Streetwear’s Continued Renaissance at SA Menswear Week SS23

Oct 7, 2022 | Fashion, Community

We are no longer watching streetwear integrate with the broader ‘fashion’ industry – it’s here, it has been here; arrived and ascended. Streetwear is fashion – everyday, and direct – and yet it has taken two decades for it to go from racks to runways in the way that we are witnessing it today. I don’t need to tell the story – from Nigo to Virgil – you know it, and if you don’t; it’s no longer a conversation that really needs to be justified. What has happened, is that fashion is democratising – relevant to a larger scope of people than just the usual, luxury sycophants (I say this with respect, as one myself) – and in doing so, dosing the dissemination of fashion with a revitalisation that we never knew we needed. Un a world on a fast-track to material excess (or past the point of no return) and the decay of the natural world – it was becoming increasingly difficult to justify fashion. The pomp and ceremony of productions, seasons; point of views that often, we have seen before. Yes, artistic expression – yes, sartorial consciousness – but for who? This question is answered when I watch a showcase like SA Menswear Week this past Saturday. Wonderland Studios, ominous in size and located in Cape Town, offered a stage upon which the final day of shows came to a curtain call.
The last series of labels showing at SAMW spoke across the board of streetwear, with some athleisure brought in most distinctly by Redbat. The brand, a division within Sportscene, are also host to Redbat Posse – a women-powered design initiative – this year, selected designers were given Redbat garments and instructed to develop upcycled garments through their stylistic lens. Notable moments include Anita Hlazo’s (Afrogrunge) punk-inspired denim waistbands intricately stitched together, and Robyn Agulhas’ (Sin Chui) eternal ode to Japanese silhouettes were seen with a patchwork oversized, structured jacket. Seeing upcycling on the runway is a beautiful anecdote for the future of fashion – minimising waste and encouraging creative dynamism. 

 

Then, the INFLUHKS family came through – with a slot dedicated to four brands affiliated under the store’s guardianship. The affinity for connectivity was palpable – with the turn out of family, friends and associates brought an unmatched energy into the space. Rapper K.KEED gave a live performance as models wearing Lazy Stacks snaked the runway; the mood ran high, with the signal that streetwear and culture are intertwined; never separated. Football-esque sweat-sets came out in green and brown – the colourway for Lazy Stacks SS23 – with a moment of twinshop between K.KEED and a model both donning the bandana shirt and shorts set. King on Horses came next, with their arrow-angle logo emblazoned on hoodies and other essentials – and the iconic phrase ‘invaders must die’ came on with a nod to the world’s digital future, as a model bravely walked with a VR headset as an accessory. 
Flux explored materiality – diversifying their collection across silks and plush faux-fur, and a notable puffed jacket. The shows, beautifully cast, carried the strength of attitude inherent to showcasing streetwear; the models honing in on the mood of assurance in oneself, essentially so. Lastly, Bigtynsonly closed with a case study on the importance of styling: with orange corduroy, utility sets, a reversible puffer vest moment – Bigtynsonly stayed true to their name with beautifully styled – Balenciaga-esque – head scarfs and shades. With Cultish rounding off the streetwear performances with signature essentials – a world of possibility remains open for young creatives aiming to build their vision, supported by the tutelage of SA Menswear Week & Cape Town Fashion Council.
Written By: Holly Bell Beaton
For more news, visit the Connect Everything Collective homepage www.ceconline.co.za

