Bubblegum Club

Tag: menswear

  • GOOM // Pushing the boundaries of menswear

    GOOM // Pushing the boundaries of menswear

    After starting off at Central Saint Martins studying womenswear print, GOOM designer Goom Heo reevaluated her position and felt the need to click pause. Being completely open about the fast-paced fashion lifestyle and the pressure that can come from being pushed into spaces that one is not ready for, Goom turned down potential placements with brands such as Dior, Kenzo and Margiela for a two year sabbatical from the industry, and went back home to Korea. However, she never stopped taking in the life she saw on the streets, and armed with her camera, she documented the trash that she found around Korea and China. Goom remembers one distinct moment, seeing a man roll up his t-shirt to expose his large belly, and no one around him being concerned about this.  For her this represents her decision to go back to CSM as well as the premise behind her final collection; not being concerned about what other people think and taking ownership of one’s fashion choices.

    Upon her return she switched to menswear, something that she hoped would wake her up creatively, considering that she had been out of the game for two years. Inspired by trash and the man she saw with his belly exposed, Goom translated the colours and textures from her photographs into her layered t-shirt design. Her final collection at CSM was a combination of these t-shirts, excessively broad shoulders for 80s-inspired tailored jackets and multicoloured turtlenecks. The collection was captured by blurry images, making the viewer absorb the garments through a trippy, hallucinatory glow.

    Having grown up in Korea, and spending one year in a small town in the US, Goom expressed how living in London while studying has allowed her to unleash her creativity, referring both to her own sense of style as well as her practice as a designer.

    “I thought I kind of wanted to do menswear in second year but I was scared of it because I thought of menswear having to be perfect with amazing sewing, pattern cutting and tailoring. But I thought ‘ok I can do that, or I can change it to be like something else’,” she expressed in an interview with Hunger, “I wouldn’t say my collection is 100% perfect or traditional menswear but you can still see hints of it. But what’s proper anyway?”

    Her collection is all about attitude, with male models walking assertively down the runway with shorts stretched over the bottom of oversized tailored jackets and white fishnet stockings pulled over models’ knees. Her decision to jump back into the industry received incredible validation when her collection won her the L’Oréal Professionnel Young Talent Award.

    Goom is currently embarking on her MA, and the fashion world cannot wait to see how she will elevate and/or transform her already well-known name.

  • Tsepo Tsotetsi SS18 collection – visiting a dreamlike place

    Tsepo Tsotetsi decided to take his love for fashion to the next level after high school. Welcoming the guidance and refinement that was offered while studying fashion, he started his self-titled label in 2015. “It [fashion] has taken over my life now. It’s a big part of who I am and most importantly how I choose to express myself.”

    For Tsepo fashion is about being able to find yourself and not being afraid to make that known. This is how he approaches his work. With a focus on detailing and deconstruction combined with a love for simplistic sportswear lines, Tsepo has been able to elevate his garments by adding in a dark element to how he conceptualizes he pieces. He uses his surroundings and experiences to communicate with a “strong, honest African, and potentially global, outlook.”

    The beginning stages of his collections start off with writing down words, which he then filters down to what resonates with him most at that moment in time. Responding to the feelings that these words evoke, his sketches and garments become visual representation of these feelings.

     

    His SS18 collection was inspired by the idea of visiting a dreamlike place, a story that continues from his previous collection. Explaining the story and how this was translated into garments, Tsepo stated that, “He [the character] has to adapt to his surroundings and find a way to make his purpose mean something. A man in a place of desolation. [In the collection] there are elements of dreaming, poeticism, romanticism, darkwave, sportswear and twists on menswear. There are also deconstructed elements.”

    His love for experimenting with contrasting fabrics and deconstruction was made clear in the SS18 collection. This includes a deconstructed quilt, which involves quilting in patches. “I like to translate transparency as well. This involves using fraying technique to expose, but as a decorative element too.” Crepe also makes an appearance as a fabric that he has added to his list to experiment with.

    Reflecting on the direction he sees South Africa’s fashion industry going and how he would like to contribute to it, Tsepo expressed that, “I love what’s happening menswear, for womenswear as well. I love what young designers are doing now. There is a lot of energy and vibrancy. We definitely are a competing force. I think our industry is still on the developing side but I love the direction it’s heading towards. I’m still young, still developing my own aesthetic and how I want to communicate my voice.”

