Work among like-minded creative types
Imagine being in an environment full of creative and innovative minds … The conversation, the ideas, the potential! Creatives at work: Our boardroom SoulProviders, a leading Joburg content-creation and marketing agency, has office space available that we would like to share with small businesses and hot-deskers. We’re looking specifically for creative, PR, marketing, internet, mobile, video, design and digital businesses to join our chilled-out and fun team at the Colony Centre on Jan Smuts Avenue. Our beautiful reception area The best part about the Colony is that it has great restaurants for lunch or dinner – perfect for business and pleasure. It’s centrally located near Sandton, the city, Rosebank and Parkhurst. There are doctors’ offices in case you think you might be coming down with something, as well as convenience stores for that 4pm blood-sugar drop. (Also: yoga classes, a book store, and a Steers!) Office space available We have a number of different packages available, and WiFi and other amenities are available. Email info@soulproviders.co.za or call us on 011 325 5816 for more info! And please share the love – you never know who might be looking to start-up their own game-changing enterprise. Boardroom1 Boardroom2 Services at The Colony The Colony Centre Reception...
Rich Mnisi on Building a Brand.
By Mariam Mahomed. 2014 AFI Fastrack winner, Rich Mnisi took the fashion world by storm with his S/S 14 collection, KOOL –AID. Magazine features, editorials and interviews sang praise to Rich’s work making him fashion’s rising star and an inspiration for young hopefuls. Now, months after his great win, Rich continues to spread the inspiration and blow minds with his label OATH. Represent caught up with Rich to find out more about OATH and his life as a fashion industry newbie. Where does the inspiration behind OATH come from? OATH is generally inspired by pop-culture, music being the main source. You’ve been out of college for less than a year but you have managed to successfully start a brand. Tell us more about that journey? OATH was more of a long-term goal but I was encouraged to nurture and develop this idea and fortunately, it was received well. What are some of the challenges that you have faced in terms of establishing your brand and how did you rise above it? I was slightly worried about the public reception of my aesthetic beyond my AFI Fastrack S/S 14 collection because this would ultimately reflect on the success of the brand. I ended up making crucial decisions to maintain aesthetic and explore its facets to strengthen the brand image despite everyone else’s expectations. If there is one lesson that you have learnt from this journey, what would it be? Being decisive in an industry that is so saturated with information. What are the opportunities and challenges facing a new comer in the South African fashion industry? People speak of loving and wanting ‘fresh’, ‘different’ and ‘high fashion’ but once they get it they find it hard to digest. It’s tough to find a room full of people nodding at your work but the greatest opportunity for anyone comes from within. If you take your craft seriously and present it authentically then people will respect it and will help take your product to the right market that will love it and would kill to own it. What advice would you give to fashion-design hopefuls? I’d like to think that I’m still one…. and advice I’d give to myself… Don’t Stop. What does a day in the life of Rich Mnisi entail I’m still doing my internship for AFI Fastrack at Egality so it’s that most of the time. But when I turn into a werewolf in the middle of the night I sketch, create mood boards, conceptualize shoots, make patterns etc. I try being cute about this design thing I have going on. What can we expect from OATH in...
The New Cool Kids
Mariam Mohamed Burn the beanies, discard the wayfarers, forget the hipsters. There’s a new group of cool kids on the block and they’ve got our attention. They’re young, they’re male, they’re impeccably dressed and they’re proudly African. They are the street style heroes, bloggers, photographers and other members of the most influential fash-pack. Often seen gracing street style platforms in their uber stylish ensembles these men like designer Laduma Ngxokolo along with bloggers and media personalities such as Trevor Stuurman, Jerri Mokgofe, Siyabonga Beyile, Anthony Bila Kabelo, Kungwane and Wanda Lephoto amongst others are talk of the town. These guys, all established in their own right, have encouraged a whole new cult of young Africans in the streets of our most popular cities , dressed to the T, reaching for the spotlight (or camera lens?). The result is a new found sense of pride in dress amongst young South Africans along with a need for establishment and creative expression. These young men have released the importance of nurturing their talents and carving their identities in the fields that they choose to find themselves in. Along with their aspirations for the future , the guys are always acknowledging the past , their lost icons and heritage, with great respect. Just a scroll through Instagram ,or stroll down the street, is enough to show you the power and growth of this new group with the number of members increasing daily. We can’t help but wonder if this is a start of a new , dominating subculture? Images: http://web.stagram.com/n/trevor_stuurman http://web.stagram.com/n/laduma http://web.stagram.com/n/wandalephoto ...