Considered Decision-Making with Filmmaker & Producer, Allison Swank Owen

Oct 5, 2022 | Interviews, Creatives

The last decade has seen a new wave of creative energy hit South Africa – emanating strongest, perhaps, from the city of gold: Johannesburg. There’s that feeling in Joburg; unmatched in intensity, an energy of grit and determination; a city in which everyone wants to tell their story. A city in which many do, tell their story, without permission. It’s precisely this mood that captivated Allison Swank Owen – originally from the USA – when arriving in the country to do a Masters Degree in African Studies at the University of Cape Town. Allison was brought up in middle America; Missouri, to be exact – and went on to make her way in Chicago and New York, before finding herself making a home in Joburg. For many of us here, the outward trajectory from the country seems to be a mantle upon which our dream careers rest; so it is refreshing and encouraging that the just the opposite trajectory, like for Allison, equally nurtures a dream.
As a leading film-director and producer, Allison cuts an integral form and figure – as she is behind many of the best visual projects that have shaped our contemporary commercial and cinematic landscape in the last few years. Allison’s work feels like calling, with Africa as an essential aspect – although led by a committed awareness by Allison to her own whiteness and privilege. Allison explains, “I produced and directed my high school news program when I was 15. I would spend after-school hours in the editing suite cutting and editing, and so it really started there. I knew I wanted to go to film school when I left high school – and I specialised in editing at first. My first job after college was at a film / tv production company that would make documentaries for The History Channel and National Geographic. That was a really cool start in the industry. It’s not really a straight line – a series of events led me to do a Masters Degree in African Studies at UCT – which honestly should have been called ‘Decolonial Studies’, because the term African studies makes it sound like some sort of anthropological degree. We were talking about knowledge production – and how knowledge about Africa is created and for whom and by whom, and who does it serve. That eventually parled with the gig at OkayAfrica. The Roots had just started this new website – and they were looking for an editor-in-chief. I was the first content editor, back in 2011. Up until that point, I was an editor for TV.” This role would eventually see Allison take up directing – firstly with the web series and mini documentaries.
How then, did Allison find herself at the tip of Africa over a decade ago? She reflects, “I had a mentor in college. He’s a Black American guy, and he taught an African history course. Somehow, I made it all the way through high school in Missouri without ever hearing the word ‘apartheid’ – I had no idea about colonisation – and that should tell you something of the insularity of whiteness, particulary in the states. I was so taken by the personal sacrifices by people in the freedom struggle – and the narratives of people like Ruth First and Dulcie September – and women, specifically, and that professor brought me on a trip to South Africa in 2007. That was the first time I really understood the incredible complexity and beauty of South Africa. I don’t have family here, but somehow some of the most formative parts of my life have been forged here.” It’s one of those experiences – I think – if you get it, then arriving in South Africa is perhaps unmatched in the rawness this country evokes. Particularly in Joburg, where Allison and her husband Travys Owen have expanded their respective careers and creative scope. I ask Allison, curiously, what this trajectory from New York to Joburg meant for her career – particularly when most envision the inverse of that route as the only way to ‘make it’. Allison says, “New York is really over-saturated, and I had ended up coming back to South Africa for December. I got a job opportunity, and I didn’t even think twice about staying – I was just following the freedom of artistic expression that I was feeling here. There’s space here for artists and people to try something – and failing – and then reinventing and then popping up as something else in their evolution, and trying again. There’s space to do that – and confidence and encouragement to do that. I’ve always felt that Joburg is a city of survivors, and there’s something about that depth of expression that is profound.”
Allison’s sincerity for South Africa is a precious thing – and it’s meant she has been welcomed, to make and create alongside people who are now kin. Described as a documentary-style filmmaker, Allison’s execution of this style of story-telling has been translated into beautiful commercial work – a realm that South Africa has been known to remain quite ‘conservative’ in, until recent years; “Every decision I make for a production has to come from a place of authenticity. The hiring is one aspect that really sets the tone for how something will go – as a process – but then finalises its outcome. Most of the casting I do myself, too. And the casting evolves from relationships – from parties, to the dancefloor – other jobs. Every decision at every point has to come from a point of consideration.” There is an opposition of forces within Allison’s career – between her role as director and as producer. With her production company, The Swank Group, its inception was a necessity to house her work – but it brought with it a wider responsibility as a producer. To produce, is to manage – the finest details, and the wildest personalities. Sometimes it means being the parent on set – to which Allison says, “I struggle with that relationship. I am much more comfortable directing. Me, the producer, is not really a person I like – to be honest. Producers aren’t always able to make authentic and connected decisions. The role requires to always be concerned with the bottom line. I worked with Adriaan Louw as his producer for three years. Through working with him, and being a part of his process and supporting – I really discovered the possibilities of what my own work could be. He approaches everything so meaningfully. So for that, as a producer, can mean being able to observe directly the way film-making can and should work.” 
One of Allison’s most critically acclaimed works is the short film Scum Boy, as it tells the story of 3D artist and CEC homie of the same name. A beloved being in the creative landscape of South Africa, the film is a taste of his world and mind – and  won “Best Short Documentary” at the IMDB Independent Shorts Awards in LA, and was an official selection for Shorts On Tap, London, and Hot Docs 2021 in Toronto, Canada. A vulnerable, beautiful depiction of Scum Boy saturated in a kaleidoscopic hues – Allison reflects on the project, “I was thinking about my career and the kind of work I wanted to make. Scummy and I have a friendship, and I had said that – this in lockdown – I wanted to drive to Cape Town and make a film. So as we were legally able to, Travys and I drove to Cape Town and we made this film. It was totally a labour of love. I ask myself, between everyone that was involved, if something like that could be made now? I don’t think so. It was such a specific moment that birthed the film, among a specific group of people. The editor, William Kalmer, did an incredible job – he sunk his teeth and made this psychedelic world that fits tonally and perfectly with Scum Boy. It all fell into place. Then, it sat on the shelf for six months – I couldn’t get it to move. Finally, we got a break after six months with 4:3 Boiler Room, and then into the festivals. The success has been really cool. The point of the film was to be celebratory – it was essential to bring Scum’s being into a space without struggle as a trans man.” 
In the last month, Allison and Travys have moved to New York – to return home for Allison, and for them to reach into new realms in their respective creative development. For Allison, too, it’s to be back in her country of birth – where so much is awry politically, and in which story-telling and archiving social-change and resistance calls out. South Africa will always be their first home together – and Travys’ home ‘home’ – and this is the beauty of geographical movement – to be forged among many places, faces and experiences. Onwards and upwards. 

 

 

Written By: Holly Bell Beaton
For more news, visit the Connect Everything Collective homepage www.ceconline.co.za

Just in time for Summer, Umgido releases fresh EP “The Hideout”

Oct 4, 2022 | New Release, Music

On September 30th, the versatile duo and UMGIDO pioneers, ATHIE and Da Fresh dropped their carefully crafted project “ The Hideout” – a birth into a different realm that Umgido has thrived on since the beginning of their musical journey.

 The duo’s multiple collaborations, nominations and awards attest to their professionalism and standing in the industry, and their catalogue features new-age musical icons like Moonchild, Das Kapital, DJ Tira and Busiswa.  “The Hideout” sees Umgido focusing on new material during the remainder of 2022 before travelling the world to take their evolving, and memorable, South African, new age style to an already appreciative global audience.

 By fusing Afro-Tech and basic elements of Gqom,  strong vocals and surprising features along with full melodies and drum beats, Umgido  enabled each of the tracks on the EP to  stand out. 

 “Move” is already getting attention,  being used as a Nandos Creativity post and featured on In Das We Trust on 5FM.

 

Hailing from East London in the Eastern Cape, Umgido are leaders in a new age Gqom sound. This unique sound blends Gqom melodies with classic notes of electro house and has fast piqued interest far beyond the borders of South Africa. 

Through a deeply bonded collaborative partnership the duo, comprising Da Fresh and DJ Athie have long been honing their crafts. In 2016 DJ Athie began focussing on music full time and moved to Cape Town to attend the Bridges Academy where he graduated with their inaugural intake.

 DJ Athie hosts a weekly spot on 5fm #GqomFridays where he introduces the freshest new discoveries.
With an extensive resume of productions and collaborations including Moonchild, Das Kapital, DJ Tira and Busiswa and the freshly released single ‘Pressure’ Umgido is looking forward to taking “The Hideout” to the world. Celebrate with Umgido @ JWxRTD22 this Saturday 15:15 at the Maybelline Station.

LISTEN HERE

Viviers Studio debut at Milan Fashion Week with Kaleidoscopic – a visual jewel in the crown of South African design in 2022

Oct 4, 2022 | Event, Fashion

Lezanne Viviers’  debut showcase at Milan Fashion Week takes shape as etheric, galactic visual dream-scape birthed from collaboration – and drawn from a Pleiadean message that was channelled by Barbara Marciniak in the late 1980’s. “Like a priceless jewel, buried in dark layers of soil and stone, earth radiates with brilliant beauty into the cavern of space and time.” On this Lezanne says, “To me, ‘Kaleidoscopic’ is a reminder of who we are. It is a reminder that we are the crystals viewed from afar; a combined jewelled and energised rock, that leaks beauty through the void of space and of endless possibilities.”