  • Simon Deporres AW17 Collection ‘Decade’

    To commemorate their 10 year anniversary, South African menswear brand Simon Deporres launched their AW17 collection, Decade. This collection continues with their signature design aesthetic – utilitarian minimalism. In the signature Simon Deporres approach to fashion, the collection focuses on timeless pieces that can be carried over through seasons.

    The range of jackets and coats includes the Sherpa Bomber, the Cedar Parka, the Shearling Aviator, and the Alphen Blazer which together are the epitome of Simon Deporres design. The use of quality fabric combines durability, function and style.  Those in the mood for something a little more casual will find their Niseko Nomad half-zip hoodie appealing. The collection also includes a range of shirts and trousers.

    View the full range on their website.

  • Good Good Good ‘Broken Hearts Club’ T-shirt capsule collection by Jana Hamman

    I spoke to Daniel Sher about Good Good Good’s latest capsule collection, Broken Hearts Club.

    Tell our readers a little bit about Good Good Good.

    Good Good Good is a functional basics menswear brand for men of all sizes, manufactured in our family factory in Cape Town. While quality menswear basics is at the core of our brand philosophy, we have recently started to venture into designing and manufacturing more classic and technical menswear items with the aid of some very experimental fabrics.

    The minimal aesthetic of our core basics range also serves as an excellent platform for us to collaborate on more artistic and contemporary menswear capsules, such as this ‘Broken Hearts Club’ T-Shirt capsule with Jana Hamman or our soon to be released capsule with South African artist David Brits, which were both showcased as part of our runway collection at SA Menswear Week.

     

    Tell our readers about the thinking behind the name for the collection, ‘Broken Hearts Club’.

    We feel that the capsule name has a bitter-sweet and very human feel to it. Almost everybody has had their heart broken at some point in their life, whether that heartbreak came via a romantic relationship or from another life situation. The humor in wearing a T-Shirt series of that name/with that phrase splashed across the front chest is something that many people can identify with and hopefully laugh at. It also hints at the small personal victory associated with rising above the emotional lows brought about by a broken heart.

     

    What was the inspiration for or thinking behind the collection?

    We wanted to release a capsule of love inspired T-Shirts for Valentine’s Day. Since our SA Menswear Week show fell on the 3rd of February, it seemed a perfect idea to use the runway as the platform in which to reveal a teaser of the capsule.

     

    Tell our readers about collaborating with Jana Hamman for this collection.

    Jana is always fantastic to work with. We’ve been very close friends for a few years now, and since I was familiar with her artistic style and inspiration, I felt that she was the perfect person to work with in order to realize the vision that I had for this capsule.

    It was also very last minute, and I know she conceptualized and painted for hours the Sunday before our menswear week show. I think it’s fair to say that she killed it!    

    Once the illustrations were down, it was a quick and seamless collaborative process whereby we worked together to decide how and where to place them onto the T-Shirts.

     

    Any other info you would like us to mention about the label or the collection?

    We are busy working on the production of our SA Menswear Week collection, which consists of 2 parts; a standalone Good GoodGood collection and our collaborative capsule with South African artist David Brits. Later this year we also have a few exciting collaborations lined up with a few local artists as well as with some South African institutions which we tend to frequent.

    The collection is exclusively available for purchase from their online shop.

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    Credits: 
    Photographer: Carl David Jones – the entire look book was shot on 35mm film.
    Art Direction: Jana Hamman & Daniel Sher
    Models: Kimberley Davidson and Inge Somdyala
    Hair and Makeup: Wanida Keeping

  • Forlee Bean gets some So(u)l: Sol-Sol Menswear’s new collaboration

    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.

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    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.

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    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.

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  • Sol-Sol x Young and Lazy drop an exclusive, collaborative collection at Corner Store CPT tonight!

    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 Menswear and 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.

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    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!

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    Credits:

    Photographer – Ricardo Simal

    Stylist + Director – Anees Petersen

    Model – Pierre Carl Vermeulen