Born in a cottage clinging to the slopes of Table Mountain, Klea arrived curious. Her first word was “nog” — Afrikaans (and Dutch) for more — a fitting omen.

Her parents, both journalists, shaped her worldview early. In 1995, after delivering a Women’s Day speech in Cape Town, she was wrapped in a bear hug by Nelson Mandela and heard words that lodged permanently in her mind: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

Landscape was my Teacher

Her family later relocated to a small town, nestled in the Langeberg mountains. Here, among rivers and slopes, she developed a deep love for landscape and the quiet authority of place. While completing her education online, she began work at 15, collecting an unconventional set of skills along the way.

Becoming a Designer

Klea has always held on to the belief that she can do anything, and was determined to study design and art direction. She worked nights on her entrance portfolio and went on to spend three formative years at the Red & Yellow Creative School of Business in Cape Town, earning a D&AD Pencil Award for a breast cancer awareness campaign.

She joined The Jupiter Drawing Room, where the density of talent revealed the true power of collective creativity. A senior designer at the time taught her a lasting lesson: you can accomplish anything, in any timeframe. During this period, she won a Loerie Award for illustrated packaging design.

Independence and Expansion

After a time, she was drawn back to nature and began freelancing — learning the less glamorous skills of setting boundaries, managing accounts, and communicating with clients. This chapter introduced her to business owners she still admires and remains connected to today. She later accepted a permanent role at Widebraam, a berry & liqueur company. She managed branding, packaging and advertising while simultaneously working on layout and accounts for the local town newspaper housed in the same building.

Motherhood and Resilience

Motherhood arrived, followed by a role at Rain Africa, an eco-ethical skincare brand led with exceptional integrity. There, she worked on brand advertising and packaging while witnessing how ethics and scale can coexist. Then came a twist: her husband was diagnosis with leukemia (CML). They endured many tumultuous months and emerged with a renewed respect for life.

Reinvention

The family relocated to the Karoo, where the landscape widened into passes and semi-desert, and life became more physical. Together, they built and branded a food truck — Kyknoord — and spent every spare moment hauling it across the Western Cape, living intensely and fully.

As their children grew, they settled in Mossel Bay. Klea joined a creative agency, Grindstone, overlooking the harbour, where she grew from designer to head of digital and, finally, creative director — confidently carrying her own name and work.