Kaleidoscopic is, as said, a study of light – in this case, a distillation of the illuminating light with which Lezanne and her team prove to yield; with each show or collection, brighter and brighter. Viviers Studio reaches into the crevices of my own sartorially-stained heart; excavating the very reason I have sought the most joy, sorrow, fascination and contemplation with this art form – clothing is a wildly intimate vehicle; Viviers are master drivers. Clothing – skin – energy – the future and higher-dimensions; all these threads are woven into Kaleidoscopic, channelled through Lezanne’s own inner-awakening – the notes themselves referencing Plato’s Cave, one of humanity’s earliest musings that things are not quite as they seem. There is more – deeper – broader than the limitations of our five senses. This showcase strikes at the heart of extra-sensory perception – utilising the scope of artforms employed in contemporary fashion from photography, set design, film – hair & makeup – styling – weaving together a startling collaborative jewel in the crown of South Africa’s design lexicon in 2022. 

 

The press notes offer a ritualised amalgamation of design as an ode to earth;

“The palette and textures of the collection is quite literally inspired by dark layers of soil, soft sand, liquid metals and rough crystal jewels, found amidst chalky layers of sediment. Through the use of crystal colours like amethyst, rose-quartz, jade and emerald green, juxtaposed with metallic coppers, silvers and golds, we combined them with earthy desert sands and dark lava rocks.

Soft silks and lames are contrasted with futuristic dead-stock pleathers and combined with reworked natural wools and cottons. ‘Kaleidoscopic,’ represents key VIVIERS signature looks. Japanese inspired forms and shapes, that allows the brand to minimise textile waste in the cutting process, as evident in the jumpsuits and distilled silhouettes of pants, make up the underlying silhouettes of the collection.

Diverse, unique statement dresses, created by re-using off-cut fabrics, original photographic artworks of crystals, printed onto dead-stock base fabrics and trans seasonal and inclusive staples, like VIVIERS’s updated summer trench coats, are all aimed to build a wardrobe of heirloom acquisitions, the heirlooms of the future.”

I like to think Franca (the late, great Sozzani) is having an unseen, ancestral hand in this slowly and beautifully growing relationship between Milan Fashion Week & Vogue Italia, with our contemporary luxury designers in South Africa. Planetary consciousness is One, after all. 

KALEIDOSCOPIC

/kəˈlʌɪdəskəʊp/

Words by Lezanne Viviers 

“the observation of beautiful forms

a study of light

LIKE A PRICELESS JEWEL, BURIED IN DARK

LAYERS OF SOIL AND STONE, EARTH RADIATES WITH BRILLIANT BEAUTY INTO

THE CAVERN OF SPACE AND TIME.

crystalline wands

stalagmite treasures form

prismatic memories

in the allegory of the cave

facets flicker reflections of sunlight

crystal batteries, moon charged at night

the observation of our subtle bodies

a study of our light

LIKE A PRICELESS JEWEL, BURIED IN DARK

LAYERS OF SOIL AND STONE, EARTH RADIATES WITH BRILLIANT BEAUTY INTO

THE CAVERN OF SPACE AND TIME.

saltwater currents

inverters convert

salt of the earth

emerge in a bit

stone circle messages

cymatics, salt crystalline

megalithic magic

amplified energy serene

the examination of transient patterns

a study of fragments of light”

The images featured in this article is the campaign editorial shot by Michael Oliver Love. 

KALEIDOSCOPIC RUNWAY & LOOK BOOK CREDITS

Creative Direction

Lezanne Viviers @lezanneviviers

 

Photography

Look Book Editorial – Michael Oliver Love @michaeloliverlove

E-commerce – Donovan Marais @vanthephotographerman

Art Fair & Exhibition – Shann Daniels @shann.daniels

 

Stylist

Chloe Welgemoed @chloeandreawelgemoed

Assisted by Chiara Galvani @lachiaofficial and Zaan Assam @zaani_14

 

Makeup

Tamaryn van Tonder @tamarynvantonder

Roben Bezuidenhout @RobenBezuidenhout

Naazi Laher. @naazilaher_

Rachael Darne @radar.mua

Zeenat @zeenat__mua

Lesego Mokgara @__sego.m

 

Hair

Saadique Ryklief @saadique

Shafia Cassiem Haffejee @shafiahaffejee_hairstylist

Irene da Fonseca @irene_thetexpert

Memory Bhebhe @memory_bhebhe

 

Video

Thulani Sejo @thulanisejo

Editor: Kaykay Ribane @kaykayribane

Camera Assistant: Thato Sejo @thatosejo

VFX: @brizlemtho

 

Viviers Team

Liso Ceza @lisoceza

Abi Bezuidenhoudt @abibez_xoxo

Cebo Mtshemla @cebomtshemla

Ameerah Moola @ac.idtab

Lyra Mogonediwa @lyra.official_

 

Volunteers

Keketso Samela @smashy__xza

Sherazaan Assam @zaani_14

Ozzi [email protected]

Sazi @000000god000000

Phoebe von Brughan @phoebevonbrughan

Models

Seren Koekemoer @serenmichaela

Tevin Malu @tevin_malu

Christopher Van Zyl @c.j_vanzyl

Nemo @gomo_nemo

Nene @omg.ms.nene

Kagiso @Kagiso_s_

Kim Huysamer @kimhuysamer

Michaela Reisinger @mikkie.mixx

Zama Mtshemla @zamamtshemla

Senamiso Nolovu @senamiso._

Elnino Matthew @evolvingelnino

Riley Coltman @rileycoltman

Siphelele Sisonke Veti @usisonke

Ashley- Jane @babbyyyash

Rae Mdeza @RaeMdeza

Crystal Lyris @crystal.lyris

Tshepang Sekokope @tushpang

Lesedi Seleke @Sedi22000

Hannah-Leila Fared, @leilafarred

Julian De Jonge @just_julian.x

Thembelihle Mdletshe @elhil medusa

Kiron Kombos @kiron kombos

Caley nkosi @caley.nkosi

Bella Ntsube @bella_badhabit

Malaika Nkosi

Sydney Masilela @sydneymasilela

Dominique Cheminais @domini_chem

Nash @nashgrey_

Christi Steyn @christi.steyn

Written By: Holly Bell Beaton

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

Joy Comes First for Illustrator Jade Klara

Sep 30, 2022 | Interviews, Art

Illustration is an interesting medium for an artist  – it demonstrates a particular kind of patience and imagination, and demands the illustrator to take all external cues in the world with wonder, moulding said cues into their own style. Now, in the digital age, the role of the illustrator broadens – with new programs and career paths available, today’s illustrators can be coders – graphic designers – work traditionally from pen to paper, or in game design, or marketing & advertising. Whichever way one goes, the possibilities are endless,  illustration is visual world-building; and it is a critical feature of our world. Jade Klara is an illustrator & designer in Cape Town known for whom a playfulness and innocence remain corner stores of working independently (as an artist) and specialised (collaborating with beloved brands, local and internationally).

