The Power of Collaborations
The power of the “X” in collaborations are infinite in today’s cultural landscape. The X denotes a cross-equality of brand values, and suggests the merging of two sometimes distinct, sometimes similar design languages fused together. From a marketing standpoint, it is immensely valuable for both brands to share audiences and community, and depending on the type of collaboration – they can sometimes serve as a great point of entry for accessibility from one brand to another.
Rich Mnisi’s collaboration with adidas is a phenomenal example of South African luxury translated through the performance wear lens of a steady sports brand; with the Homeland collection Rich’s Tsonga heritage as the foundation and blueprint upon which pieces that support a range of activity such as running,swimming and training can exist. Made using recycled materials and Parley Ocean Plastic, the strength of both Rich Mnisi and adidas are brilliantly distilled; vibrant, accessible and functional.
For South African designers, the meaning of collaboration is the incubation of stories; and the celebration of cultural visions that temper the lives of those people, places and memories that came before them. Fashion is a dialogue, in this way – a medium through which to channel that which needs to be said, and memorialised. A while ago, we had the pleasure of featuring Sindiso Khumalo’s stunning collaboration with Vault by Vans, curated by the legendary Sarah Andelman – Sindiso’s label is sustainably centric, and weaves together feminine silhouettes in natural fabrics such as hemp, linen and cotton, with collections that feature Sindiso’s hand drawn illustrations and prints. In a press release via Vans United Kingdom, Sindiso’s
process for this series is described as, ‘’Using her mother who was an activist as inspiration, Sindiso incorporated illustrations on the quarter panels of the OG Style 24 NTC LX for adults and the Classic Slip-On for kids. The illustration shows the artist’s mother on her daughter’s wedding day seen in traditional Zulu attire. Below it is an array of traditional Zulu homesteads to depict the traditional Zulu life on a modern, contemporary sneaker. This celebration of old and new continues with the Sindiso Khumalo Tee that uses water-based ink to screen print the powerful illustration of the artist’s mother at the front and at the back neck of the oversized tee.’’
This last month in May, another incredible collaboration dropped – and this time, between two South African powerhouses. Wanda Lepotho® X Dakota brings us the High Shine Mule – available in three shades of Burgundy, Black and Tan – this ingenious interpretation of a shoe as culturally critical as Dakota moccasins marks a moment for South African fashion that is ineffable; the strengthening of heritage across local
design spaces, with products created to reflect and sanctify the sartorial lineage founded here. Elegant slip on moccasins with a curved arch, embossed with the WL monogram and the Dakota label? An symbol of abundant moves and successes ahead. After their Milan Fashion Week presentation, and now this – Wanda Lepotho® is set to make some serious shifts in the seasons to come.
The Power of Partnerships
While partnerships and collaborations are generally synonymous terms, I would differentiate a partnership in the way of the coming together of two forces for the intention of a project; the initiating of a conversation that is set to continue. Perhaps the master of weaving varying threads through multiple mediums, Thebe Magugu continues to solidify fashion design as an essential praxis for sartorial philosophy and application intrinsic to South Africa. On the 27th April 2022, Freedom Day, the label launched PROJECT 16.1.C. – a direct reference to the clause speaking to the right of creative expression and individuality stipulated in the South African Bill of Rights. The project will annually partner with emerging creatives to both nurture and co-
create a body of work that documents culture and further builds an expressive archive rooted in honouring the immensely important vision of a post-apartheid South Africa. Their first partnership? The eponymous Wanda Lepotho® – showcasing the synthesis of both label’s respective Tee’s. Along with their official partners, Bubblegum Club, the campaign launch directed by Amy Zama featuring both Wanda and Thebe in intimate celebration of each other, lensed by Andile Buka, and the “sites of resistance” editorial was further held in a potent invocation by Lindi Mngxitama’s written narration of this work.
This is the deep, deep might of partnerships.
The Power of Campaigns
Fashion is as visual as it is tactile, and campaigns are the medium through which many collections / works are tested in both strength and versatility. With a creative landscape as rich as ours, we have no shortage of insane talent synthesising the visual palette of South Africa. I mentioned Keith Virgo’s work in Chapter 02 | Needle + Stitch and as we are in our colder season, knitwear is absolutely essential. The latest AW22 campaign, This is Mi, is a stunning articulation of how
Keith’s hats are intended to exist; communally and comfortably within his community and beyond. Having shot the campaign himself, the campaign invites us into incredible locations and homes marked by some of the most talented South African creatives – creative director OneSimo Bam, stylist Donna-Lee de Kock, visual artist Dada Khanyisa, sonic polymath Dumi, hair stylist and co-owner of Kitsune Duncan Gosling, artist Brandon Reeff and photographer Mzonke Maloney.
The next campaign I can’t get over comes from the mind of Luke Radloff of UNI FORM – and his window installation for AKJP Studio. Luke perfects what I think Balenciaga are endlessly attempting to do; providing an existential commentary on the current collective miasma concerning war, pandemics and socio-economic decay. Creating a replica of his body, Luke created a “cubicle” of a 1990s dystopian office space – using a repurposed “retro” copier that he found in the classified ads, and “developing a light fixture that would
mimic the classic beam of light emitted by a Xerox machine mid copy.” On this, Luke writes via IG, “The Xerox process represents repetition, a cloning of sorts, creating copies of myself, different versions of me to leave within the space. By ‘cloning’ my body, I wanted to literally put myself in the window adding to the overall surrealism of the installation”. This campaign epitomises why fashion is so important – why it is art, and our designers are artists, and that both strength of concept and simplicity of execution are often underrated in a culture driven by the overstating of ideas.
