‘ONLY ICONS ALLOWED’ With MX Blouse

Sep 18, 2023 | Interviews, Music

Mx Blouse is an artist for whom Kwaito remains their primary South African sound. Although they’re not boxed in by any sound – in a climate where genres on the continent are popping off in a myriad of directions, Mx’s sublimation of Kwaito (interspersed with their other influences) begs the right kind of rhythmic depth, electro synth and groove all fused together for that perfect distillation of nostalgia and modernity. It is the sound they are most loyal to. With this, Mx Blouse’s bilingual vocals – harmonies and rap – evoke a kind of storytelling that is as raw and real as Mx Blouse themselves. Recently returned from a tour in Europe and with their latest single ‘ICON’ just dropping, Mx Blouse is a force to be reckoned with despite the challenges of the pan. No formal training or musical history within their family, I surmise in our conversation that a power beyond reality coaxed Mx into creating music. It’s destiny.

In our conversation, Mx tells me that finding themselves as a practising musician was never certain, “I have no idea where it comes from, this drive to be a performer or artist. I’ve always been a writer and this is something I say all the time – fundamentally, what I am is a writer. I got my mom and sister to teach me how to write before I even went to school, so that’s been the way I’ve always approached being in the world. I wrote poetry from a young age and that’s gone on forever, through my teenagehood and beyond.” Music was a background feature to their life, but it hadn’t dawned on them it might become front and centre, “music is something my mother loved a lot. There was always music playing in the house and at some point, we had our cousins staying with us. So I drew a lot of inspiration from my older cousins and their music taste – Tupac, Notorious B.I.G and also a lot of Kwaito.” For Mx, Music showed up as a healing salve when “my mom died when I was 16 and I don’t why, but my way of consoling myself was buying myself a guitar. I don’t come from a musical family but music drew me in, somehow. Writing is a form of expression and that has ended up extending to music.”

Writing is such an act of solitude. To take this personal act and to take that into an outwardly expressive, demanding environment like the stage – to perform and be perceived – is a courageous one and one that not many writers might ever pursue. I ask Sandi if there was a moment in which they realised that their writing had to reach beyond their solitude and into the world? To which they say, “well, it started with pursuing journalism. I wanted to do fashion journalism but the education spaces in South Africa don’t offer that. So, I pursued traditional journalism as a way to initially get my writing out into the world. I didn’t like it, though. It wasn’t for me.”

Mx had faced an existential crisis around their craft; writing was their initial love, but how could they find a way for writing to extend toward something more exhilarating and fulfilling? As Mx explains, “I cashed out my pension and left the country. I went on a two month trip to Thailand and Vietnam. I got to Bangkok and for a week, I was so depressed because I felt so directionless. Before I’d left, I started working with a friend, Joni Blud, on some music. It wasn’t very serious. I think we’d been drunk at some party and started freestyling. Eventually, I rapped on some beats that he had made.”

This trip to South East Asia would come to consecrate the artist we know today as Mx Blouse. As Mx reminisces, “everything came together in Thailand, when I was feeling a little bit depressed. I started playing these beats that Joni had sent me and I started writing. I recorded those first songs on my computer with my earphones as a microphone, sent them back to him and we put together some tracks. That was the beginning.” In a wildly fated sort of way, the universe wasted no time in signalling to Mx that they were onto something. It would take exactly one week from dropping their first track, to being asked to perform it live; “I was in Vietnam, just about to come home, and I put one of the songs on Soundcloud. The song wasn’t mixed or mastered, but I did it anyway! It was called ‘WTF’. About a week later a friend of mine, Colleen, asked if I wanted to come and perform that song I had posted at Kitcheners in Braamfontein. My sister came to watch and I remember being on stage and being like, this is what I want to do. The feeling of being on stage was pure ecstasy for me.” Mx describes walking off the stage and straight up to their sister, asking her if they could stay on their couch as Mx wasn’t going back to Cape Town. They were going to stay in Joburg and make the music thing happen.

Fast forward until today – Mx has just returned from a European tour, with a sonic style that flexes their innate musical ability and penchant for performance. True to Mx Blouse style, their relationship to touring in Europe arose from someone asking to bring them out to perform in Berlin, and Mx advocating their business-sense outright. As Mx says, “I said that I would love to, but I’m not going to leave South Africa to play just one show in Europe. So, I arranged with promoters in a few different cities like Nuremberg, Leipzig.” Energising and exhilarating are principle features of an Mx Blouse show, though they’ve had to find what artist that they are; thus, Mx Blouse is a continued, evolving expression of themselves as an artist, “I’ve been doing this for five years. In hindsight, that’s not a long time. In between those years was the pandemic, which rocked all of us. When I think about the kind of stages I’ve played on in this short amount of time, I am very grateful – because I don’t think this happens for a lot of people.” Mx continues to create with their long standing collaborators like Thor Rixon (behind their first official track, ‘Is’phukuphuku’ and its eternally iconic music video) and Boogie Vice; it seems that for Mx, experimentation is done best with those that really know you. Mx explains on finding their sound, “I don’t listen to one genre so it’s been my task to incorporate as many threads into my sound as I can. I’ve been very lucky to work with people that can understand that.”

