There is a web of connection being built around the world – it has been happening for some time, and from our vantage point in South Africa; we are finally being seen as the immense wellspring of ingenuity that we are. Right at the nexus of this cross-pollination and cultural exchange is creativity. This force, within all of us, is driving us out of the rigidity of society’s demands – soaring us to new heights, new visions and among new friends. The New Originals are a brand that express this in the very fabric of their brand DNA, and their interest in South Africa – specifically Cape Town, with Johannesburg soon to follow, traces its root back to the Broke family, and photographer Nick van Tiem – who, through shooting Andile Dlamini for a few years, introduced The New Originals, and thus a collaborative union was forever formed. In the space of two years, TNO founders Rizky Lasahido, Maru Asmellash and Eben Badu have travelled to Cape Town – immersed themselves in the culture, now stock their brand at Lemkus and will return next year to deep this relationship between Amsterdam and Cape Town – beyond borders or difference, and solely to cultivate a new future of creative collaboration and opportunity. The dynamics of friendship, design and passion are the principles; The New Originals is the vehicle. As TNO’s tagline states, ‘performance clothing for creatives’ – this is the era in which creatives are paid their dues, and recognised as intrinsic to seeding the future. At Connect Everything Collective, we could not agree more.
“We originally started out as a blog around 10 years ago. We were just a group of friends posting about things that were going on around us – we all went our own way in our creative career paths, and then around 6 years, the three of us came together to build the brand, focused on clothing as a way to tell the story of creatives. We are very motivated by creatives across different industries and skill sets, and coming from Amsterdam – we grew up around really influential, dynamic creatives behind brands like Patta and Daily Paper. The New Originals is our contribution to this wave.” Eben says in our conversation. Central to the TNO vision is collaboration and community, with their site acting as both an e-commerce platform and a home to tell stories about their friends and peers in music, art, performance, fashion and design. It is about capturing the zeitgeist emanating from Amsterdam, and recognising ones emanating elsewhere across the globe. On this vision around collaboration, Maru explains, “As a brand, we are based around a group of people who share common interests. Our vision is to be a bridge and a space for people to connect from different spaces that normally might not get in touch – I think our tagline, “thinking out of the box” is the common thread among us all who are involved in or connect to the brand. A big part of this is our activities and programming that we do, which brings people together. The root of this is that we started as a DIY company without capital, and based everything on our community – we believed that we could pull this off purely off how inspired we were from the creatives around us. I think that’s why, wherever we go, there’s this energy around us, because we started with human capital instead of financial capital, and that will always be our main focus. Creative communities will always have people as their bottom line, before anything else.”
Cape Town has a special place in the TNO’s expanding universe, and with many amazing collaborations being able to take place digitally – Eben, Maru and Rizky did a one up and flew down to experience the Mother City in all Her glory. Eben says, “Nick van Tiem put us on with Cape Town, specifically with the Broke Boys. Earlier this year, we visited – and we wanted to expand on the work we had made a few years ago. We did a pop-up store and an event, and it was our first time seeing the Broke family in real time. Instagram has its limits – when you’re there at The Clubhouse, or at Lemkus or at INFLUHKS – that’s when the magic happens. We will be back next year to do part two.” With many brands honing on ‘community’ as an ethos or framework, with The New Originals – it’s the essence of what they do. Their original work was throwing cult-status parties in Amsterdam, and through that the brand was born; for TNO, the energy of people together under one banner can never be replaced. Maru explains what Cape Town meant to them, “The energy in Cape Town is incredible. We are aware of the rise of Ampiano taking over the world – people are talking about South Africa. What we experienced in the city was our mutual ideas. The style in Cape Town, and in South Africa, is wild. It’s one of the few places I’ve experienced recently where subculture is boiling and bubbling. In the age of social media, everything becomes so saturated so quickly; South Africa still has facilities to nurture sub-cultures, individualism and collective expression. There is so much acceptance among people that I don’t really elsewhere, there is a spirit of believing in what you are doing. We want to be a part of this, and what this is all about. Yes, we can hear the music, but what is happening behind it? We can learn a lot from you in South Africa, especially in Amsterdam or London or Paris – where community-building is almost a slur nowadays, people throw it out there but it can be so exclusive. We were granted access to a community and culture that inspires us to do better where we come from.”
As for the future of TNO, Rizky reminds me that they are a young brand, so there is a lot left to do and build. He says, “We are starting out, really. We want to create further extensions of communities and bridges around the world, and tap into varying collectives in different cities. Our clothing drives that, but it’s really about meeting up and hanging out – that’s never really been possible before in the world, so it’s a new frontier. We want to highlight the fact that many people like us are starting companies and being creative, and it’s something that’s happening around the world – so if we can map it out, and bring people to Amsterdam, or visit their home cities, then we are achieving our vision.” The New Originals are a potent example of what it means to be young and create a company today – in the trenches of capitalism, consumption and chaos – there is a light shining out from all over the world, doing beautiful work and creating waves. We just have to be bold enough to search each other out, and then anything is possible.
Written by: Holly Beaton
For more news, visit the Connect Everything Collective homepage www.ceconline.co.za
