Neoprene, the material of wetsuits, prepares us for submersion. Slipping into neoprene means we are about to sink into an otherworldy place. It’s no wonder then that neoprene has been the signature medium of designer Petro Steyn, the creator of Skeet. The avante-guarde fashion label includes neoprene bunny masks and surrealist dresses that are both ethereal and gritty in their aesthetic. These are clothes of mysticism, excavating the enchanting alter egoes of their wearers, and showcasing their submerged magic.
‘Neoprene so far has become my favourite medium as it is so versatile in form. It has the ability to mould around any shape, keep the form, support it, and to some extent protect it’. The material connotes superhuman shapeshifting, even invincibility. Neoprene’s toughness also resonates with the name, Skeet. ‘It started as a nick-name my sister used to call me. It is an Afrikaans metaphor. It means, ‘Jy is gehart.’ You are strong, tough loved and protected…taking everything in your stride’.
Skeet even describes her process as one of submersion — allowing oneself to be engulfed in the creative process. ‘You have to be flexible in the flow of executing things and not be closed up in a final idea of the thing. Because the only constant thing is change. You have to flow with that idea. Once you flow you realise why and how you’re doing it.’ And as with anyone submerged underwater, sound and speech are secondary for Skeet – she’s an artist that doesn’t talk much. Instead, it’s the underworld aesthetic that she hopes will enchant audiences.
Skeet trained at the Haute Couture School of Fashion Design in Cape Town soon after finishing her tertiary education. ‘The freedom and creativity I experienced kept me happy and content. I grew up with a mother and gran who taught me the basic skills of dressmaking so I had a good understanding of that already’.
She began by designing simple streetwear — a collecting of hoodie-come-scarves and a range of other items under the label Misfit. Skeet also spent a number of years teaching pattern-making. ‘I loved teaching, and have a 3-month pattern-making course I give on demand since the school I studied/taught at closed in 2008’. Around the same time, she launched the label White Noise. This was when Skeet first started working with neoprene, getting cut-offs from surf shops. She also spent some time designing tracksuits and harem pants. This included a comic-colourful collection of tracksuits styled as monsters and octopuses — fantastical creatures of the submerged.
Indeed, Skeet has been able to dive in and out of these two, very different, spaces, below and above the surface: from simple streetwear to outlandish couture. Her more avant-garde pieces have featured on the covers of The Lake and La Petite magazines. ‘The cut/shape of a silhouette will be unique to Skeet, either super simple and basic, or crazy weird and sculptural. As you progress you become aware of things that are continuous throughout the journey. I guess this is how your style or uniqueness becomes more defined. Neoprene has been there from the early start. So you can imagine what the new collection will be made of…’
Skeet’s new project will launch in October this year. Follow $keet on Facebook and on Instagram.