Photographed by William Rice & Styled by MX Blouse

Mx Blouse’s latest track ICON is a powerful statement of self-liberation. The track features Mx in a fervent, hard-hitting lyrical storm that traverses many stances about their expression in the world. As they say “I think a lot of people would categorise this new track as hip hop but there’s elements of dance music, of Amapiano – it’s me testing these sounds together. I’ve become very passionate about addressing the fact that South African rap music tends to mimic American rap music. I find that insanely boring, to be honest. It doesn’t feel authentic. Rapping with a South African accent is so important to me. I want to archive Kwaito by taking a lot of inspiration from the Kwaito era and channelling it into what I’m making today. Kwaito is the blueprint.” 

The track is also Mx Blouse’s foray back into music after the pandemic forced them to get back into writing. The french tour they had planned was cancelled – as with so many other events and experiences. It has taken courage for Mx to return and to once again accept the call to perform. As they say, “I was so busy trying to survive that music took a backseat. This track is a signal that I am ready again. The recent tour has been so re-energising. Along with Amapiano, I’m experimenting with Afrotech with a young producer I’m working with, Dronezzy. He is the producer behind ICON as well. I can do this music thing and I am doing it again. There is a lot to come out in the future.” 

Catch Mx Blouse perform at ComUnity Festival on 25th September, 2023, Old Biscuit Mill, Cape Town

ComUnity Tickets are available HERE

Stream and Support ‘ICON’ HERE

Written by: Holly Beaton

For more news, visit the Connect Everything Collective homepage www.ceconline.co.za

Swedish Eyewear Brand CHIMI Has Landed In South Africa

Sep 15, 2023 | News, Fashion

Intersecting understated Scandinavian style with iconic silhouettes, cult Swedish eyewear brand CHIMI makes its long-awaited debut in South Africa this spring. The launch is perfectly timed for the shimmering days and bright nights of the season, meeting the need for considered, convention-defying, and highly protective unisex eyewear that makes a statement, from beach club to dance floor.

Founded in Stockholm in 2016, where its covetable eyewear collections are designed, CHIMI has gained a following among celebrities-in-the-know and style makers with its refined aesthetic and clean silhouettes. From modern takes on timeless classics to graphic styles, the brand’s sunglasses have been worn by Hailey Bieber and Abel ‘The Weeknd’ Tesfaye, and are regularly spotted on Kendall Jenner, Rita Ora and Billie Eilish to Alicia Keys and Beyoncé.

Led by creative director Charlie Lindström and CEO Daniel Djurdjevic, the designs have been conceptualised for the fearlessly creative, active, and progressively fashion-forward consumer, for both an urban and an adventure-fueled outdoor lifestyle. Cue desirable high-performance styles for skiing and running, which stand their ground on the chicest shopping streets from the Swedish capital to Milan. The brand has collaborated with Maison Kitsuné for a colourful collection, and more recently with luxe carmaker Koeingsegg for its limited-edition Forca-G high-velocity titanium aviator. The Forca G Collection also contained a premium racer jacket made out of 60% metal. It’s this spirit of ‘futuristic simplicity’ that subtly infuses all CHIMI’s ranges, from audaciously unconventional to contemporary styles.

CHIMI’s Core collection features 11 signature silhouettes to cater to an array of tastes, each sporting strong sculptural lines, elegant curvature, and bevelled temples. In the Scandinavian tradition of minimalism, these classic shapes have been reinterpreted through a hyper-modern lens. Striking architectural statements are made in the rectangular 04 and squarely structural 05 styles, while the rounded 01 and vintage-inspired oval 03 are enduring classics. The ultra cool cat-eye of the 06 with its squared-off wings is in hot contest for high drama with the bold oversized 08, while the 11 cuts a striking figure with its androgynous wayfarer-style.

Lightweight and durable, the Core styles are handcrafted in premium Italian acetate from heritage producer Mazzucchelli. Each is available in a choice of directional hues for every season, from pared-back ecru to earthy green and brown, deep tortoiseshell, pale or dark grey, to classic black. New seasonal colours like light yellow and orange add warmth for sun-drenched appeal.

Every aspect of the brand lives up to its Scandi-cool vibe, whether the minimalist purity of CHIMI’s Campus Architects-designed flagship store in Stockholm’s Kungsgatan, its newly opened outlet in Paris, its collab with avant-garde French boutique Tom Greyhound, or the monochromatic bodycon allure of CHIMI’s first ready-to-wear apparel launched this past January. The cult brand has made its way to South Africa and aligned with the country’s appetite for high-style eyewear with niche appeal. 

All CHIMI’s sunglasses have 100% UVA and UVB protection, anti-scratch, anti-shatter and distortion-free features.

The CHIMI Core collection is available for purchase HERE

ABOUT CHIMI
CHIMI was founded in Stockholm in 2016 on the idea of creating eyewear, ready-to-wear and accessories engineered for a fearless lifestyle. To inspire the wearer to capture every aspect of modern active life, the products are imagined through the eye of futuristic simplicity, wearability and aesthetical longevity. To date, the collections cover premium eyewear, ready-to-wear and accessories.

