Killarney race course in Cape Town comes to life every Wednesday evening with petrol heads lining up to see if they can show off their remodeled cars and driving skills. With engines revving and adrenaline pumping, two drivers stare each other down while they wait for the signal to push their vehicles to the limit. With the crowd cheering, the wheels of the cars screech as they take off, a cloud of smoke creating a ghostly silhouette. It’s all about who can get to the finish line first, and look cool while doing it.
Robot2Robot started in 2015 as an initiative to curb illegal street racing in Cape Town and to give those who are interested in the activity, as a driver or spectator, a safe environment for racing. In an effort to keep racers off the streets, the City of Cape Town provided funding for the event. While the investment from the city is crucial, Reagan Paulsen (co-founder of Youth95 streetwear) states that it is important that the people who attend the events and have a love for the street racing scene are the ones who are documenting its cultural history.
Understanding the connection between Robot2Robot and certain aspects of street culture in Cape Town, Corner Store teamed up with photographer Nick van Tiem for an editorial at Killarney, tapping into the elements that keep people coming every Wednesday. Models are photographed as members of the crowd caught in a moment of intense reflection. The mood of the editorial shifts with images echoing the slow sunset.
Memories of the local corner store growing up, and saying to your friend, “meet me at the corner store”. Buying slap chips, fizzy drinks and gum. Playing the unbeatable claw machine in the hopes of procuring a plush toy to take home with you. To some, just fond nostalgia but to Duran Levinson, Hanna Goldfisch, Carla Vermaak and Wiebke Reich, this space holds the possibility for creative expression. The awakening of an editorial photographed inside and around corner stores.
To the team behind the shoot, their aims were simple, to create an editorial in their favourite corner stores and their surroundings. A shoot that would be an enunciation of colour and their creative expression.
Approaching styling in a non-conformist way, Carla opted for colourful styling instead of neutral tones that are often associated with winter styling and dress. Her choice of bright garments interacts with the backgrounds of the images in a near symbolic way, mimicking the brightness behind the model. Another element that adds to the fun vibrancy of the shoot is the marriage of styling with beautiful soft textured hats by Crystal Birch.
In order to elevate the look and feel of the editorial, Duran exposed his film to light after completion of the shoot. This editorial is defined by its spontaneity and experimental nature that visually manifests as a shoot of nostalgic beauty and a celebration of youth and fun fashion combinations.
The creatives behind this shoot were largely influenced by street style culture. Many factors contributed to this such as Duran’s ease and preference to street style photography. The spontaneity of this form of shooting is an aspect that Duran greatly values and seeks in his work.
Next gen Cape Town Streetwear brand Youth 95 have collaborated with International playboy and DJ extraordinaire K-$ on a capsule designed to suit you and your parents. K-$ has always existed well within the realm of fashion and streetwear and who better to make the move into clothing production with, than his good homies Seraaj Semaar and Reagan Paulsen of Youth 95.
Having referenced casanovas, mac daddies and supalovers of old as the key influence on his style, persona and musical language it’s only right that the K-$ spin on Youth 95’s signature full piece tracksuit, jumps off of the playboy logo, used as the centrepiece to the crest of Playboy Football Club. P.F.C plays on both K-$’s love for football and the hold that the off-duty-sportsman look has had on everyone for a minute.Initially the capsule was created as a K-$ exclusive, a commissioned set of flight suits built specifically for comfort, but quickly grew into a capsule made available to the public. It includes tees sporting a reworked version of the of the iconic October 1971 cover featuring Darine Sterling, the first black solo cover star in the Playboy’s history.
The capsule drops officially and exclusively at Corner Store CPT on Friday 2 June – the drop marks a special occasion in the history of corner store, as the store will be adding a variety of new brands to their roster – Sadly, Young and Lazy will no longer be with the store as they move onto a new chapter in their story.
Thinking back to the creative industry a number of years ago, creatives of all types generally operated within a specific field and seldom dabbled outside of its borders, unless they were of course, “against the grain”. It is my opinion that institutions of higher learning beg of their young students to specialize in one medium, and to be proficient in this medium exclusively. Multidisciplinary crafts are hardly ever encouraged. In a world of rapid change and instant gratification, the demands of clients ask more of creatives today. I state this as currently there are many stylists who have become proficient in an array of creative expressions to such an extent that they have the capability to wear every hat needed for the execution and completion of a project. We spoke to three of South Africa’s trailblazing all-rounders about their multifaceted creative exploits.
