On weekends, what I usually do is hide out at my families house somewhere in the northern suburbs, generally to take the much needed quiet time to clear my head from a busy weeks thoughts, come up with fresh new concepts and process all the ideas that keep me up at night.
My cousin Kauthar and I felt the need to collab on something fashion related and so this video was created. For this video I envisioned shooting her in the clothes she wore while organising her closet there and then, so it could have that real and organic yet hoodrat feel to it. Hours later this was what we had come up with.
Please let us know what your thoughts are on our little collaboration, since we've already been planning some more.
In other news, I am totally obsessed with Jhene Aiko and the brilliance that are her beats right now, so we edited the video with our latest and favourite track.
Ciao
K A U T H A R X T H A B I E T
Kauthar wears
Billabong Cap
Moms Vintage floral jumper (cut into a crop top obvs)
Leggings from Mr Price
Nike sneakers
Gold and White chain from Woolworths
A week back, the girls and I got to attend the Autumn/Winter
lookboard & line show, of South Africa’s favourite online store
Spree.co.za. I was so keen to finally
attend an event with two of my oldest friends, who out of all my friends,
actually share the same passion and love for the fashion, beauty and media
industry as I do, which hyped me up even more.
The event was held at Wembley Square in town and the setting
could not have been any more perfect.Immediately I saw how well the event was put together and couldn’t wait
to see what Creative Director, Chris Viljoen had in store for the usual and ever
so jolly, Cape Town fashpack.A few snap
shots, usual banter & appletizer toasts later, the lights eventually dimmed
on us and we were in for a treat. I was delighted to find that there was a menswear line going to be showcased as well seeing that the brand never really catered for the stylish man.
I'm not going to say much about the pieces showcased, however I will leave you with our EVENT VIDEO and the beautiful pictures taken by our very own photographer, Qudoo-siyyah Stofberg.
About a week back, Sam and I attended the Lovell Gallery in Woodstock for the launch of their LOVELL TRANYR ART TROPHY, a competition held for artists from all over Africa, to make their mark in this respected industry. But before I go any further
, let me add that this was the first time we've ever been inside an art gallery (lame We know). It's just that I've always looked through the window from the opposite side of the street and never really felt like I would fit in, judging by the clients who go in and out on a daily basis. So since neither of us have been to one, we thought it would be a great opportunity for the both of us to experience something new and break down this bridge of separation between what we thought it would be like, and what it's really like on the inside. A tad Late, (obviously) we finally arrived and took our first jaw dropping lap around the all white and buzzing Gallery that is the Lovell. The pieces we saw were so inspiring and mind boggling at the same time. It was the first time I have experienced raw talent on this level. Every piece with a great story behind it. Every picture with emotion and almost all made from recycled materials. One cappuccino later we met the curator of the show, Kefiloe. She was genuinely excited to have a chat with us and so were we. She spoke to us about how she wanted more people to know that art galleries are not necessarily those up tight quiet places they've been made out to be. We instantly giggled because we were those exact "people" she spoke about. The people who felt they couldn't walk into a gallery because of the expensive art pieces on display. She has a vision to break down the barrier between Street art and Gallery art, to mix the two. Not comparing the difference in price, but just finding that happy medium between the two, kind of brilliant if you ask me. I totally agree with her! I feel like every artist should know that his or her work is noticed, not because of the gallery or price tag hanging from the back, but because of the ART itself. The thought that went into planning it. The effort that went into creating it. The emotion and message behind it, and lastly, how many people would be touched or moved by it in the end. So If you're an artist trying to branch out, then this competition is for YOU!
With that said...
My holiday and leave is now officially done for. The time of chilling by the pool all day is history. In-fact, Its that time of the month where my printer decides to spit hundreds of pages at me and wont leave me in peace. I do however, leave you with some more details on the competition, our almost regular Event Video Edit from our Youtube channel and some pictures I managed to snap. Enjoy!
