By Nicole

Coworking at CHIPS

Picture this. It’s pouring with rain on an ice-cold weekday morning. You and your team shuffle-in to the beautiful coworking space you booked for the day, and as the umbrellas, rain jackets and coats come off you realise, with mouths wide open, that you’re all wearing the same winter’s day ensemble…

Now, whether or not you believe in signs from the universe, you’ll agree that this is either fate at work or a glimpse into our collective desire to follow basic fashion trends. Either way, it revealed that we share a connection deeper than we may have thought, one that instantly lowered the walls and created space for us to just be human.

As a remote working team, it had been some time since we worked together in person. Things that I used to take for granted in the office, like eye contact, in-the-moment brainstorms and jokes, feel extra special, and in some ways more meaningful than they did before. We kicked the day off with a team building session focused on time management and prioritisation, where Anja and Charlotte had the chance to learn all my secrets.

Next up on the agenda, Anja presented her fascinating skillshare to the team on the ethics behind the marketing of vapes (met with many oohs and aahs).

And then the real fun started.

Inspiration afternoon

As a reward for our hard work over the last quarter, Liz and Sarah gave us the opportunity to pick our own inspiration day activity (sorry, we’re not hiring at Pomegranite at the moment). Gin tasting and yummy food came out on top and so that afternoon, we headed with much anticipation from CHIPS to the Cape Town Gin Company at the V&A Waterfront.

Fast forward through town’s lunchtime traffic, we arrived with wide eyes to a boutique tasting room nestled right on the water.

While we bonded over spirits, we learned all about how gin is made and the types of ingredients that bring out different flavours on your palette. Did you know that gin can’t be labelled as gin without the inclusion of juniper berries? Or that star anise and cinnamon make all the difference to a simple g&t?

Searching for carbs, we strolled over to La Parada for potstickers, pasta and cocktails, chatting about our lives, trends and dreams. Before parting ways for the weekend, Anja asked a stranger to snap this picture of us, which perfectly captures the day’s smiles, like-minded fashion and unique individuality that makes working together so lovely.

P.S. Charlotte originally wore black boots, but her mom advised her to go with the white sneakers. A disclaimer in case you were doubting our telepathy.