City Stylin’ : A Story of Fabricated Dreams
Thanda Kunene talks to the guys behind Durbanite fashion brand Godz who started with not much but their desire and passion to succeed in the fashion industry. After much slog and learning all about doing business right, Godz designs are worn with pride by Durban stylistas and they’re making it big in Jozi with their own shop at Campus Square – Sharpile Thanda for the inspiring words! If you are a small creative business who’d like to be interviewed, please email Editorista on editor@represent.co.za Meet Smiso Mpafu and Nkonzo. Two young fashion designers that run a Durban-based fashion label by the name of Godz. Now for those of you fond of Durban street culture, you might have noticed the once-off individual custom design clothing which is of abundance around the sunny streets of Durban. Here is a low-down on the fashionistas and their path of entrepreneurship… * How did the name “Godz” come about when choosing a name for your brand? Design is a God-given talent. * Out of all the careers in the world, why choose fashion? Fashion is our main passion in life. We grew up around it, and there is nothing in the world that could take away the urge for doing fashion. * Please give us an outline of your typical day at work. The day’s work is prepared for the day before. Or else we also hang out waiting for people who want custom designs. As you know in the fashion world there is never a repeat of the previous day’s work. * Since when has the fashion label been running and what challenges did you come upon when starting the business? The label was formed in 2003 but was registered as a business in 2006. We had issues with funding as we wanted to open a shop. Business was going well but we didn’t have an official shop to do business so we had to do door-to-door sales to to raise the capital for a proper work space. * What are the achievements you’ve reached within the fashion world so far? We managed to get a shop in the central CBD but we lost out due to finances. We have now mangaged to obtain a shop at Campus Square which is located in the art hub of Melville in Johannesburg. We also had a fashion show showcase at the Kirk Franklin Gala Dinner in 2007 which was at the Zulu Jazz Lounge, Durban. In 2008 we had a chance to showcase our work at the eThekwini Easter Fashion Showcase. In 2009 we showcased at the infamous Umgababa Beach Festival and this year we...
Donna Karan you’re so two and a half years ago
“The Black Coffee everyonecanbeadesigner dress – designed 2.5 years before Donna Karan’s infinity dress…”Need we say more? Actually, yes. Johannesburg-based (yes, that’s in South Africa) design team Jacques van der Watt and Dannica Lepen, otherwise known as Black Coffee, launched their superb concept dress known as “everyonecanbeadesigner” to market in 2007. Not that it’s needed, but we can testify to this date as it was the year I got married and Jacques’ partner had proposed I wear one for my wedding dress… I wish I had now, as I’d have had a photo of me looking oh-so-2007 to tie down the facts (actually, when I look at the photos now, my hair was clearly plucked out of a childhood dream hairstyle ergo ’89). Anyway, the point is, Black Coffee’s byline was ‘a new way of looking at clothing’ and the campaign around the dress was a gorgeous 360 concept that included a video showing you all the ways you could wear the dress. Just go see the site. Come 2010 and suddenly we see a very similar looking dress rehashed as a ‘Donna Karan’s Infinity dress’. Pfft. Something seriously fishy going on people, what you reckon? Coincidink? I don’t know how you feel, but in general, I’m getting a little bit tired of the ‘big overseas chiefs” helping themselves to African goodness, minerals, inspiration…and scuttling off. For how many centuries will we be their buffet table? We sit perched on the end of our struggling continent just minding our business and producing high quality, exceptional work and then get stomped over by a big western made-in-china foot. Genoeg is genoeg. Africans, it’s really enough now, time to STAND UP and of course I’m talking about everything here… I’m so chuffed the World Cup Soccer is taking place in South Africa so we don’t have to make movies to prove what a sublime place we live in… and so that the 1 million visitors who would never have stepped foot in Africa before, can get a hands-on real time lesson and go back and re-educate their brethren about Africa, and in particular Southern Africa and just how much we rock. But of course, just the thought of going up against a US mega-icon like DKNY to say ‘i had that idea first!’ must be freaking daunting… this tiny little speck of dust from Africa daring to lay claim to genius that was born outside of the U S of A. We say STUFF THAT – go for it…! We support you and of course ♥ you long time Black Coffee. If you are tired of bullshit too – let your...
