Rochelle “Rharha” Nembhard, multifaceted visual artist, has been a loyal customer of SELFI, a Cape Town based fashion brand owned by fashion designer, Celeste Arendse. The comfort, quality and nostalgia of a SELFI garment made Rharha feel grounded and whole. Due to the modern, functional and bespoke design, the natural fabrics and the earthy tones, there was a distinct ease in the way Rharha felt in Celeste’s creations. So before 2017 came to an end, the two style mavens teamed up to produce their alluring collaborative capsule collection named, La Loba.
The name of the collection, meaning “wild woman”, is a story, element and narrative that Rharha added and then portrayed through the colour and shapes of the clothing. With the lookbook styled by Gabrielle Kannemeyer, online store images captured by Gemma-Mary Shepherd, and campaign images shot by Alix-Rose Cowie, they all injected vibrancy to a subtle SELFI shoot. All in all, the final product enhances the strengths of each half of this budding creative duo.
Even though Rharha and Celeste may live in contrasting worlds, they are both fluent in a language focused on its impact and penetration of the retail industry. Their ideal is to express this aim through every La Loba garment. Their collaborative collection juxtaposes a rich and delicate colour palette with flowing shapes and uniform structures “to exemplify the seemingly double consciousness of womanhood and societal expectations.” The distinct merging of feminine and masculine silhouettes challenge the one dimensional ideas of femininity. This collection celebrates duality and encompasses the full spectrum of womanhood with “confidence, charisma, and an undeniable old school African flair”.
La Loba will be available for a limited run, but there pieces available at the SELFI Flagship Store in Cape Town or Convoy in Johannesburg. For more updates on pop-ups follow La Loba on Instagram.