Peace&Love
Press release by Lovell Gallery
"This
competition began in 2011 as The Lovell Gallery Artist Competition, with the
aims of identifying fresh artists with great collectable potential, and helping
them over the long term to achieve that success.
We
realized that true collectability requires more than an artist’s talent and
quality works – it also requires support from the art-world, collector
confidence, and constancy over time, and its these other factors that most
young artists are in real need of help with. We thus designed a layered process
beginning with a portfolio of 5 works, a requirement to write about the work, a
group show, a year of close gallery and artist interaction and development
towards a solo show, and the opportunity for ongoing representation.
Now in
its fourth year, the results of the approach are already evident in the success
of previous winners. Last year’s winner Vivien Kohler is working towards his
solo, but has already been offered two more solo shows through his group show
exposure (one in Cape Town and one in London) and has two commissions from
collectors. 2012’s winner Benon Lutaaya
has found great commercial success with sell out solo’s and a long commission
waiting list. His prices have risen from R8000 when he entered the competition
to R57000 now, driven by hard work, significant talent and exposure. 2011
Winner Neill Wright is gaining a solid reputation among collectors, and was
recently listed among the top 10 artists to watch by The Times of South Africa.
He has just hired his first studio assistant. Neville Petersen, also a 2011
solo winner (that year we offered more than one) has since won a list of
international awards, including exhibitions in London as finalist for
Environmental Photographer of the Year as well as the Terry O’Neill Award in
2013. We are very proud to be an ongoing partner in these artists’ success
stories.
In 2014
Tranyr Logistics, with offices across Africa, came on board as logistics
sponsors and partners to enable us to meaningfully expand the competition reach
to the whole continent. In the spirit of true partnership, and recognition of
the significance of this expansion, we are re-launching the competition under
the new name: Lovell Tranyr Art Trophy.
The competition allows applications in any visual
arts medium and is open to any emerging artist with a portfolio of at least 5
original artworks.
The prizes include:
§A finalist group exhibition at Lovell Gallery
§Career development by the gallery for the year leading up to
the winner’s solo show
§A solo show at Lovell Gallery alongside the following year’s
group show towards which Lovell Gallery we will provide all the help and guidance the artist
needs on how to prepare and present their solo exhibition
§Special exposure in a group show in London during Frieze art
week
§Exposure in local and international media
§Tranyr sponsorship means the artist does not have to worry
about, or pay for, any logistics – all artworks will be collected from the
artists’ studios, crated, freighted and delivered to the various exhibitions
and back again."
for more details you check out their website over here.
I know its been ages since I've posted but I can assure you I haven't been up to no good.
This Saturday I was lucky enough to attend the annual Cafe Caprice Summer Party in association with Guess and Ciroc, which was held at the beautiful Sante Holiday Resort and Spa in the calm and peaceful, Paarl winelands.
To be completely honest, I've never really experienced a pool party on such a level before. Good music, Great food and even better company to top things off. I tagged my friend/stylist Sam with me, just to get a good day out of busy Cape Town and man was it worth the trip. The theme this year was #CapriceMirage and so the location definitely added a spring-break feel to the over all event.
Since I could not find my camera, I had to use my Note to capture some clips and created a short edit on the event. Be sure to check it out below
If the video does not show on this page you can see it HERE
I took these pics with my Note 3 a few days back of my cousins outfit and I must say I'm pretty much impressed with the quality of the outcome. (Samsung totally gets me)
So Kauthar Keeks is my 16 year old cousin, who has the biggest dream of working in the fashion industry one day and I am so looking forward to seeing her dreams come true alongside mine. She's forever living out her Stylist/Designer dreams, playing dress up and pretty much snipping everyone's clothing up at home, to create a garment you would never say was once her dads shirt.
We took this UN-calculated Look post out of total boredom at the house we all grew up in, as kids and still do up until today. I mean the toilet pots put into the ground is just genius and don't even get me started on bambi and the rest of the cartoon animals who have been on those walls for as long as I can remember.