Jade is a veteran of the shift in digital illustration and its presence in the visual lexicon of branding – and the surge we have seen in South Africa as a hub for agencies and brands focused on beautiful design. On this she says, “I studied graphic design at Vega, and I got an internship with Ama Collective – this was long ago – and they were an amazing illustration studio. I learnt so much from them, and then I went freelance – that was 12 years ago!” The shift from traditional drawing to digital illustration is essential in today’s branding landscape – on the physical to digital translation of this medium, Jade says, “It’s a really interesting dissonance and relationship between the two. I think one has to have a sort of foundation with a pencil, but also I think people are learning digitally as their primary starting point these days. There’s no reason not to. I’ve always drawn. My mom used to draw Maya The Bee cartoons on my bookmarks as a kid – and that blew me away! It was so precious. Through graphic design, you learn so many new tools – illustrating just opens up in terms what is possible with all the new programs that are available. I never craft to finish on paper – I will doodle and plan – but ultimately it takes place digitally.” 

Over the years, Jade’s style has taken a metamorphic role as a reflection of her own internal process as an artist. Now, her style is characterised as whimsical – with a softness and sense of joy as the feeling and mood. Though, there have been other eras – to which Jade reflects, “I was super influenced by pop surrealism in the beginning – it was all dark fairy tales, and folk tales and literature has been a source of influence. Then I got really interested in linework – so I became quite focused on lines, shading and being very crafted and detailed in my work. Now, it’s evolved into a place where it’s bold and as wonky or silly as possible! There’s such a different process to do something very realistic, and there’s a sense of accomplishment afterwards, and then there’s such a different set of internal markers of something really free and simple.” Jade’s work lives through many ways and means – from her work with brands, to exhibitions with editions and prints – alongside a steady avenue of illustrations on t-shirts, towels – to keep momentum and movement, and her work always growing and moving. Recently, Jade conceptualised the Float X Dope collab – with typography and the coke-float mascot – the cutest addition for Cape Town’s summer season. As an artist, Jade has exhibited locally and from London to Portland, on which she reflects, “I’ve been really lucky to see my work live in so many spaces. Salon 91, which has now closed, was a cornerstone of this. Monique has been so supportive of artists who might not be able to put their work in a traditional gallery setting. It’s whittled down, though – I used to think I needed to be an artist first, that that was the most important thing I could do. Now, I’m a lot more grounded and happy as an illustrator.” 

In a shifting world – with metaverse & NFT’s a-buzz – artists like Jade offer a remedy of innocence and purity so necessary; for humour, and love, and for all good things in this life. Keep your eyes open for her new online store launching at the end of the year – and the magic she continues to share with local brands & labels, and in her own right with characters, poems and story-telling.

Written by: Holly Beaton

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

What the f*ck is up with Ye & Gap?

Sep 29, 2022 | Fashion, Music, Community

There have been many eras of Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) – and since the early 2000s, he has come to define the coveted pivot from behind-the-scenes producer, to front-facing superstar. Genius – ‘Jeen-Yuhs’ – is the preferred caveat attached to Ye’s persona by fans, and ‘crazy’ the preferred caveat by most others. I will refrain from using the latter, for reasons regarding his mental health diagnosis – and because the term itself also feels like a lazily ascribed attribute in place of a far more complex array of variables. Ye is a difficult person to hold any fixed opinions on – the more I researched his last few eras, the more I found myself deeply contrasted in holding any sort of view. 

Loathing his association with Trump, or his all-too-conversative beliefs arising from his Christian faith with America as its backdrop, set against his with-out-question contribution to fashion, the earnest spirit behind Sunday Service (beyond the messianic energy it initially portrayed) – mixed feelings appear to be the perspective most people have on Ye. This is perhaps the entire meaning behind Ye as the pop, hip hop and fashion cultural monolith we know today – and the collective journey we, as cultural consumers, have been in witnessing his every mood and viewpoint. Every great figure has to maintain an air of the unknowable about them, to keep in place the seduction of their character – sometimes I wonder if Ye is, above all else, a master of marketing; flagrantly and formidably yielding an arsenal of Jedi mind tricks on us all. We lap it up, no doubt.

Lately, the news cycle has been awash with Ye’s controversial method of expressing his thoughts & feelings – yes, there’s the ‘Skete’ saga, and his equal parts punishing and pining Kim for us all to see, all screenshots and receipts on his Instagram, but more interestingly – and relating to his vision – is the total breakdown of his relationships with adidas and Gap. The first, adidas, has been Yeezy’s partner for years – with Ye expressing time and time again that they provided the full-scale infrastructure to realise his sartorial expression. One wonders though, how Ye’s single desire to reshape streetwear (and luxury) could ever have truly manifested constricted by the red tape such conglomerates, by nature and function, exist under. Nevertheless, if anyone was cut out to do it – it was going to be Ye, uniquely situated with a varied fanbase – from the hypebeast footsoldier – to other ranks alike.

In his conversation with Linsey Davis for ABC News, Ye is asked why he would want to end a 10-year, highly lucrative deal with Gap and adidas, to which he says, “It’s those nuances where people act like they’re your daddy. They purposefully didn’t open the stores that they were supposed to – how am I born in Atlanta, yet there’s no store in Atlanta? How am I from Chicago, and there’s not a store in Chicago? That means that I was there for some specific agenda – not for Yeezy Gap to be everything I saw it could be, or the dream that I had. It’s time for me to make my own thing. I have respect and love for the Fisher family – that’s their thing and that’s their daddy’s thing. They made something great, and it inspired me – and now I need to make something great that will inspire the next me…if there ever will be.” He goes on to say, “We really had to level up and show ‘em who’s the new boss. I’m the boss. I’m no longer the mascot in the middle of the game, getting everyone hyped up to ‘wear this’ or ‘do this.’ I need to learn how to really run a company. You know, I had this new year’s resolution that I was only gonna talk to people who listen to me.” In between these very real sentiments – the powerlessness of working with companies as big as adidas and Gap – are also Ye’s allusions to his misunderstood persona. That his life’s work IS altruistic, IS meaningful and for the people. Interestingly, when challenged by Linsey as to whether Yeezy could ever be accessible price-wise – he says, customers will be able to spend $20 and get four shirts in the future.