The Class of ’79 tells the story of Three Students who Risked their Lives to Destroy Apartheid
“What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.” – Nelson Mandela, May 2002 Out of the class of 1979 at Rhodes University came two women whose identities merged with the painful birth of the new South Africa: two journalism students whose journey was to take them into defiance, imprisonment and torture during the apartheid years. One of the quietest girls in the class, Marion Sparg, joined Umkhonto we Sizwe, trained in exile in Angola and was eventually convicted of bombing three police stations. The Cape Times journalist Zubeida Jaffer was imprisoned, poisoned and tortured for her writing and her union activism, yet chose not to prosecute her torturer. Guy Berger, also a student and later a lecturer at Rhodes University, was arrested and interrogated for possession of banned books. He spent seven months in custody, three of which he spent in solitary confinement. He was ultimately sentenced to four years in prison. This is a book that you should read to understand where journalism comes from and perhaps where it’s going...
Africa in the Spotlight
By Mariam Mahomed Africans are blessed with a number of things. A striking landscape, great heritage and a number of beautiful cultures. It is no wonder then that we are so proud to be from this amazing land.Our pride is only increasing now as the rest of the world notices our splendour. African inspiration is now at the forefront of trends in arts and design. From Burberry’s use of blankets in the Fall 2014 collection to the use of various afro-chic inspired prints and textures by numerous fashion houses, such as Etro, Givenchy, Mary Katrantzou and Suno, Africa seems to be the go to place for inspiration across international catwalks. Aside from the clothing, African design elements come across clearly in the accessories and jewellery pieces used and created by fashion’s most prestigious brands. Italian luxury brand, Fendi’s bold and beautiful leather and fur cuffs from their Fall 2014 show reminds us of a great African warrior and seems to be the favourite jewellery piece amongst fashion lovers across the world. Another favourite accessory from the Fall 2014 shows is the handbags from Burberry featuring colours and prints that brings about warm thoughts of African landscapes and artworks. And if conquering the world of fashion is not enough the most stunning décor and interior looks of the season boasts African design elements. Global interior and architecture web-magazine , Decoist, realises that ‘it is time to put the vivacious African continent and its captivating prints, artifacts and designs under the spotlight’ and showcases a number of exquisite African inspired interiors. Sir Richard Branson’s luxury safari retreat Mahali Mzuri showcases the perfect mix between African inspiration and contemporary architecture. The modern, exclusive and absolutely breath-taking camp-styled lodges serves as a global architectural inspiration and is an epic salute to African design. We can definitely expect an increase of African inspiration in architecture, interiors and fashion design across the world. As more magazines, blogs and other media platforms showcase this trend , African design will be available on a number of websites and retail outlets and seen in cities around the world in the next few years. Yes, the world is saying ‘Look at Africa!’ and to that we say, ‘It’s about time!’ Pictures from Style.com and...
Book review: Africa is open for Business by Victor Kgomoeswana
I love it when a book with a subject matter I’m not well versed in, is an easy yet informative read. This was the case with “Africa is open for business” the insightful read by Victor Kgomoeswana, a business specialist who does a lot of work with multinationals, interpreting the African landscape for foreign investment. It is a collection of 50 essays from Victor’s learnings over the years of doing work as a business show host for radio stations such 702, Kaya FM; doing interviews with news powerhouses like CNBC & CNN. As well as information gained from his Business developer position at PPC a local cement company which has expanded to several countries across the continent. The book breaks down the elephantine task of understanding the Pan African business market, & breaks it down into into bite-sized chunks. It is a must-read for both leisure readers with a keen interest in the direction the continent is taking in terms of development. As well business information seekers who wish to equip themselves with knowledge such as entrepreneurs and corporation directors who want to expand their operations throughout the continent and take advantage of the boom. In the book, Victor touches on and elaborates on every story you’ve heard about doing business in Africa. Controversial topics such as the ‘2nd colonization’ by the wave of Chinese forging relationships with African countries in exchange for minerals. To Nigeria’s reputation reincarnation – from being known as Africa’s fraud capital to its new status as the continent’s biggest economy and everything in between. The anecdotal style the book is written in made it a pleasure to read, which is unlike my usual experience with business writing. It still packs stats and facts as any business book but thanks to his intimate knowledge & his passion for the subject matter Victor has made this book a gem definitely work...
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