South Africa, Oct. 5 -- Heritage is not static. It evolves through what people choose to eat, wear, buy, gift and share - and retailers often sit at the centre of those everyday choices.

For brands, there is an important lesson: businesses can propose what a product should mean, but consumers ultimately decide whether that meaning resonates.

Few South African retailers illustrate this better than Big Blue.

Founded by James Robertson and his late business and life partner Philip Cronje after the pair met while trading at a flea market in Centurion in 1986, the business has grown to 27 stores. It has remained difficult to categorise, combining clothing, gifting and wholesale with a distinctly South African sense of humour.

"Big Blue is ...