MTN Dbn Fashion Week: Ifa Lethu Heritage Collection
She chants the sacred verses in a barely audible voice… She sways the sacred whip from side-to-side…She walks up and down in a circular trance like manner… She looks up to the heavens and seeks the ancestor’s blessings…No, we are not at an African tribal ceremony but instead at the Ifa Lethu Heritage Collection where a sangoma is blessing the collection and transforming the catwalk into a sacred site. This is the second Summer collection unveiled at the MTN Durban Fashion Week by the Ifa Lethu Foundation, South Africa’s largest heritage development organization. The collection has been titled ‘Voodoo Picnic’ (alas, to my dismay, there were no dolls, pins or food to be found anywhere) that takes a ‘socially reflective slant on Durban fashion.’ The range was designed by Karen Monk Klijnstra, Bonga Bhengu and Gugu Msimang, under the watchful eye of Ifa Lethu Fashion Consultant Greg Wallis. The show has been divided into four scenes with musical interludes. The first, titled ‘Picnic Chic’ is a 50s inspired scene that is crisp and fresh. Here we see gingham in bright colors. The second scene is titled ‘Durban Tribe’, is tribal tattoo inspired street wear that is versatile and ready-to-wear. This scene has an unusual palette of sienna, olives and ivory. The third scene is titled ‘Voodoo jol’, and reflects Durban’s vibrant colorful personality. This scene is colorful, jazzy and intense with a palette of oranges, azure blues and purples. The final scene rounds up the collection with the inclusion of celebrity models Parsons (Tshepo Maseko) and Nandipha (Hlubi Mboya) from the soap opera Isidingo. Here we see a gentleman trying to woo his love interest but is mischievously rejected by her repetitively, only to succumb to his charm – in the form of sensual kiss. Overall, the Ifa Lethu Heritage Collection was mix of fashion and theatre, a blend the ancestors will be proud off. Words by Aarif Saib. Images courtesy of the MTN Durban Fashion Week photographer Simon...
MTN Durban Fashion Week: Life by Andre Martin
In any Durban café, club or event where a sophisticated dress code is required, you will notice a common trend – the garments of Life by Andre Martin have become the standardized uniform for these settings. Hailed as one of the most successful menswear designers in the country, Life by Andre Martin is a brand that is synonymous for sophisticated chic street wear. In his latest collection, we see Martin continuing his historic versatile style, by balancing street wear with semi-formal pieces. He further unveils a new denim wear range and adds a touch of sensuality to this collection with his newly developed ladies range.Martin’s inspiration for this collection is the people that provide the oxygen to the brand – the consumers. Through conversing with the public at his various boutiques stores around the country, Martin has infused their input in developing this collection, putting them at the centre of his designs. The street wear aspect of the collection reflects a palette of colors and styles. I especially like his menswear’s golfers that give a cool and relaxed look. A disappointing feature of the street wear aspect was the inclusion of the menswear denim jacket with the number eight boldly printed in red on the back – a repetitive piece from the last collection. He could have at least changed the number! Denim was the choice of fabrics in this aspect of the collection. The semi-formal aspect of the collection reflects traditional black and white color trends. The ‘little black dress’ piece, a tribute to Coco Chanel, was a nice touch to the collection which reflects the diversity, energy and chicness of the brand. In true Life style, Martin had a few pieces with his famous white collared shirt, though I hoped he had done more with it – repetitiveness does reflect consistency but also a lack of innovation. Overall, Martin’s collection was excellent and did get the crowd in a frenzy, especially the part when topless male models showing of their well toned physiques where throwing t-shirts to the audience. He nearly caused a riot! This weekend I will be hitting Durban’s famous Florida Road strip where I know will be seeing the Life’s uniform everywhere. Words by Aarif Saib. Image courtesy of the MTN Durban Fashion Week photographer Simon...
