21 questions with Sally Emslie of Manifesto Woman
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I first met Sally online as a customer of Manifesto Woman, her secondhand fashion and lifestyle store which has now become one of my go to favourite shops. It has grown in its 2 and a half years, to include both men and kids sections. Everything is so carefully curated and beautiful it’s like buying a new and exclusive piece there’s really only one of. I loved everything about the concept but especially the snippets of her home and personal style. I find that people’s style and the trips they take are often inextricably linked. How they live, dress and decorate often has a direct correlation to how they like to travel and the places they like to stay. Because of this I like to include a few personal photos of themselves and their homes. It’s a way of inspiring ways of living, but also working out for ourselves whether the kind of trips they love, would work for our own families. I’ve left the last gallery at the end as a delightful insight into Sally’s interiors of dreams. I like to say she’s ‘probably the coolest person I’ve never met’. She manages to cover my three main crushes of travel, interior and fashion styles that all reflect happily in my soul. Travel right now may still feel like a distant dream but reading this still brings me joy. I hope it gives you all some too.
1. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family I’d describe myself as a displaced African come Londoner, now living deep in the Suffolk countryside. I feel a bit like I left home to go travelling at 18 and, in many ways, never stopped. I am a bit of a mash up of the outdoors and fashion and business; love adventure and change; open to pretty much anything. I left a corporate career after twenty years and flung myself into an entirely new world - it’s been a mad, mad ride but I am so pleased I challenged myself. My new venture is a sustainable lifestyle store - Manifesto Woman, which focuses on creating a sense of desirability and aspiration around secondhand. I have two children aged 7 and 10.
2. How much does your fashion background influence the places you want to go or stay? It influences everything. I seek out amazing destinations and build holidays around those. It definitely doesn’t have to be expensive, but it does need to be stylish - whether that’s in the form of a beautiful safari tent or a 5 star hotel is largely immaterial.
3. What were your holidays like as a child? Very simple. I grew up in South Africa in the 1970’s and 80’s, in the depths of apartheid - extremely strange times. South Africa was very isolated and not many travelled abroad. The first time I left the country was when I was 12 years old - a family holiday to the UK and USA. I was practically a rock star for a few months before I left, such was the rarity of an overseas trip. On the other hand, what we were (and still are) blessed with in South Africa was incredible space, diverse geography, beautiful beaches, year-round good weather and pretty much everything else you could wish for in a holiday! Holidaying locally was hardly a hardship.
4. Do you speak any other languages? Yes, Afrikaans completely fluently - it was compulsory when I was growing up (although I am a little rusty now, admittedly) and basic French from my time at university in Rennes. I wish I spoke more languages… it’s been on my ‘to do’ list for about twenty years. Ha!
5. Is there one place or trip that stands out ? So, so many - we tend to do sweeping road trips across countries and, for me, there is nothing better. Argentina, Cape Verde and Portugal all stand out, but perhaps the best was a road trip we took from Bilbao to Girona and back, driving along the French/ Spanish border. Absolutely magnificent… some of the best 10 days of my life. Wide open spaces, delicious food, cutting-edge design, friendly people, perfect weather and wildly changing scenery from beaches to deserts to winelands and everything in between.
So many beautiful hotels in this area but the one that stood out the most for me was Aire de Bardenas on the edge of the desert. Great design, great location and an amazing in-house bar and restaurant. The Bardenas Reales de Navarra is a truly magnificent desert; I have no idea why so few people have heard of it. Eye-wateringly beautiful. Besides the desert, it’s definitely worth taking in Rioja country. We stayed at Hotel Viura - beautiful . Make sure you stop off at Bodegas Ysios, one amongst many other wine tasting spots! Santa Maria La Real De Najera - a monastery - is also worth a visit. Girona is a gorgeous city with so much character, great food, bars, etc. We loved the alemanys-5 apartment but can also recommend Hotel Camiral, which is a short drive away, where we stayed at on a different trip: .It’s a golf hotel but is actually surprisingly lovely and perfect if you have small children. I would also recommend a trip to Mercantic - what can only be described as a village entirely dedicated to vintage, including bars, theatres, restaurants and so much more.
6. What is your most memorable trip without kids or favourite destination? Besides a perhaps inadvisable weekend in Berlin that broke me for about a month, I haven’t holidayed without them for over ten years. Actually, that’s a lie. Last year I did the Whale trail with a group of 12 girlfriends - 5 days hiking in the South African wilderness completely removed from civilisation. Pure magic.
7. Did you travel Summer 2020? If so how was it? Only within the UK. I was supposed to go to South Africa to do a hike with the same group of girlfriends as the Whale Trail, but that was right at the start of lockdown so obviously a no-go. And then over summer we had trips to both Nice and Menorca cancelled. Still fighting with airlines to recoup my money!
8. If the world changes and we can no longer fly! Where is your favourite spot in the UK? Dungeness - hands down. I think it’s because the barren landscapes and wild seas remind me a little bit of Africa! The council’s planning department are also very progressive in their thinking and have allowed unbelievably beautiful modernist development. We tend to stay at The Shingle House but there are so many chic cottages springing up, you’re spoilt for choice.
10. Has holidays with kids changed the way you see or experience them? Absolutely, and I’d argue for the better. They have taken me out of my comfort zone, forced me to do things I would probably never have thought to do on my own (like riding quad bikes through the Moroccan desert) and opened me up to new experiences. They are great conversation starters too… chatting to locals feels natural and easy when there is a toddler in the mix.
FINAL 10!
Under or over pack? Ooooovvvveeeerrrr
Maximal style or minimalist chic? Ooh, both. Strangely. Maybe that’s why I tend to over pack!
How many bikini’s/suits do you pack? 3 or 4… and then inevitably wear the same 1 every day for the duration
Any make up essentials? I wear very little make up so just tinted moisturiser, eyeliner and mascara and I’m good to go
Heels or bare foot? Barefoot, for sure
Ski or sun? Sun. I grew up in Africa… there’s not much snow. I am a rubbish skier!
Beach or pool? Depends how crowded/ private the pool is!
City break or Safari? Safari… the African bush feels and smells like home
Buffet breakfast or a la cart? My children will stare at me in disbelief for saying this, but a la carte
Top 3 hand luggage items you always take? Book, headphones and a device - entertainment sorted
Where’s on your dream travel list to do before you die? India - I have never been, which pains me greatly. I’m desperate to go. For some reason it never made it to the top of the hit list pre-kids and then, once I’d had children, I was so worried about them getting seriously ill that it was a non-starter. Now that they’re getting older it’s creeping back up the list. Let’s see!
Links of Love
Visit Manifesto Woman here. Manifesto Woman Instagram.
For more of Sally’s travel, plus life and sustainability insights, read the Manifesto Woman beautiful blog here.
