Ten years ago, a man in a coffee shop, wearing a scarf, wooden framed specs and a man bun would have been a peculiar sight.
The traditional South African would have assumed he was a tourist or an artist, definitely a lover of all things green and grassy.
Fast forward to today and this man is spot on trend.
Beards, barristas, craft beer, record players, cutlery jewelry, knitting, craft markets and trendy coffee shops are some of the essentials needed to be part of the alternative crowd a.k.a hipsters.
The only problem is everyone seems to be alternative nowadays.
Which makes me wonder, when does the alternative become the norm?
Glenwood’s king of coffee and everything hipster, Judd Campbell, has recently taken a big step to the north and opened a new coffee shop called The Coffee Tree at The Workstation in Umhlali.
Naturally he does not use any old coffee served in a white, ceramic cup.
His coffee is brewed right there by a coffee doctor, Alessandro Craparo, who has mastered the science of coffee, using Ethopian beans, served in a stylish glass.
While enjoying my glass of coffee, I watch the hipsters flock in wearing clothes that resemble those of their grandparents, dipped into a cool pattern or colour.
They are bound to have a leather satchel and carry their Macbook, which will soon be whipped out when they start chatting about cool ways to link up each other’s businesses.
This is another thing, hipsters are generally creative entrepreneurs, who gave up the suit, because they are convinced there is more to life then running in the giant corporate hamster wheel, trying to keep up with the pace.
Some are very successful, others not so much, but who cares, they are trying and they do it in style.
Thanks to people like Judd and co, the alternative approach to living is rapidly filtering into the North Coast.
This lifestyle includes going off the grid, appreciating old school stuff, yet being ultra modern when it comes to technology, recycling and enjoying the simple things in life.
While you might think this hipster vibe is just another reheated trend and will soon fade out and be replaced by something “new”, I would like to think it is a trend or rather a lifestyle that is here to stay.
Like the American author and poet, Criss Jami once said, any fool can do something cool and look cool, but it takes skill to make something uncool cool again.
Stay in the loop with The North Coast Courier on Facebook, X, Instagram & YouTube for the latest news.
Mobile users can join our WhatsApp Broadcast Service here, or if you’re on desktop, scan the QR code below.