With all this said, there’s the actual question of the YEEZY GAP collaboration. When it launched at the GAP New York store – audiences were stunned at the trash-bag installations, filled with the actual collection. In a odd, Demna-esque style – this supposed ‘hope for the masses’ was delivered as a striking offence on the harrowing class disparity between Ye and his followers – and whether this was thought-through, Jake Silbert at Highsnobiety wrote it best, “A generous consideration of Ye’s YEEZY GAP presentation circumstances might posit that by distributing utilitarian garments in a no-nonsense, celebratory manner, Ye and former YEEZY GAP partner Demna might be evening the playing field, reframing luxury garments as pragmatic clothing to be worn every day, by everyone. A less generous take might suggest that the indignity of being forced to dig through a dumpster full of discarded hoodies is itself egregious, let alone the fact that the hoodies cost $240 apiece.” This inspiration by Ye from homeless people stands in direct contrast with his own work – or lackthereof – from the now defunct YEEZY HOME SHELTERS – to the still-to-be-determined clothing collaboration with folks at Skid Row, Los Angeles. 

It remains important to remember that for all the dreams and intentions of Ye, he is a billionaire – and alongside his ex wife’s family, he is a symbol of capitalism in a way that he might never be able to escape, least not acknowledge.

As it stands, Gap and Yeezy have ended their partnership. Projected to bring in $990 million in sales each year, for the next decade. After being served a letter by Ye, Gap are accused of breaching the contract – and once again, we witness the machine at war with itself. Via a New York Times piece, Gaps statement reads “While we share a vision of bringing high-quality, trend-forward, utilitarian design to all people through unique omni experiences with Yeezy Gap, how we work together to deliver this vision is not aligned,” the Gap brand president, Mark Breitbard, wrote. “And we are deciding to wind down the partnership.”

In the meantime, Ye is focused on Donda Academy – his private, Christian school designed to educate kids in the ‘post-iPhone-era’  – and comparing Kim to the Queen, in a hilarious post reading: “London, I know how you feel. I lost my queen too.”

Ye will be Ye.

Written by: Holly Bell Beaton

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

Interlude Chapter 09 | Recycling, Upcycling and Circular Thinking in South African Fashion

Sep 28, 2022 | Fashion, Interlude

It’s no longer a question that our consumption habits – particularly around fashion – have veered to the point of crisis. If not beyond it. Driven by the exploitative, resource extractive economic model that governs the world, with all its variations of class divisions and constriction, linear supply chains across the board from luxury, to mid-level and fast fashion, find themselves trapped in a design to disposal model. Amassing unnerving amounts of waste and pollution along the way – by the time garments arrive to us, the consumer, it has been through the hands of people bound to a system from which they derive little respect or value – least not something as opulent as basic, living wage. The growing sustainability movements (I prefer ‘conscious’ because what are we sustaining?) around the fashion industry is predicated on social change as much ecological consideration; the two inform each other; as human beings need to be valued, protected, and in turn the ingenuity of our ability to problem solve and collaborate is nurtured and brought into the world. As an antidote to the entrenched linear models that we consume under, the phrase ‘circularity thinking’ has been defined by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation as eliminate (waste & pollution), circulate (products & materials) and regenerate (nature). Closing the supply chain from a straight-line, to a closed circle, whether it’s through recycling materials and reselling, is detailed by Weavabel as; “The ‘design out’ waste process focuses on taking waste and emissions into consideration at the very beginning of the fashion process, during the design stage. By thinking about using responsibly sourced materials and sustainable manufacturing techniques at the beginning of the process, you’re already addressing the issue of waste rather than trying to reverse the effects further down the lifecycle. Concepts such as zero-waste fashion, using eco-friendly dyes, bio-based fibres and sustainable packaging all minimise the amount of waste created by the fashion supply chain.”

This brings us to our 9th edition of Interlude – an ode to recycling, upcycling and circular thinking – as lensed through a myriad of incredible South African brands and initiatives that are shaping the future of design-thinking, systems and understanding. It may seem like a trope, but as consumers – and lovers of design & fashion – we have a shared responsibility to grow these spaces through our participation, and particularly our pennies.

Recycling 

When I think of recycling in South African fashion – the thought always begins with Rewoven – the leaders of recycling textiles in the country. Founded by Tshepo Bhengu, Esethu Cenga and Lonwabo Mgoduso in 2018, their model re-imagines textile waste through entrepreneurial, technological based methods – primarily centred in revitalising a localised textile trade in an inclusive, ethical and sustainable system. Rewoven offers a textile recycling service including off-cut fabrics, end of roll fabric, unsold inventory, rejected garments – and across a myriad of textiles such as denim, calico, fleece, 100% polyester and more. Diverting textile waste is an essential in applying circular thinking, and the Rewoven team remains at the forefront of driving this vision in Africa. They’re also behind yearly sustainability indaba – Future of Fashion – and attending it has been a beacon of hope. With master-classes, design showcases, panel discussions; FoF is a critical event for anyone aligned to the solutions occurring on the continent. 

As always, we adore nuun concept space – mother + son duo, Zainab and Shaheed are experimental designers and innovators, who have quietly been disrupting the ways in which textile composition and bio-material packaging can exist, right now, within the South African design lexicon. Their staple piece, ‘the nuun T-shirt’ is a perfectly fitted, 65% recycled pet (6x 500ml plastic bottles collected in Cape Town) and 35% bio-cotton – and available to order in bulk, as the perfect blanks for other brands testing or putting out graphics or prints. The first adaptation of their t-shirt is ‘nuun t-shirt for peace’ – to which their website states, “a design error placed where the heart is located as a symbol of the oppressed. For our first initiative, we have decided to use the proceeds generated from  our ‘error’ t-shirt to spread love and hope to those who desperately need it. For every six t-shirts sold, an olive tree will be planted in palestine. the tree is the main source of livelihood for the palestinian people as it provides medicine, food and oil.” This incredible balance between taking back waste from the earth and then regenerating it, as part of their brand offering, is something quite special – and showcases the altruistic, heart-centred possibilities of circularity through compassion.