Press release courtesy of avenue

For more news, visit the Connect Everything Collective homepage www.ceconline.co.za

Super Duty Tough Work release two-track single ‘Dirty Hands’ and ‘Mood Swings’

Sep 15, 2023 | New Release, Music

Inspired by the dirty jazz loop sound of 90s east coast hip hop, Super Duty Tough Work are the live incarnation of hip hop culture’s quintessential era, appearing as a band (we know, stay with us) but manifesting a sound that’s more akin to something straight out of an MPC or SP-404 sampler. Revered for their methodically curated sets, SDTW mixes laidback rap action and razor-sharp delivery with effortless loops sewn together with surprising transitions, keeping audiences on their feet and salivating in anticipation as to what’s coming next. Simply put: internationalism is the theme, liberation through hedonism is the dream, and satisfaction is guaranteed from the team whose specialty is taking audiences on a journey through a culture where loops are slayed and jewels are the tools of the trade. 

After being a live show only act for years, the group released their debut EP, ‘Studies in Grey’, in September 2019, followed by a cross country tour. Eight months later ‘Studies in Grey’ received a Polaris Prize nod in the form of a Long List nomination, followed shortly thereafter with a nomination for a Western Canadian Music Award in the category of Best Rap & Hip Hop Artist. The Polaris nod makes SDTW the first Manitoba based hip hop act to be nominated for the prize. 

This two track single is released in tandem with their album ‘Paradigm Shift’. With a heavy dose of the usual witty, provocative, carefree lyricism we’ve come to expect from frontman Brendan Grey, mixed with some catchy hooks and melodic choruses sure to become ear-worms. On the other hand, the underlying themes of anti-imperialism, anti-capitalism, celebrity/idol worship and climate catastrophe can only be made to be so fun, making for an interesting dichotomy as the listener is pushed and pulled in a few very different directions throughout. 

The content can get pretty heavy, but in the same breath, it’s composed and presented in such a stylish and effortless manner, proving that a spoonful of honey (and a couple zoots) really does help the medicine go down. Cloaked at times in the dusty sample sound of golden era hip hop (p.s. it’s all live), while in other places utilizing a more contemporary approach such as trap hi-hats, House synths and 808 bass pads, this record clearly exemplifies the group’s growth, as we see them cover new ground both thematically and sonically. 

The heavy content and ear-pleasing soundscapes are so well put together that you don’t always realize that you’re listening to songs often exploring the symptoms and results of what can only be described as settler-colonialism and predatory/late stage capitalism/neoliberal economics, while also calling for the hanging of Elon Musk and redistribution of all stolen wealth hoarded by the billionaire class.

Stream ‘Dirty Hands’ and ‘Mood Swings’ HERE

Press release courtesy of Only Good Stuff

Feiertag releases ‘Keep Your Head Up’ feat. Noah Slee

Sep 15, 2023 | New Release, Music

Joris Feiertag is a Dutch producer and live-act from Utrecht in the Netherlands who makes music that is a finely balanced combination of organic and synthesized elements, often using ingenious syncopated rhythms combined with instruments such as the harp and kalimba. 

This autumn he will release Roots, his third album on revered German imprint Sonar Kollektiv. Having concentrated his attention on catchy hooks and a number of guest voices on his first, and deeper breakbeat workouts on his second, Joris felt it was time to deliver something that sat comfortably in a space somewhere between the two. The LP features a plethora of vocalists from across the globe including Rotterdam’s Robin Kester; Guinea born Falle Nioke; Tru Thoughts recording artist Rhi; young spoken word artist from London, Nego True; Afro-futuristic U.S. hip hop outfit OSHUN and Berlin based vocalist Noah Slee, who features on the latest single, Keep Your Head Up.

Feiertag by Eduard Nijgh

As a song about biding your time and waiting for your moment, it reflects perfectly the process Joris had to go through to be able to collaborate with Noah on the track. Having danced around the idea of working together for some time, the dream eventually came true when the pair met in the German capital. The result is a timeless piece of music that finely balances out Feiertag’s electronic sensibilities (here reminiscent of Maribou State) with Slee’s soulful aesthetic, whilst still retaining a pop feel. Minor key dark, brooding and emotional instrumentation combine with jazz tinged, sultry choir like vocals to great effect. It’s a space that Feiertag inhabits when he’s at his best. 

Stream ‘Keep Your Head Up’ HERE

Press release courtesy of Only Good Stuff

TTeo releases latest single ‘Follow Me’ from his LP ‘Lovexpress 77’

Sep 15, 2023 | New Release, Music

TTeo is the pseudonym of Matteo Capreoli – a half German, half Italian singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer with a deep musical heritage. Fernando Antonio Capreoli, his father, left Salento in southern Italy for Germany in 1970, before forming disco-funk-rock outfit Lovexpress, made up of mainly Italian and Scandinavian musicians, playing drums in the band and touring Norway, Sweden and Denmark from 1974 to 1979. 

TTeo himself to Sonar Kollektiv in 2020, releasing the Salento EP, named after the place of his father’s birth. More recently, though, he was serendipitously handed a batch of cassettes by his dad of some Lovexpress live shows from the late 1970s. TTeo was deeply impressed by the quality of the music and got his father to digitise them immediately! These recordings form the basis of, and the inspiration for, his latest LP – Lovexpress77, and are the only known recordings of the band who never quite made it into the studio to lay down an album.

