As its name suggests, the Fashion Lab is an experimental space dedicated to pushing the boundaries of clothing and style. Founded in Johannesburg in 2014, it has used the workshop format to create cutting edge clothing which meets high fashion with high art. The workshop has an egalitarian ethos ” developed for anybody wanting to learn new skills, develop additional techniques or just experiment and explore to further their existing ability. Mentors are all experts in their specific fields, and have lots of practical and professional experience that they love to share”. Participants have worked on everything from drapery to textiles to doing fashion shots with smartphone cameras.
Along with teaching, the Lab has given birth to numerous striking collaborative projects. In 2014, they produced the ‘L’afrique C’est Chic’ shot for GQ Magazine, a celebration of contemporary African style. Its participants have experimented with music photography, producing stylised and baroque shots of local band The Sextons and rapper Gigi Lamayne. Photographed by Richard Thompson, Lamayne looks regal in silver and black dresses and headpieces. It’s an incredible futurist piece which looks like character designs from some yet unconceived science fiction epic.
Perhaps the most ambitious work produced to date is the short film Feral. The key theme of the work is fear- ”Fear of Time. Fear of Change. Time waits for no one.” The two minute film focuses on two dancers wrapped in an arcane power struggle. Alison Sischy Smith, in a skeletal white costume and Kieron Jina, in coffin black, writhe and snake around a set full of masks, puppetry and headgear. The result is supremely effective- more a plunge into the psyche than a conventional fashion piece. The success of this film shows the strength of the Fashion Labs collaborative ethos. Linking together different creative people in a workshop space allows their collective imagination to soar.
The Fashion Lab is on Facebook and Feral can be viewed below.