Anees, known for his designs, fashion label and styling, is becoming well versed in the medium of photography. He has set the tone and image (as both digital pixels viewed on electronic screens, and a physical dresscode) for what South African youths look like. Young & Lazy and the Corner Store have assisted in creating an image of our youth that is more versatile and heterogeneous. Looking through the duplicity of lookbooks created by this creative auteur it is almost like seeing Larry Clark’s 1995 ‘Kids’ in still form; yet unlike ‘Kids’ filled with messages of doom, Anees’ message is one of positivity – a celebration of youth.
At the start of Anees’ solo venture he only occupied the position of designer and handed over his collections to stylists and photographers to create lookbooks for him. Regarding it as an act of “letting go” to another stylist, he did not feel capable of styling at that early stage.
Photography by Anees Petersen
“Eventually, I made more collections and I started feeling that by ‘letting go’, the vision that I had, became watered down or changed…” Anees’ persuasion to be more hands on in this regard came from a sentiment that each stylist and photographer inadvertently added their own signature to a specific shoot – a style that he didn’t necessarily want to portray.
From there, Anees took it upon himself to style his designs and worked closely with photographers, making sure he took the lead in the art direction. It took Anees a while to step in behind the lens despite having experience with photographing on a point and shoot.
Photography by Anees Petersen
A boost of confidence intercepted when Anees needed to do some product shots with models and he could not find a photographer for the job at hand. Taking the leap, he photographed the set of images himself. Public review of his images was exceedingly in his favour.“It’s something that I really enjoy. It’s almost [at] a point where I would stop designing to become a photographer, if I could be a photographer.”
His process has become a union of image creator and designer pushing the focal points of his designs for consumers – this differentiating factor is what sets him and his deliverables apart. His style verges on blandness without any frill, lace or prettiness – yet these images should not be construed as unappealing. In fact, they draw you in and mesmerize their viewer.
Gabrielle is a name so embedded in Cape Town’s creative culture that it’s hard to speak about the scene and leave her name out of the conversation. Known for her immense talent as a stylist her hand brings styling to the foreground of any image. But Gabrielle does so much more than styling. A former student of Michaelis school of Fine Arts, she is also a producer, creative director and photographer.
Curious about when her creative disciplines started intersecting, Gabrielle tells me that the process already happened during her school years when she started a clothing business with a friend. Here she took on a chameleon like role of a photographer, stylist and co-director for their lookbooks.
Image courtesy of Gabrielle Kannemeyer
She unpacks her creative process as one that relies on documenting experiences. Her documentation takes the tangible form of drawing, creating mood boards and writing her ideas as they come to her. “Most of my work starts as something I see in my mind’s eye…” She shares that her process is ever changing and doesn’t necessarily take place in a linear pattern, stressing the importance of collaboration in her practice.
The Gabrielle Kannemeyer aesthetic can be defined as one with strong styling and simplified backgrounds. As a child growing up in the Northern Cape area she explored many landscapes which influenced her. She later moved back to Cape Town. She shares with me her strong belief that South Africans should tell our stories in the spaces that we are native to.
Image courtesy of Gabrielle Kannemeyer
The singularity of her styling practice arose from Gabrielle’s ability to recognize that what she wanted to bring across is something that she had not seen in the glossy pages of fashion magazines. “…No one was layering garments in a sculptural way, or in a way I thought was interesting.”
She explains that she thinks of the human body as a sculpture on which silhouettes can be changed to no end by adding elements or tying cloth and fabric to limbs. Inspiration also lends itself via the interpretation of clothes within our country she tells me. “I am incredibly inspired by the individuals I dress / collaborate with and it excites me to see the interaction they have with the silhouettes I build and all of that in relation to the spaces they are shot in is something I continue to explore today.”
Chloe works as both a stylist and a creative director honing her skills at Vega where she studied Graphic Design and Branding Communications, and later completed a short course in Personal Styling at Fedisa. Growing up in Durban as an only child, she cultivated a vivid imagination that has carried over into her adult life; spilling into her creative practice.
Her artistic interests came at a young age and was met with a similar fixation with dress up. Rummaging through her mother’s closet she would put together outfits that she called “characters” and insistently begged for an audience to admire her various ensembles.