The second single to be taken from Lovexpress 77, is the gospel flavoured ‘Follow Me’. TTeo dug deep into the original band’s samples for this song, especially the vocal and drum parts. The Lovexpress band was led by Afro-American singer Joe Boston, who here sings with Leo, the bass player in the band. 

Stream ‘Follow Me’ HERE

Press release courtesy of Only Good Stuff

MUNKUS: Thando Ntuli On Fostering Her Label’s Intergenerational Dress Codes

Sep 14, 2023 | Interviews, Fashion

Thando Ntuli’s label MUNKUS was only conceived in 2019, yet it has become one of the most prized (literally) and lauded contemporary fashion brands in South Africa. Thando’s initial accolades include ‘Most Fashionable Commercial Range award’ from Truworths in 2019, the ‘All Sourcing Designer of the Year’ in 2021 and both of Design Indaba and Glamour Magazine’s ‘Emerging Creative of the Year’. Last year, MUNKUS won SA Fashion Week New Talent search. In a span of just four years, Thando’s vision as a designer and entrepreneur has made itself abundantly known. To me, most pressingly, is Thando’s incredible technical abilities as a designer, that seed MUNKUS boast one of the strongest articulations of construction in South African fashion. 

Embedded in the MUNKUS brand DNA is the conception of intergenerational dressing. Drawing from her Sowetan upbringing surrounded by impeccably stylish women, Thando says “fashion has always been an expression of who I am. Coming from an art background, being into anime, I always wanted to express myself the way I saw those characters, people and colours. I grew up seeing my mother, grandmother and great-grandmother have amazing style. The way I knew it was amazing, was that I was the ‘thief’ in the house! I was always able to style and wear their pieces despite the age or size differences. It really worked because their pieces were so beautiful and trendy.” It’s for this reason that MUNKUS references nostalgia but in the most subtle way; the brand is described as paying homage to the sartorial sensibilities of township culture in the 1980s and 1990s, but through an incredibly sharp, modern lens. From a family of creatives, Thando’s family is not only the inspiration for the garments themselves; they’re the reason she became a designer. As Thando explains, “my family always knew I was going to do something creative. My older brother, who is an art director and HOG, opened the floor for me. He was like, ‘I’m gonna tell everyone that I’m doing something crazy’ so by the time I did it, everyone had gotten used to the idea of a creatively driven career. When I left school I had considered being a paediatrician, but my mom and grandmother swiftly reminded me that I’d always loved fashion, why not try design? My family’s support is a big influence in my work.”

MUNKUS AW23 Shot by Pierre Van Vuuren

MUNKUS shot by Steve Tanchel for SMag

MUNKUS SS22 Shot by Pierre Van Vuuren

The MUNKUS vision for dressing is due to Thando’s deeply thoughtful approach to her customers, “growing up as a millennial / Gen Z’s, we have been bombarded with ideas of sustainability. I wanted to take a different approach through MUNKUS. I wanted to make garments that looked good for my mom, for my gran, for me – I wanted MUNKUS to showcase heirlooms, multiple ways of dressing to impact the mindfulness of the wearer on how to dress. Through linking their stories and my story together through the label, our vision for sustainability at MUNKUS is to go back to the practice of how we wear clothing and why.” 

One of the most striking aspects of MUNKUS is the layering; highly-developed pieces that stand-alone with strength or can compose an entire look are integral to the brand’s offering. On the runway, one never knows what to expect. I will always stand by my sentiment that layering is one of the highest ideals of style. To be able to layer is an artform. To be able to weave layering into the construction manifesto of your brand, is mastery. Thando explains that modesty was her initial, personal segue into layering, “layering began as part of my faith – I am muslim and I’m the only one in my family now – so the concept of layering was a means to dress myself with multiple options for expression. When envisioning MUNKUS, I wanted that to be part of it but I didn’t want to limit any of our customers to how I would wear the pieces. So the layering serves as a versatile way to make up the way you want to wear our pieces. If you want to dress up more and be more covered, you can – if you want to let it out and show more skin and feel confident too, then you can. MUNKUS is about finding who you are and what your style is, but me giving you the option of pieces that are truly dynamic.” 

This kind of deep interest in the autonomy and freedom of her customers is such an incredible quality; in our conversation, I ask Thando what style has become to her as she’s developed as a designer? To which Thando says, “I think style is so much more about understanding who we are as individuals or in our communities. Trends are useful, we get to see what’s available, but ultimately style is an intimate process through fashion of self-realisation. For us it’s about allowing the customer the space to do that freely without imposing our ideas of how our pieces should be worn.” In terms of process regarding creating multiple pieces (more than most designers would ever attempt for runway shows), to which Thando explains that “the way that I design is not necessarily what goes down the runway, I don’t think necessarily about combinations until I have conceived of multiple, individual pieces. Then at the end, we get to the play and switch things out. The way we end up showcasing in Nigeria would be different to South Africa, for example, because I’m always thinking of the audiences and personalising MUNKUS to them.”