Upcycling

We’ve all seen it – designer Alexa Schempers unreal, unfiltered contribution to South African Design with her brand, Rethread. Blazers, partitioned into the cleanest set, styled to perfection, sometimes with delicate beading, or jeans pulled apart and reshaped? Alexa’s passion for upcycling and vintage has not only become a successful brand, but her Tik Tok presence feels like a ‘best-kept-secrets’ of thrifting in the country – alongside her earnest commentary to followers around price-points and transparency, Alexa exemplifies a young designer abandoning the rules and making something so critical and beautiful. 

UBEYOU is a gender-neutral, Cape Town based brand – situated in the realm between streetwear and workwear. Their brightly coloured fabrics and fluid silhouettes are inclusive, and thoughtfully made – and better yet? Their website has the following manifesto, “We source our fabrics locally, all based in Cape Town. We use Dead stock and end-of-roll in our design which means waste material gets turned into limited edition garments. It is important for us to use material that already exists because we know that waste is one of the biggest issues in the fashion industry. We try to use leftover fabrics from previous collections when creating new designs. We also incorporate up-cycled, second-hand clothing to turn something old into something new. We do not throw away any leftover fabric. Everything is kept and eventually used in new garments. Our business is very small and we intentionally don’t produce in bulk which means our energy impact is as minimal as it can be.” This is the future of fashion. 

Locally produced footwear remains a smaller industry than clothing – but disruptors like Amble are changing that. Made-to-order, chicer-than-chic, leather shoes made from upcycled leather by a skilled artisan showcase effortlessly, and in perfect motion, circularity-led thinking in fashion. In a world where shoes can be discarded with every season, Amble provides a study on mindful consumption & slow living – shoes with a purpose. Divine. In the realm of upcycling – once upon a time, at the inaugural Future of Fashion (2019) mentioned previously in this article – each guest received a plasticity pouch. The material, each unique, is owed to the brand’s dedication to upcycling plastic waste into accessories and objects. Hand-made by a mother and daughter duo, with their small team, in the Karoo – plasticity pieces range from colour to monochrome, essential for any occasion, and perfect for any person.

Circular Initiatives  

No commentary on sustainability in South African fashion would be complete without mentioning the work of Twyg– a publication and space founded by fashion industry veteran, Jackie May, and the foremost home for sustainability in the country and across the continent, as it happens. Known for their annual Twyg Awards – I’d like to highlight their swap&mend initiative, a treasure in the city that shares and encourages the spirit of clothing swaps, and caring for one’s wardrobe. The communal event takes place once a month at Nude Food, and is a total gem in local networking and skill sharing within mindful, conscious fashion. Another notable space working to redirect clothing from landfill are the homies at Lemkus, in collaboration with Room Studio – their clothing drive ‘Room For Good’ has sent out a call to their community, to bring in clean, wearable and pre loved clothing and stand a chance to win a once off, upcycled piece. The initiative states, “The Room for Good project aims to tackle sustainability & socio economic issues through reframing how we as individuals can affect change and contribute positively to our communities. The inaugural project is a new take on a clothing drive, which encourages community members to donate old wearable items of clothing or footwear in aid of helping provide clothes and shoes to our community of homeless people in inner-city Cape Town.”  The drive is on until the 5th of October – to  be dropped off in store at Lemkus, St Georges Mall.

Written by: Holly Bell Beaton

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

Patience & Sensitivity in the Creative Process with Filmmaker and Photographer Hana Sho

Sep 23, 2022 | Interviews, Creatives

Alongside, or within, the process of a creative person’s growth – is another kind of growth, one that is perhaps the kindling for their work throughout their career. It seems like a trope, but it really is the truth; creatives are sensitive beings, with vast inner realities who spend a lifetime being communicated or translated into a language for the world. More and more, we witness the rise of ‘multidisciplinarity’ in the artistic landscape, in which creatives are able to reach out to the world through multiple mediums, each informing their wider vision. Hana Sho is one such artist – who is primarily known as a photographer and filmmaker – for whom, the aforementioned process has been an innate thread in her experience since she was younger. There are not many people who, in high school, were identified by Puma & sent sneakers to conceptualise a series of images; this being one of the first moments, amidst the constraints of the obsolete, traditional schooling system, that Hana realised her creative viewpoint could really begin to mean something in this world. Now, as one of the leading image-makers in the country, with an emphasis on movement (film), Hana is bridging her grunge-infused, underground style with our shifting commercial landscape. South Africa’s stylistic motivations from film, to TV, commercials and across industries is levelling up.

“When I was very little, I wanted to be an animator. I was completely obsessed with drawings, figures and comics – and then I discovered if I could take photos of something, I could tell a story. So I’d take photos, print them – cut them out and make little stories and collages. I was really lucky in that I grew up in a creative household, where that was really encouraged. As I got older, in high school, I used to make these awful videos – really terrible – of my friends for their birthdays. I just loved the idea of having this footage that told a story, that also meant something. Even though I had no idea at 14 that this could be a career – I knew then that this was something I could do that was special and meaningful, and my way of communicating what I see the world.” Hana reflects on her earliest memories of image-making; and tells me that it’s through a camera that she has learned to understand the best, and that there are things people reveal somewhere between her, the camera and themselves; things that they don’t usually display in the everyday movement of their lives. Regarding her skillset, Hana says, “I’m self-taught – endless hours on Youtube, or learning how a camera works. I can thank the internet for the kind of information that I needed to get better. I became very interested in portraiture. I’m quite a sensitive person, and I need quite a lot to understand someone – and portraits have given me a really beautiful way to see or read people. As intuitive as I think I am, a lot of my photography is really just that process of fascination with people and the world.”