Image courtesy of Chloe Andrea
“I started dreaming about my label in high school where I’d often sew myself up a top to wear out for the night. Later, launching my first collection in college called Ramble, which was completely ridiculous and outer space themed. My friend Nicci modelled the outfits, with my cousin behind the camera. It was then I realised I had discovered a new interest – the photograph.”
In the world Chloe creates for her clients framing takes a classical stance and every element within a picture frame is carefully thought out and placed. Her hand is known for its versatility and that is what she believes makes her projects distinct. From beautiful white on white to edgy pairings each project translates into human beings draped in such a way that they themselves become human artworks. “I’m inspired by creating characters and telling stories about them through fabric and images.”
Image courtesy of Chloe Andrea
Chloe tells me that her working in Nigeria has been her favoured project up to date. “Working in Nigeria – you learn a lot about self-identity and where you fit in. It’s also very challenging working in a new place where you don’t speak the languages. That being said, what a beautiful, colourful place! Everyday people rely more on local tailors to create garments for them rather than commercial retailers. It’s quite special.”
When it came to advice for young creatives with similar career aspirations, Chloe had the following to say, “The best advice I ever got was from Caroline Olavarietta. ‘Assist. Assist. Assist.’ I’d say, don’t chase fame and earn your stripes.”
Developing her skill set to encompass that of a fashion designer as well Chloe looks forward to a year of growth. She will continue creating garments for her own shoots as a costume designer while pushing the bill towards launching a full-time fashion label. She is currently being mentored in pattern making by a fashion designer.
“We are the future, for the kids by the kids,” states Antonio Druchen, one of the organisers of DOOMSNITE, a new party for young people in Cape Town. Antonio along with Qaanid Hassen, Naledi Holtman, Raeez Kilshaw and Likhona Camane created the event with the intention of gathering young people like themselves in one space for celebrating and connecting. Under the guidance of Crayons’ Ra-ees Saiet, they were able to host their first event on the 29th of January. Their hope is that this event will grow and become a space that represent creative freedom.
Reflecting on the time that sparked the idea for the collective, Raeez expressed that, “I felt as though we [had] all met before, in a spiritual realm.” This is representative of the kind of collective connection they have already created through their time together since meeting at a project hosted by Corner Store called Summer Camp. This was an apprentice programme for young up-and-coming artists in Cape Town to show them that they can cultivate skills in creative practices such as DJing, styling, and photography, and be successful.
The team refers to themselves as a kind of collective that also allows for each member to work on their individual practices independently too. This allows them to build a brand for their event, and offer each other support, without being completely absorbed by one project. Therefore, their collective is not exclusively about producing together, but also about providing each other with creative and emotional support. This is reflective of the direction that a number of people of colour from Cape Town are taking with regards to cultural production.
Influenced by underground, English-born hip hop artists MF DOOM, the team curated their first event around this. “MF DOOM’s ability to use music to portray many different characters reflects how music came first for him and for us, it’s the same thing,” explains Naledi. “Inspired by MF DOOM, we find beauty in creating a whole new world of intricate personas, vivid visuals and detailed bodies of music, all behind a mask,” Likhona expressed. Ensuring that the space was representative of the energy that has brought them all together – freedom, creative pleasures and wholesome music – their first party was explosive. Expressive visuals, music and dance coloured the night, and this included performances by Garth Ross and Guillotine Squad.
In addition to being a space for having a good time, the aim for the party is for it to be a platform that can facilitate networking between young people. This extends the party into an informal support structure.
Be sure to check out their next event in February at The Living Room.
Cape Town’s fashion narrative has expanded to encompass a new phase within the increasingly world class city with the opening of Orphan Street Clothing Shop, on Orphan Street. The store launched on the 2 November attracting lovers of street style and modern-day chic alike. The idea for this new dynamic space came about from husband and wife duo, Matt and Molly Kieser. O.S.C.S houses the Maylee and Sol-Sol brands, designed by the pair individually.
Progression within the Cape Town fashion landscape has accelerated resulting in a more interwoven aesthetic with a distinct approach to design, textiles and imagined buyers. Features on multiple platforms such as Bubblegum Club, Hyperbeast, and Highsnobiety acts as forms of a testament to the accolades that Sol-Sol has received over the years. Explaining why South-African fashion-centrics and other street style fanatics over the globe regard the label not only as trusted but as one of our nation’s greatest.