It’s only four years in, yet Thando’s MUNKUS is set to become a formidable, boundless asset to fashion in Africa and internationally. Thando says “I’m trying to push myself so much more with structure and construction. It becomes so technical and that’s my happy space; getting nerdy about draping, seams and silhouettes. I’m focused on developing what I know and testing what I can learn from basic patterns blocks to where the label is now. I’m trying to do many styles that can work on different bodies, that will always be a focus for me.” To wear MUNKUS is to be enveloped in shades of colour – warmth, coolness, rich and bright – Thando explains that, “I love colour! Colour is life, colour is emotion in reality. I am an emotional person. Colour is an amplifier in expressing oneself and colours have different seasons, different times to be worn and loved.”

MUNKUS SS23 Campaign Shot by Dicker & Dane

I ask Thando if there are any constraints to being labelled as a ‘luxury’ designer. I think of journalist Suzy Menkes who said in an interview that she feels fashion needs a new word; luxury can be stiffening and require all sorts of projects. What about quality and freedom as inherent to fashion, without it being luxury? To this, Thando says “I never intended for MUNKUS to be ‘luxury’ but I think in the context of South Africa, it is luxury. Being a young designer is really challenging here. Our resources and manufacturing structure is so weak. It wasn’t always this way, especially when it comes to sourcing fabric or finding the right manufactures. So often pricing finds itself at luxury levels because of the roadblocks that were faced to get a garment to a highly constructed, well-made, quality piece.” Finally, Thando sums up MUNKUS and its role in South Africa’s burgeoning fashion scene, “MUNKUS is a family affair. That speaks to my own family, but also the energy in South African design right now. We are being shown to the world and I really hope we can continue to create an industry with customers and community-members that appreciate hand-skilled craftsmanship.”

Written by: Holly Beaton

For more news, visit the Connect Everything Collective homepage www.ceconline.co.za

Hey Neighbour’s Second Wave Of Talent Line-Up Has Been Released

Sep 13, 2023 | News, Music

The second phase of the HEY NEIGHBOUR festival lineup is a fusion of local awesomeness with a dash of international flavour. Why, you ask? ‘Cause local is lekker and global is groovy.

We’re talking about joining the ranks of H.E.R., Khalid, Swedish House Mafia, The Chainsmokers, and Kendrick Lamar. Our lineup is like a global potluck of musical genius, representing neighbourhoods from across the world. Hold onto your hats, ’cause here’s the scoop!

First up, the Amapiano juggernaut, the royalty of the genre, UNCLE WAFFLES, straight outta Swaziland. But hey, Piano fanatics, we’re not stopping there. Get ready to vibe with the Yanos legends: DBN GOGO, the electrifying SCORPION KINGS, the maestro MUSA KEYS, and the firestarter FOCALISTIC.

Wait, there’s more! Get ready to jump with excitement as we welcome the iconic JACK PAROW and the rock sensation FRANCOIS VAN COKE. You know them, you love them – the crowd pleasers, MI CASA, GOODLUCK, and SHIMZA are in the house!

Hold up, hip-hop aficionados, we’re dropping the mic for you too! ANATII and NASTY C are confirmed to bring the heat. And ladies and gentlemen, give it up for the powerhouse SHEKHINAH and the TikTok sensation turned international music sensation, TYLA. Rock vibes, anyone? Let’s groove with Afrikaans rock legends DIE HEUWELS FANTASTIES and the smooth vocals of UK-based JAMES VICKERY.

But guess what? The international flavour isn’t stopping either. We’re bringing the US magic with the incredible DUCKWRTH and the Afro-global vibes with Ghanaian/Liberian superstar JZYNO.

Weekend Passes start at R3,899 for General Access and R4,999 for the VIP experience. Prices will shift as we groove closer to the festival, so get your groove on and book now.

Get your tickets  HERE

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Press release + text by HEY NEIGHBOUR

For more news, visit the Connect Everything Collective homepage www.ceconline.co.za

The Cost of Celebration. How to Financially Survive Celebrating Everyone

Sep 13, 2023 | Lifestyle, Navigating Reality

In March, I wrote a piece about the genuine and very troubling cost of living crisis that was and still is wreaking absolute havoc on our wallets, bank balances, credit and any semblance of savings we have attempted to accumulate. Simply put, the inflation price leaps in products and services far exceed our earnings, which means we live on the knife edge of whether our salaries will get us through the month. Every increase in petrol price, rent or the simple items in your grocery basket feels like a universal gut punch and middle finger for good measure. This brings me to my concern for today’s rambling: just how much financial wiggle room do we have for friends, family and significant others when every tap of our cards makes payday seem increasingly far away? 

So, what exactly sparked this rabbit hole of unpleasantry in me? Recently, I’ve had to think A LOT about finances. Just the sheer expenses of everything ominously looming around the corner in my life has me in a vice grip of anxiety. I recently got engaged, which means my fiancée and I have started planning a wedding and hearing some stories about the budgets involved sent shivers down my spine. That being said, I’m getting to that point in my late twenties where one expects the proposals and engagements to roll in thick and fast. Soon, it’s bridal showers, bachelor/bachelorette parties and potential baby showers accompanied by a PDF of hand-selected gifts to take away the chance of us as friends wasting our money on something that simply isn’t going to be used. If we even have the means to satiate the selections of hand-woven, non-BPD, non-GMO, organic and vegan toys that my friend’s beautiful future babies will drool all over. These, however, are kind of excusable simply because, for the most part, they are one-and-done (albeit the divorce rate begs to throw hands with me on this). Then, there’s the final boss to the B’s of being BROKE, birthdays.