Hana credits her formative years to legendary Cape Town teacher – Andrew Putter. My eldest brother was one of his students when he taught design at Rondebosch Boys High School, and who is held in the highest regard by local creatives who, under Andrew’s guidance and tutelage, have gone on to amass incredible careers. Andrew’s extramural space, Putter School, remains an intrinsic hub for continuing to seed the dreams of creatives from as early on as possible. Hana explains, “In my matric year, I attended Putter School – and it was so, so mind boggling and shaping. It broke every idea I had previously held, and had a huge impact on me. It’s so wild, Andrew must have impacted three generations of creatives.” Now, Hana is established – and she has found immense joy in venturing into the commercial space, having shot for Puma Selects, Rich Mnisi, and a variety of campaigns and editorials. Within commercial spaces, the pursuit of perfection – and conveying almost caricature like ideals through marketing – is a space in which Hana thrives as a kind of antidote; rather, lending her sub-cultural, grunge-esque style to previously modular creative conceptualisation, to this she says, “I like the mundane, and I’m intrigued by small, weird human nuances – things that are off, or not quite right, and mistakes. I like imperfection, and the beauty of that. As I get more and more into the film & advertising space, I’m trying not to lose that sensibility. I always want to be experimental and strange, and those are the roots of where I come from as an artist. I have to remember playfulness, and embracing weirdness and seeing how I can express that in a way that other people connect to. Whatever you can create with what you have is important, the medium just carries a story, which is the most important part.” In a world of strengthening awareness and intelligence among audiences and ‘consumers’, this is a vital quality for Hana to possess; our generations require authenticity, and can spot the illusions a mile away.

Hana has some new work coming out soon – although you’ll have to wait until they’re released, and the quietness she’s had online is a result of bringing these projects into being. Hana explains, “A big thing that I’ve learned is to be patient in the learning process, and sometimes you just want to make things – put them out – and repeat that. The world also demands hyper-productivity and novelty from creatives, but the last year has taught me to reflect – and possibly to integrate – rather than being so fast in what I do. There’s such importance in being patient, and taking in & learning. We don’t have to be reaching for the next thing, and the solid building blocks will be the foundation.” 

Hana Sho is a tender being – and conversations like this, with the energy of contemplation and gentleness, are poignant reminders of the deep voices behind some of the country’s most beloved artists. Keep Hana’s work on your radar – it’s most certainly only the beginning.

Written by: Holly Bell Beaton
For more news, visit the Connect Everything Collective homepage www.ceconline.co.za

Stanislaw Trzebinski’s Solastalgia at Southern Guild Gallery : Biological Terraforming on a Post-Devastated Planet

Sep 22, 2022 | Art

“Southern Guild presents Solastalgia, multidisciplinary artist Stanislaw Trzebinski’s second solo exhibition with the gallery, opening 8 September (until 10 November). The featured body of functional sculpture and artwork explores a dark vision of nature’s continuation after the extinction of man. In the current state of climate alarm, Trzebinski expresses a grief for what has already been lost to man’s rapacious self-interest.

“I’ve been experiencing what environmental philosopher and sustainability professor Glenn A. Albrecht calls solastalgia,” he explains, “a nostalgia for the loss of places that used to give me solace – that made me feel fully human. Our very home, the Earth, is being ruined, despoiled. So much is already lost, and I’m homesick in my own home.” – southernguild.co.za

Entering Southern Guild Gallery’s spatial location – high ceilings and wide walls, as the perfect canvas for its rotation of shows – feels slightly different this time. To the right handside, the area has been carved out for sculptor and artist Stanislaw Trzebinski’s second show exhibition: Solastalgia. The space is expanded, fitted with pastel interior walls in powder blue, lilac, soft-pink and mint; colours that gently coax the senses, lulling one to edge closer. This juxtaposition is intentional – because what awaits, is an eerie, fascinating collection of pieces reflecting a much more insidious theme – the pastels do well to prime one for the confrontation.

Stanislaw is deeply concerned with the ecological devastation heading our way. In fact, it’s already here; and who knows how quickly the fabric of nature as we know it, will dissolve around us? Imagining a future of apocalyptic proportions is one thing – but for the artist, these works imagine the aftermath. We, human beings, are no more; in fact, all that has survived is the resilient ubiquity of bacteria and fungi; this time, with far stranger replication and production processes, possibly spurred on by vastly different conditions for evolution on earth, than we might know today. The show notes say it best, “acid-tolerant amoeba, burrowing cave dwellers, giant carnivorous mushrooms sheathed in fungal, porous skirts. The organisms have been borne of biological necessity, shedding their own layers of being and seizing only what is needed to survive.” I am a dreamer of what life might look like at other ends of the cosmos, and so despite the harrowing timeline that would occur to arrive at these life-forms; I find myself totally taken with this narrative; and in fact, oddly invigorated. The existential dread of our own existence as human beings is perhaps a fate already sealed – but Solastalgia is a stunning alchemization of the triumph of life – with or without us. It is worth remembering how enriching nature is, and how our presence in this temporal fraction of the universe’s lifespan is quite an exceptional miracle; no matter how that will end, or when. More and more, the artist’s role in the world is to be the revealers of our ecological truths; whether for activism or imaginative purposes, and Stolastalgia cuts an exceptional balance of both.

The works are a poignant reflection of adaptability – and the utter strangeness and beauty of living organisms – alongside Trzebinski’s own inner-adaptability in his practice, blending together his mastery of bronze-casting alongside a foray into a new medium of glass-blowing; rigid materials make porous, growing forms – as if one closes their eyes and entered a kaleidoscopic. Each piece is thoughtfully, brilliantly named – Humongous Fungus, Doomsday Prepper, Neo-Primordial Soup – a few such names, the rest I urge you to view directly; as ever, Southern Guild hosts some of the most compelling work Africa has to offer. 

View at Southern Guild Gallery, Cape Town: 08.09.2022 – 10.11.2022

Written by: Holly Bell Beaton

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

A New Era for Kaapstad’s Original Label, TWOBOP

Sep 21, 2022 | Interviews, Fashion

There’s a feeling in the air – a strange sort of tension, in which ‘possibilities’ feel more opportune and accessible than we have had in over two years. Ahead of us lies the first summer since the pandemic seeped into our lives, in which there is a sense of security in the future. Security and assurance are often attachments of the self; but in this case, in relation to South Africa’s creative future, a full embrace feels almost essential. In the last few weeks, it has become publicly known that TWOBOP is relaunching; Cape Town’s most formative and beloved streetwear brand since 2004, that quite literally set the tone for culture and fashion in the city, until it tapered down – quietly, with only murmurings of why – around 2019. Founder and originator of the brand, Anthony Smith, had moved to Vancouver – and with him, the future of TWOBOP lay in wait. It’s hard to describe the full impact of what Anthony founded nearly two decades ago. Here, in our coastal town, his vision for locally produced streetwear was taking place before streetwear as we know it today had swept the globe. Internationally, Ye was putting out The College Dropout – Yeezy was perhaps still a blip in his consciousness – and the parallels between skateboarding, surfing, hip hop and street art were still being woven together, to later become a unified banner under which ‘streetwear’ is housed, as experienced today. 