Maylee might not be as widely celebrated as Sol-Sol regardless, but Molly’s designs show an intricate understanding of the need for minimal, quality clothing for women. The small scale of her brand is an indication of personal choice and adds a certain flair to every collection that is produced. Before the launch of O.S.C.S, Sol-Sol and Maylee have operated from the well-known Corner Store shop in Cape Town. A space of their own is not only a suitable step for both brands but also a welcomed decision that can be surmised by simply looking at the turn out at their launch.
The interior design elements of the new O.S.C.S store makes use of light colours, a few darker areas and earthy elements such as some small sections of marble which was tastefully implemented. All and all a minimal, uncluttered, pristine space prescribing to modern retail design aesthetics. The smaller store set up is removed from fast paced fashion retail that can sometimes be overwhelming. Not being a fan of crowds or packed spaces and an avid admirer of these two labels, I’ll be sure to pop by the shop when I’m in town for what I imagine to be an almost tranquil shopping experience.
The launch was paired with the release of their Spring/Summer ’18 collections showcasing one-offs, a few collaborative pieces as well as superbly constructed items. The launch factored for all elements that make launches great, progressively different styles for Spring/Summer ’18, Jameson Whiskey kept everyone’s pallets quenched, and DJ’s Luca Williams and Jon Laura took charge of creating steady energy for the event with their beats.
In O.S.C.S the Kiesers have created a space seamlessly toning their ambitions for these two, praise worthy South African labels. Creating a new frontier that compliments the already fashion swarmed district. I look forward to seeing the growth of this new space on Orphan street and what the future of Maylee and Sol-Sol have in store for its devout wearers.
Sol-Sol Menswear, known for their quality men’s basics, has welcomed 2017 with its capsule collection created in collaboration with Hong Kong-based artist and illustrator Forlee Bean aka BAD IDEA.
Started by Durban-born, skateboarding veteran Mathew Kieser three years ago, Sol-Sol has heavy skate and street influences. Focusing on fit as well as design, Mathew wanted to create a brand that he felt he could wear. Complemented by 2Bop and Young and Lazy who share Corner Store CPT with Sol-Sol, it is clear that all three labels share a vision when it comes to streetwear but have different ways of materializing that vision.
Mathew has been a fan of Forlee Bean’s work for a while, including his recent work with Paris store Colette. During his last trip to Hong Kong a coffee meet up planted the seed for the Sol-Sol and BAD IDEA collab. “Later that day he [Forlee Bean] texted me with some artwork and was like ‘yo lets do something’,” explained Mathew, “It was extremely easy and I think that is the way things should happen”. Already a fan of Forlee Bean’s style, Mathew chose designs he felt represented both his art and the Sol-Sol brand. “He has this 90s skate vibe [with] all these cats on skateboards,” Matt explained. This resonates with Mathew’s skating influence for Sol-Sol. “He didn’t want to hear from me until the tees were printed…He wanted a surprise and yeah that’s how it went.”.
Bearing resemblance to graffiti images spray painted over text, elements of Sol-Sol’s clean, simplistic logo share space with Forlee Bean’s illustrations of cats, birds and dollar signs. The collection sees Forlee Bean’s illustrations incorporated with the Sol Sol signature logo in cheeky ways, such as the ‘S’s for Sol-Sol presented as painted dollar signs. A second design sees the ‘S’ in Sol-Sol replaced by the curved tale of a mean-mugging cat biting a mouse with a skateboard in its hand. This adds a playful character to the collection as well as merges both Forlee Bean’s drawing style and the minimalist look of Sol-Sol in a seamless manner. The collection includes three different black and white cotton tees, rugby jerseys and a nylon coach jacket with metal coated press studs.
The new range is available at Corner Store or online
Excited about the local support SA streetwear has been receiving and the direction that it is going in, Mathew also let us in on a plans for a second collection with BAD IDEA for later this year. Keep checking out Sol-Sol’s Instagram and Twitter to make sure you get on it as soon as it drops.