Tobias Barsnes, Courtesy of Unsplash

Tima Miroshnichenko, Courtesy of Pexels

I love my friends, family and loved ones. However, in September, between my friends and family, my fiancée and I have a whopping eleven birthdays to look forward to. No matter how you shake it up in terms of gifts, this is an expense we are bound to feel. This raises an interesting point, a point that is rather unromantic and unsexy. How much do our friendships and relationships cost us, and can we afford it? I honestly thought it was just a ‘me issue’, but having spoken to my partner, colleagues and acquaintances, it’s a topic that permeates their thoughts, but it almost has an air of taboo about it. One acquaintance mentioned, “it’s eight months into the year, and I’ve spent R17k on weddings, including gifts, travel, accommodation, outfits and more”.  

In a 2018 News24 article, they quoted figures of around R138 494 for a 20-year friendship, but this was before COVID and before the tipping point where everything skyrocketed in price. The cost of living crisis is so rough that I wouldn’t be surprised if the figure were double, triple or even quadruple that. It doesn’t end in friendship, however. Anyone currently dating actively or even couples having regular date nights can attest that however lovely these experiences are, they simply don’t come cheap. Every brunch or lunch easily comes to R500, and dinners easily double that, all while the food quality at many restaurants is inconsistent at best, and the only saving grace is that I don’t have to do the dishes.

Dating is expensive. Australian singles collectively spend around “$43 billion per year on dating alone,” which is a number so big I had to honestly see what it even looks like in Rand and it seems fictitious until you realise that it’s figures posted by mega multinational finance and banking group ING. According to the New York Post, the average American spends around $121 000 (R2.3 million) looking for love in their lifetime, and here, the use of average is flattening the expenses severely – simply because it doesn’t account for overall expenditure.  

How do we survive? How do we stop the financial bleeding, all while maintaining and building beautiful and lasting friendships? Well, the answer is actually more complex because, as is the case with every relationship, there are intricacies, complexities and expectations that are unique to every relationship. That previously mentioned News24 article attempts to offer some solutions, but they fail quite spectacularly in accepting and acknowledging the current situation and just interpersonal and personal relationships in general. They suggest, for example, pooling in money and hosting a braai rather than going out to eat. In a financial sense, yes, this makes sense. Still, it falls comically flat when you consider how hard it can often be to host a bunch of people in an apartment or get permission to even have a braai from authoritarian landlords and body corporates in the first place. It also doesn’t consider the sheer time investment hosting a large group of people tends to have.

Cottonbro Studio, Courtesy of Pexels

Between prepping your home and cleaning up the mountain of dishes, cans and bottles, just to have to clean your place all over again makes the restaurant’s more expensive but convenient option look all the more appealing. They also suggest DIYing some gifts rather than buying them, which also has a host of problems. First, one needs the actual skills to make whatever item, but more importantly, the time. People don’t often mention that one of the things the cost of living crisis has really stolen is our time. My partner is a crafter, and let me tell you, I don’t even know if it’s worth the late nights and the sheer amount of stress.

Is the solution then to just throw money at the problem for convenience? No, I don’t think it’s that either. At the end of the day, it’s not the money that is building the relationship. Money is merely a tool. Although relationships are an investment, I think marketing ploys have fooled us into thinking that we need to experience everything together to build connections. However, this is where I would like to challenge people only to experience what is worthwhile to them. This brings me to the actual solution to how to survive celebrating everyone. It’s all about communication. Most people think they are far better communicators than they actually are and in the fickle world of keeping up appearances, staying silent to protect your projected social status has become all the more common. We need to show that we are strong, that there is no sign of struggle in our lives and that we have it all figured out. 

We really need to stop the cost signalling. There’s a lot of power in saying no or simply explaining to your friends and family the situation you find yourself in. If there’s judgement and disdain, that’s probably not people you want to surround yourself with anyway. In an article on Mashable, an anonymous contributor says, “One of my friends is turning 25 in December and has booked a very fancy venue for a birthday party costing each guest £70 (R1657,87). I messaged her privately and explained that I’m embarrassed to say in the group that I’m unable to attend as I cannot afford it, so she offered to cover my expenses to have me there. I simply could not allow her to do this again, so I politely declined and told her I would see her another time.” Unfortunately, this was met by a passive-aggressive response that wreaked of privilege, but I honestly think this is an absolutely perfectly acceptable solution.  

Another acquaintance of mine shared her suggestion, “I have a big family and all of our siblings decided on an acceptable figure that we were willing to pool together, so that when each of our birthdays come around; we receive one really nice, useful and thoughtful gift. It has taken the stress off of every birthday and we each know that we can look forward to something that we actually want.” This can be applied to friendship circles too and helps democratise the way in which gifts are bought and shared, evening the playing field between people within a community that share differing financial vantage points. 