South African Nicky Hambleton-Jones rocks the UK
Although she’s been replaced by Mylene Klaas in the latest episodes, we L_U_R_V_E the Pretoria-born host of UK’s hit daytime series 10 Years Younger, Nicky Hambleton-Jones. While watching the show between babynaps (yes we watch daytime tele luv! who doesn’t?) we couldn’t help but pick up the flat South African tones under the presenter’s accent. In fact, Nicky doesn’t do much to mask her accent at all, and we think she’s fabulous. Represent! Nicky runs her own successful style consultancy NHJ in London – a great business concept: you can buy your friends a makeover or have one yourself… in addition she’s also launched her own eyewear range and … a style academy .. where you can learn to become a stylist. What an inspiration for spreading your wings and taking over the world. Nice one sista! Now how about opening one in Jozi? or...
Represent Review: Audi Joburg Fashion Week ’09
Our darling site was in the middle of being made over in preparation for it’s 4th birthday, but our boy Vincent Zondo still managed to put on his best and shmooze out at this years Audi Joburg Fashion Week. Represent! He’s put together a few overall thoughts around the beginning and end of the experience with a few clear pointers for all those wondering What to Wear…! Merci VZ… The BEGINNING of Audi Joburg Fashion Week ’09. This year presented us with a surprisingly killer start to the Audi Joburg fashion week…everyone and their ami was taken aback by the level of the designers and the craft at this opening evening. Typically the start of the shows is always quite chilled, nothing to write home about but I must say – the show unfolded smoothly as the designers went all out to impress. And impressed we were. This first show confirmed that the “New Generation” South African designers are ‘so’ on par with Global trends, the same chic – gothic look, the never-dying lace that we saw with Prada recently. I must concur that “they really made it their own”, as put by Marie Claire’s fashion fundi, Abigail. The theme this winter seems to be black, black and more black – from the fabulous head pieces, (and draping) and black stockings, black distressed metallic ponchos and jackets and bit of glitter with diamond diamante details by the waist side. I am truly excited and so looking forward to the upcoming season of glam-chic and already willing just one special black number for me… The END of the hottest fashion week Last weeks Audi Joburg’s fashion week certainly lived up to it’s promise to dazzle and make a lasting impression on all buyers, fashionistas and media alike. The designers that were showing their winter/autumn collections have definitely raised the bar this time around. Global appeal What I always do yearly as I meet and greet my fellow fashionistas, is look out for new faces especially on the front row seats – it’s quite exciting to see that a number of international buyers from Switzerland, Paris and London are taking a keen interest in our designers. – the experience – Fashion week is starting to feel like, well….FASHION WEEK – with creativity, function and aesthetic-appeal at an all-time high. The co-ordination by the organizers has also picked up a notch or two. Good job. For example I loved the fact that you got to view the collection on the models as they were gliding off the ramp and in a blink of an eye, we were able to get an up-close...
Thesis Social Jam Session Vol3.
We introduced you to the fabulous Sowetan fashion stockist Thesis and the creative collective behind it a few months ago, they’re having a jam session this Sunday, and it looks to be rocking! Click on the flyer for more info: In the streets of Soweto a creative shell was cracked when a truly raw brand was born. This brand lays a point of view about the experiences, culture, ambiance and the beat of Soweto. Thesis is bringing a music report called Thesis Social Jam Sessions. Happening every first Sunday of the month, the jam sessions are described as a social connektion of creative’s and people that are like minded coming together under the roof of Thesis concept store to share in the sounds of true music ranging from Soul to Breaks’, Jazz to Hip Hop, Poetry to Comedy. Live elements rule the platform with new and unsigned (some signed) acts performing to woe the eclectic crowdz that gather to share in on this environment. Born out of true deprivation of what is good in our terms, the Thesis Social Jam Sessions were conceived. The Sessions are set out to include all forms of the arts in order for them to withhold in the current state of “corrupt” art forms and to be considered inclusive to all people with the love of the arts. The arts being talked about include music, photography, fashion design, graphic design, live performance, comedy, poetry and film. The reason for them to be named social sessions is because it’s a coming together of creative’s and like minded people to interact and communicate for the growth of a unified creative society in Soweto. Thesis as a fashion company and brand has already set up the platform through their fashion design and concept store, thus their association with the new brand…Thesis social Jam sessions. As previously proven worldwide, music is the unifier of all languages around the world, including Soweto. With the Thesis Social Jams Sessions, music is the foundation of the sessions with resident and guest dj’s playing an array of eclectic music ranging from 70’s soul to neo soul, hip-hop to trip-hop, jazz to acid jazz and roots reggae to dub steps. Thesis Social Jam Sessions provides a platform to unsigned and signed artists and live performers. The air that we breathe is “live” as we belie that live performance breeds a intensity in the crowd and performers alike with the mood that can not be replicated through recordings. With saying that, Thesis Social Jam Sessions are recorded and broadcast through pod-casts, so that the message, vibe and atmosphere filters down to the people and...
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