MTN Durban Fashion Week: Rozanne & Pushkin
Hands down they were one of our favourite runway collections at MTN Durban Fashion Week in 2008 – we’re putting our money on Rozanne & Pushkin to fly the SA flag high both at home and on the international fashion scene, watch this space… very closely. Sharpile to Daniel Cuthbert and Emma Norris for the words and photo’s – see our Represent photostory of the range here: Rozanne & Pushkin’s designer is Rozanne Immermann – a designer that is to be watched very closely. Her designs along with her choice of colour and fabrics were eye-catching and memorable to say the least. Rozanne’s style is a mix of bohemia, chic and elegant and she did not disappoint. Wool, sequins, silk and lace were to name but a few of the fabrics used to make the long dresses, 3/4 length dresses, jumper with leggins along with accessories such as headscarves, bags, bangles and necklaces finished each outfit off perfectly. Rozanne continues to be a Jewel in Durban’s Fashion Crown. Her second shop is due to open next month in Rosebank, and if the past is any indication of the future, it should be a roaring...
New Music Review: Deepgroove & DJ Clock
In the last of our feature reviewing Soul Candi’s latest releases, Dawn Penny gets strict and demands the most from our beats. Sharpile for the words as always! Truth presents In the Club mixed by Deepgroove 6 Beats out of 10 The first time I listened to “Truth presents In the Club” I was at home on a Saturday night, making supper with a friend. Needless to say, we didn’t finish cooking and ended up going out instead. The two producers Lee Pattison and Grayson Shipley have always made it their mission to get you on the dance floor. And do they do it this time with “Truth presents In the Club” you ask? Well, in a word, yes. Their latest club mix has this nice mix of different subgenres of house; hip house, vocal house, acid house, deep house, funky house and a touch of hard house as well. It most certainly is a moving club mix and can get you revved up for a night out on the town. Get it or not? I’d say yeah, get it. The First Tick – DJ Clock 3 Beats out of 10 As I sat and listened to DJ Clock’s “The First Tick”, I gazed at my watch and it was 5 past his career. You laugh but I’m being serious. Firstly the name DJ Clock just isn’t ‘big time’ material, but that’s beside the point. His music has a monotony that would put you to sleep if it wasn’t so disruptive to listen to. He lacks individuality, originality and downright listenability – which I have on good authority as being the main ingredients to having musicality. And really I think if you’re gonna sample a track, you need to either make it as good as the original track or better, there’s no room for ‘ok’. He did a rendition of Mika’s “Relax, Take it easy” and he killed it! No, not in that head bopping kinda way, he actually put it six feet under ground. DJ Clock needs to go back in time and rethink releasing something this below...
MTN Durban Fashion Week: Young/Emerging
Big ups to Daniel Cuthbert and Emma Norris that caught the up and coming and emerging talents at 2008’s MTN Durban Fashion Week both in visuals and words – see our Represent photostory here and read his reviews below. He’s impressed with the spread and loved ‘Smiso Mbindwana’s‘ work from the Young designers, but overall, he’s got his eye on ‘Tarien Mallebe Maveaf’ as one of the Emerging designers that truly stood out – we’ll try to find out more about the new talents …don’t forget about where you read about them first – Represent! : The MTN Fashion week is something Durban can be proud of. The fashion shows have the all the characteristics of international shows, which shows just how fashion is making a big impact on this City than ever before. MTN Young Designers 2008: The show started off with the runway full of kids, all blacked out but with their phones on and ringing, I wasn’t sure if this was to indicate that young kids do nothing but see in the dark and talk on their phones, but it was a rather apt introduction into the Young Designers of 2008. As with most young designers, you don’t expect their style and collection to be fully polished, but rather a glimpse of what they can achieve already and also some indication of how they will grow as designers. I was totally blown away by the level of skill. If this is any indication of what the future holds, I can honestly say that South Africa has some seriously talented designers in the wings. The common theme was that of metallics and natural colours. Bekky Beukes’s collection drew inspiration from the military, with very rustic colours and materials used. She made use of texture in a clever way, and her full-length dresses were something that you’d expect to see at the Durban July. Next up was Smiso Mbindwana, a.k.a Fresh Thread. This collection was one of the highlights of the night. His use of bags, denim and lace, really made people look and the whole collection as something you could see yourself wearing. Joline Graham’s collection was very classic and ready to wear. The highlight for me was her candy pole dress, which gathering from the audience around me, many wanted it. Stephen van Eeden’s collection for me was the best. His use of colour and material was amazing and would not look out of place at this years NYC and London fashion weeks. MTN Durban Fashion Week: Emerging Designers Thursday showcased 5 Emerging Designers but the one that stuck in my mind the most was Tarien...
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