton. It’s idyllic. Inside, his home is stately, almost a slap-bang of creative energy everywhere.  

“We create everything here. It’s where the planning, design and distribution happen. Most of the actual production is in Johannesburg, some in Durban and Cape Town.”

Outside work, Robertson is a reader. He has a massive library at home, too.

“I’ll read before I do just about anything else. I don’t cook. I don’t party. I read. And recently, I’ve gotten into cows. Which is turning into a bit of a problem.”

In fact, there are cow statues all over his garden and along with a friend, he’s just bought a small herd, too.

Creativity runs in his family. His sister, Claire Robertson, is a novelist and a former sub-editor at a Sunday newspaper.

“Everyone in my family is good with words. I’m not. I can’t spell. I don’t write great emails. But I’ve got an eye for colour and proportion. That’s my thing.”

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