It’s not about the money spent or money saved. The friends and relationships I’ve built and cultivated in the 27 years of my life are priceless. I’d do all the overpriced draughts, mediocre dinners, eye-watering expensive bagels and presents upon presents upon presents all over again, but don’t let anyone make you feel like less if, at this point in your life, you simply don’t have the means to be as altruistic in a financial capacity as you would like. Hopefully, the relationships that matter most to you also have the space for nuanced, brave conversations around finances.

Written by: Casey Delport

For more news, visit the Connect Everything Collective homepage www.ceconline.co.za

September Is Fashion Month : Here’s Your Guide To All The Shows

Sep 12, 2023 | News, Fashion

The fashion calendar cycle begins in September and is often referred to as the “January” of the fashion industry, signifying the start of a new fashion season. It’s why the Vogue ‘September’ Issue is marked as the most important issue of the year; coinciding with the transition into the autumn/winter season in the northern hemisphere – although don’t be fooled, the showcases are Spring/Summer 2024. The four horsemen of fashion – New York, London, Milan, and Paris – also host their renowned Fashion Weeks throughout the month, showcasing collections that will set trends that will dominate the industry going forward. This means that the SS collections shown now will be bought (by buyers), produced and proliferated in time for the spring season next March and April. I know, it can be confusing. Everything in fashion is planned around September, marking the rejuvenation of the industry and influencing how people dress for the approaching seasons.

One of the most striking outcomes of the pandemic is the live streaming of fashion shows by brands and houses; almost all the shows are either IG streamed or on Youtube, or added very soon thereafter to the websites of your favourites. Below you will find a link to all the schedules; enjoy!

Simone Rocha SS23 FW23 by Filippo Fior for Gorunway.com

GCDS FW23 by Filippo Fior for Gorunway.com

Christian Dior SS23 by Filippo Fior for Gorunway.com

Fendi Menswear SS34 by Filippo Fior for Gorunway.com

NEW YORK /// FASHION’S COOL, QUEER YOUNGER SIBLING
SEPTEMBER 8th – 13th 
New York Fashion Week (NYFW), founded in 1943, emerged as a response to World War II’s disruption of Parisian fashion shows. It aimed to showcase American designers and establish New York as a global fashion hub and while it has taken a ‘backseat’ in recent years to London, Milan and Paris – brands like Collina Strada, Eckhaus Latta and Heron Preston are just some who have made NYFW an event that spotlights innovation, inclusivity and diversity in fashion. My recommendation is to catch up on Peter Do’s debut at Helmut Lang and bask in Cris Fragkou’s imagery from Collina Strada. 

Read NYFW Schedule HERE

 

LONDON /// FASHION’S QUIRKY, DIY COUSIN
SEPTEMBER 15th – 19th 
London Fashion Week (LFW) originated in 1984 and is organized by the British Fashion Council. Its goal was to promote British designers and brands on an international stage, particularly cult-school Central Saint Martins alumni before some of them headed to big European houses. LFW is known for fosters creativity, employing British tailoring and DIY attitudes and supporting emerging talent – like Lulu Kennedy’s ‘Fashion East’ that scouted talent like Kim Jones OBE, Simone Rocha, Maximilian Davis, Nensi Dojaka, Martine Rose, Wales Bonner, Charles Jeffrey Loverboy, per gotesson, JW Anderson, Mowalola, KNWLS and Supriya Lele to name a few…

Read LFW Schedule HERE

MILAN /// FASHION’S WEALTHY, CHILD-FREE AUNT
SEPTEMBER 19th – 25th
Milan Fashion Week (MFW) dates back to 1958 when it was initiated by Italian fashion houses. MFW aims to celebrate Italian craftsmanship, luxury, and excellence in fashion in one of the most historic fashion cities in the world. It’s all about Prada, Ferragamo, Bottega Veneta and more. Also, Milan Fashion Week has proven to be a close ally of South African fashion; with labels like Mmuso Maxwell, Viviers Studio, Rich Mnisi and more showcasing at the MFW trade show. Read more about Wanda Lephoto, Laanraani, Shweshwekini and Connade showing this year! 

Read MFW Schedule HERE

PARIS /// FASHION’S CEREBRAL, ARCHIVE-OBSESSED PARENT 
SEPTEMBER 25th – OCTOBER 3rd
Paris Fashion Week (PFW), with roots dating to the 19th century, has evolved into a global powerhouse. It emphasises haute couture, luxury and avant-garde designs; with Paris being considered the capital of fashion since the days of Marie Antoinette. Now, Paris welcomes many designers an opportunity to showcase in and amongst its traditional houses like Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent – like Acne Studios (Sweden), our very own Lukhanyo Mdingi and of course, the Japanese masters like Yohji Yamamoto, Junya Watanbe and Commes de Garçon. 

Read PFW Schedule HERE

For more news, visit the Connect Everything Collective homepage www.ceconline.co.za

Get ready for ‘rat girl summer’ and everything it entails

Sep 12, 2023 | Lifestyle, Community

Being a woman in the 21st century is an experience heaving with revelations. Perhaps it’s the visibility of the digital age or the defiance of generations past and present – perhaps, for the first time in all of human history, women across the world are more intertwined than ever with each other, able to revel together in the simultaneous nuance and similarities of the feminine experience. 