Anthony Smith, founder of South Africa’s most befokte clothing label, 2Bop, has always lived by his own rules and he’s proving that you don’t need to buy into the lily-white-old-boys-club-hierarchy of the traditional Cape Town creative industries in order to level-up. As a kid he’d be skating and shooting hoops and skieting games from the rough Northern areas to the idyllic Summerstrand and Kings Beach while his ‘art’ teacher plotted new drawing formulas for the class to conform to. Even back then he was too organicfor graph paper, could dallah pump fakes against the systems of constraint. Smith tells me about growing up in a coloured community in PE and at 15, being a bit insecure moving from a ‘ghetto school’ to a ‘fancy private school’ where “all the kids knew Shakespeare and shit” but how he soon realised that kids were just kids, the only difference was access. So he’d make his own spaces, skating across racial divisions and jamming the arcade games which flourished in the blind spot of apartheid’s gaze.
There’s a richness to childhood experiences which we never really realise at the time; how can you properly articulate the victory of discovering Double Dragon 2 in your grandparent’s street when you’d started to expect all the good games to be in the white areas? Or the excitement for other kids being good at the games because it meant seeing all the levels and characters and bosses without spending your own 20 cent pieces? It’s not about some kind of misplaced nostalgia, it’s about formative experiences that remain relevant to 2Bop today. Smith’s brand has never bought into the legacy of inferiority that still remains ‘post-apartheid’, it’s always taken pride in local culture, manufacturing locally and channelling Afrikaaps or coloured club culture through remixed StrictlyRhythm Records aesthetics. But all of this diverse texture is exploded open, utilised in a way that opens up appeal rather than shuts down access, drawing on the value of the lo-fi as a platform for the imagination. You can play just about any game today on an emulator and that’s cool, it doesn’t hack the power of the OGs who know the Juicy lyrics when they see them. Smith’s already two-steps ahead, establishing his own company called Premium MFG and Co., producing for like-minded clients and upcoming brands. He also his eye on eventually going full circle to actually producing video games and is already bringing arcade style home by creating a new game controller prototype.
For all of his success, Smith’s incredibly humble and expresses immense gratitude for his team and the counter-culture checkpoint at Corner Store in Cape Town. He’s cracked the code and is subverting the structure through the communal and collaborative, bringing on interns, hiring young designers, and creating work with all different kinds; from well-established artists to a 6 year-old kid named Kayden. Smith’s pioneering a new business culture; while you were rushing to take notes, he was utilising the resources to make full colour print-outs for logos of the future. While you were networking with corporates, Smith was realising the value of friends who could hustle with heart and who held skills that didn’t fit into lame-ladder job descriptions. There are other ways that you can do things, power in articulations that don’t conform to narrow definitions of language and 2Bop’s the turnaround jump shot. What company do you keep?
This Friday the 13th, the stars have aligned and luck is in your favour with two of South Africa’s finest streetwear brands, Sol-Sol Menswearand Young and Lazy, dropping an exclusive, collaborative capsule collection at Corner Store CPT.
Creative directors and designers Mathew Kieser and Anees Petersen have been inspiring aesthetic attitudes across the country and now join forces to create an internationally relevant, yet locally inspired collection with the versatility to be worn across a wide variety of cultural and economic situations; from the wayward delinquent to the advertising executive, from the care-free skater kid to the carefully-curated clothing geek.
Scope the impeccably crafted collection in the lookbook below, shot by Ricardo Simal; with classic long and short sleeved tees, collaborative text-based logos that will get the cool-collector drooling, reworked outerwear denim with the freshest silhouette, as well as beautifully detailed and reworked chinos.
With its quality, uncomplicated approach, combining a minimalistic pallet with subversive pops of colour, a tasty combination of fabrics, and an interestingly unisex feel, you can easily scoop one or two special items or wear it head-to-toe.
Check out the drop and party here and claim a piece of this important moment in SA clothing culture!
The Outfitters, a men’s fashion museum, is an urban institution for urban workers, a cultural and historical nexus dating back to Johannesburg in the 1920’s. A staple of the CBD, and originally run by Indian tailors, the aesthetic from these boutiques became ingrained in urban culture and observable throughout the country’s towns and cities. The influence of street cultures, in the form of pantsula and skate style see the outfitters aesthetic into the millenium as it gets reimagined by the young and urban from Tiisetso Molobi founder and creative director of Urban Mosadi to Boyzn Bucks crew member Mkay Frash, Kabelo Kungwane & Wanda Lephoto from the Sartists creative collective, Anees Petersen founder and creative director of Young & Lazy and Corner Store’s Kalo Canterbury. These fashion forward are featured below, in the denim dungarees, checkered shirts and khaki’s that have been the uniform of urban workers for decades transcending ethnicities and even gender.