In 2004, there was no Tumblr – no Youtube or Facebook – and certainly no Instagram. Can we imagine, then, where Anthony founded TWOBOP’S inception, if not from what surrounded him immediately or digitally? In later years, Tumblr would become a digital vision board for the brand, alongside the story as it unfolded into the local fashion lexicon: TWOBOP was the manifestation of Anthony’s will to see his experience and community represented sartorially, beginning as an reference to his childhood in the late ‘80s, enamoured with video arcade and the use of ‘twobop’ (20 cents) to spend hours in immersed in this new, pixelated frontier – now, a truly vintage tech in 2022. This is about as authentic as a brand story will ever be; and a founding caveat that is so deep, it is now the foundation for almost every sincere brand we know of. Human beings build and create in order to see their essence reflected around them; there is perhaps no greater or more noble path in that sense. Now, TWOBOP is making its mark in the third decade of its existence; a surreal thing to note, considering how this century has felt like one long, continuation with the gaps in our cultural consciousness growing narrower each year.

Sitting in Origin in De Waterkant, CEC met the new custodians & owners of TWOBOP: animated, passionate and open; husband and wife duo, Mario Ogle and Eden Myrrh. Having been entrusted with the entire future of the brand; the only two people, for Anthony, that he could imagine TWOBOP’s legacy being invigorated by for a new era. Interestingly, Mario and Eden are not from Cape Town; and this is perhaps one of their greatest strengths, aside from their innate creative and entrepreneurial talents respectively. This is a small city – with a reputation for closed-circles, and sometimes noted for people’s hunger for their proximity to clout, than arborists of culture. There is also unspoken tension around a seeming vacuum that was left in local streetwear when the iconic Corner Store closed its doors and its various brands & designers splintered off in varying directions; still, it is a space that remains important in the story of streetwear culture in Cape Town. With Mario and Eden at the helm, though, none of this really matters; theirs is a fresh perspective, and a personal one too. With Eden having worked at Corner Store, she understands the brand from its golden years – and for them both, the vision is to strip back TWOBOP to its most critical function; as a vessel for creative expression and community wellbeing.

Mario and Eden had been working with Anthony, and independently began to think that perhaps there was something bigger there for them to do within the brand – and not just from their vantage point with their agency, Msizi. In a moment underpinned by synchronicity – Anthony suggested it first, asking them if they would be interested in taking on TWOBOP’s future. This was mid pandemic in 2020, and Eden goes on to explain the last two years of seeding the transfer of guardianship from Anthony to them, “We have been digging deep into putting seamless and feasible business structures in place. That’s where my creative flow is derived from; functionality, and making things really work. I think this was something so many creatives struggled to balance in the early years of pivoting their talent or vision into a business: we are so often told that creativity and business are exclusive of each other, when in fact both have to function together. It’s non-negotiable. One of our biggest building-blocks for TWOBOP’s relaunch is how it will reinvest it back into the community; providing jobs for the mums who make the garments, and honing in on local production. We want to highlight Woodstock once again, for what it means to the brand’s past but also what the future can hold.“ Mario follows on, further elucidating the core of their vision, “I’ve said that our customer vision is for those who used to buy the brand, but are now older – wiser – in different income brackets. We are creating TWOBOP for its original community who matured – like we have – and inviting everyone else to join, too. I think this idea of re-investment into the community speaks to where we have matured to now. It’s not about the parties anymore – even though those are necessary – it’s more about, what is the point of this? Are we contributing back to society? TWOBOP’s history is a symbol of a social, cultural and economic shift in South Africa; in which people of colour are ascending as the rightful leaders of their own narratives and land. The brand is continuing to tell that story in this next chapter.”

Nostalgia can be a perilous thing, locking our memories into a particular view of how something was, and thus should continue to be. Veterans of the scene a decade ago might have mixed responses; but, it’s not about capturing what once was, rather it’s about invigorating what still exists. For Eden and Mario, their questions lead to a larger inquiry about the future of our country as an established design market – where is our Daily Paper, or Aimé Leon Dore, they ask? And while the new kids of streetwear come up, what are the wayshowers up to? For the duo, for TWOBOP to exist as a fading remnant of what once defined coolness would be a tragedy – so even with the challenges of reinvention, and the deep digging they’ve had to do to prepare themselves and the brand for what is ahead, it’s also been a complete no-brainer in taking up this mantle. Mario comments on this, “I think Anthony’s choosing us, and in giving us his blessing in that way, while remaining an advisor that we can always lean on – means that the support of the community will happen. We’ve had a great response so far.” With Eden saying, “On the nostalgia thing, I wrote my research proposal for my honours around that idea of memory- and it’s so interesting to me, the relationship between nostalgia and brand love. It’s a psychological phenomena, but does it actually equal long-term business vitality? The thing is, TWOBOP as a name is powerful enough to hold the nostalgia – and the rest is about enhancing that feeling to new heights.”

The strategy going forward is as such: the brand will host an evergreen collection of carefully designed, fabricated and made essentials – pieces that will become the favourites, and form the stronghold of the brand’s foundation. With clean branding, Mario & Eden have revealed the bare bones of the relaunch that has seen people go wild online. Mario says, “We have this incredible opportunity to begin to define what TWOBOP looks like, now. Transeasonal, trusted pieces are optimal – and then around that, we can really play and build on the design language through limited capsule pieces or collections.”  For the first insight into the brand – and a direct homage to their matured community – TWOBOP KETTANG is a chain and emblem pairing, symbolic of a rite of passage; an exceptional offering enriched with meaning, featuring the very 20 cents style that Antonyhy would have used as a kid, at the arcade, in the late ‘80s. With two varying entry points – 925 Sterling Silver or 9-Karat Gold – the balance of luxury and unpretentious cut effortlessly in this first edition of TWOBOP’s future. Eden says, “Where we’re from, when you get your first really good job or paycheck – it’s customary to buy gold. Just your first piece of gold, in some way, that then becomes part of the family’s story. Heirlooms are intrinsic to us and the people around us, so we couldn’t imagine a more beautiful way than to step into this new phase of TWOBOP with its own heirloom to pave the way forward.” 

Visit https://twobop.com for more information on 20c Coin release 

Written by: Holly Beaton

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