The summer season is coming to a close in the northern hemisphere and we are getting ready to embrace spring in the south. In June, writer and content creator Lola Kolade laid down the latest revelatory epitaph, introducing Tik Tok girlies to: ‘rat girl summer’. In a clip viewed over 4 million times, Lola describes ‘rat girl summer’ as a time in which “we’re scurrying around the streets, we’re nibbling on our little snacks and generally finding ourselves in places we have no business being in.” 

In a usual digital response, girlies all over the world  jumped to welcome this beautiful antithetical manifesto as an antidote against the pressures of the ‘perfect summer’ that see us awash with body shame, FOMO and more. Maham Javaid of the Washington Post wrote, “since then, #ratgirlsummer has been shared more than 25 million times on TikTok. The trend is reminiscent of 2019’s Megan Thee Stallion-inspired Hot Girl Summer, but Kolade told The Washington Post that ‘the word hot triggers people to focus on their appearance in a way that Rat Girl Summer discourages.’ ”

Rat Girl Summer vibes from Pexels by Koolshooters

Rat Girl Summer Vibes from Pexels by Polina Tankilevitch

The principles of rat girl summer are simple. Embracing our rat energy means being adaptable and sneaky (but still cute and kind) – it’s an approach towards the most coveted season of the year that demands us to carry far less shame about ourselves and our appearances, employ more spontaneity in our choices and to do this armed with our favourite snacks and drinks, scurrying towards experiences that fill us with joy and fulfilment. Rat girl summer takes the notion of ‘hot girl summer’ and its inextricable ties with the male gaze and asks us to be ourselves for ourselves. As Lola says, the four main qualities of rat girl summer include “going outside (you can’t scurry from bed), allowing yourself to ‘nibble’ or eat any food you like, killing the cringe (to be cringe is to be free) and not overthinking anything.” 

Asserting our identities in the digital age is fraught with highs and lows. On one hand, we find ourselves among like-minded communities, ideas, trends and humorous anecdotes in order to cope and thrive within the human experience. On the other hand, there has never been more pressure to curate the way others perceive us. Ingenious concepts like ‘rat girl summer’ are a giggly, silly remedy for women who have been socialised to constantly measure our worth, appearance or intentions against society’s expectations. What more could we want out of the balmy, sweet summer days than to show up without a head full of over-analysis, existential dread or concerns generally not conducive to wearing cute bikinis and flailing beneath the sunshine?

Co-current to #ratgirlsummer, creator Oliva Maher shared an assemblage of breads, cheese and grapes, coining it as ‘girl dinner’ and ‘mediaeval peasant dinner’. Suddenly, the ‘girl dinner’ trends erupted overlaid with the jingle “Girrrrl dinner, girrl dinner, girrrrrl dinnnner” as women everywhere shared their favourite concoctions and feasts. Everything from aesthetically driven charcuterie boards to flaming hot cheetos dipped in sour cream, the girl dinner movement saw women honing on a seemingly singular feminine truth; we like to snack and our penchant for weird and wonderful flavours is a kind of shared code. 

Usually, we hesitate to define anything around womanhood (and in speaking womanhood, I include femme folks and trans women) with absolutism – often, absolute assumptions have sought to keep women defined by prejudices and projections, hindering the innate experience of complexity held by every single person on the planet. Yet, the reclamation of the word ‘girl’ in this instance is neither diminutive nor diminishing; instead, ‘girl’ speaks to our softness, hilariousness and power. Concepts like ‘girl dinner’ or ‘rat girl summer’ unify the feminine experience under a banner of interdependence with one another and adjusts the hyper-focus of being a woman as merely synonymous with victimhood, oppression or inequality.

Love Sweets from Pexels by Jill Wellington

While it continues to be an ongoing fight for liberation for women in every part of the world; part of our recourse must involve the evidence we have that being a girl is truly, deeply and magnificently beautiful. As Emily Heil wrote for the Washington Post, “Emily Contois, a media studies professor at the University of Tulsa who studies food and gender, likes the pure idea of Girl Dinner — that women can be freed by the expectation of society to nurture and provide for others, that they can enjoy the kind of self-indulgent “you do you” eating that men have long felt entitled to. “there’s this lovely connection among women, this sort of happy, open-mouthed grin of recognition and understanding, a sort of camaraderie,” she says.”

Found within these viral movements is a kind hyper-tension, too. Namely, the tension between aestheticism and ugliness. The latter, I use to refer to the push back we have seen against curated, influencer culture. Pioneered by fashion girlies like Clare Perlmutter AKA tinyjewishgirl, ‘ugly fashion’ is a move towards wearing what we want with surrealist, reckless abandon. Rat girl summer tells us to abandon aesthetics if it gets in the way of our scampering and scheming – it’s more about how we feel than how we look. With girl dinner, the juxtaposition between the perfectly arranged charcuterie board against crumpled chip packets and soda cans are invitations to witness the feminine experience as equal parts beautiful and messy. I argue that this tension furthers the acceptance of women (by others and ourselves) as complicated, evolving and poetic beings. 

I can think of no more noble cause this summer than to scamper my way into rat girl summer – with a Coke Zero in one hand and La Roche Posay Fluide Invisible SPF50+ in the other.

Written by: Holly Beaton

For more news, visit the Connect Everything Collective homepage www.ceconline.co.za