UNDACOVA UNDERWEAR LATEST CAMPAIGN

For their latest campaign images Chris Kilching and Percy Ndaba brought along Michael McCloud to capture models running around the beach in Undacova underwear blowing bubbles. Shot last weekend with models from Ice, Base and 20 management that include Patrick Bamber, Ihan Oosthuzen, Bradley Penaar, Sydne K, Til Jung and Wesley V. Hair and make-up by Amber Kennedy and Marianna Mukuchyan and styling by Odysseus Von Bizmark.

RARELY WORN SALE - 4

Finally, after three successful runs the 'rarely worn' sale is now introducing menswear. We already know how difficult it is to spot great quality menswear in thrift stores. This concept is slightly different in that they will be also be selling modern pieces, designer labels and labels not yet available in South Africa too. The basic premise urging you to empty your closet of buyers remorse/no longer pleasing items. 

Contact rarelyworn@gmail.com to contact the girls about your own items. I'll be there so best you stop by!

JACQUES NAUDE FOR FASHIONISTO MAGAZINE

Our local boy is doing pretty well for himself in New York. The Wilhelmina model will feature among a slew of big names in the upcoming first edition of Fashionisto magazine. Jacque was photographed by Richard Pier Petit in Dior Homme and styled by James M. Rosenthal. Go here to order your copy now.

Artisan and Local: Incredible Ice Cream

  With the freezing rain still pouring outside my window, I needed something that makes me happy... one of my new favorite products since moving to Cleveland.  The local artisan ice cream, Jeni's!  While I am usually a gelato fan, and actually a huge fan of the Capogiro gelato in Philadelphia, I have to admit that this Jeni's is the equivalent in ice cream of Capogiro gelato.  All of Jeni's pints are hand packed and produced right in Columbus, OH.  They use as many fresh ingredients as possible, from the Ohio countryside, while sourcing exotics from around the world.  During the Ohio growing season, they claim lots of "Ohio love", supporting local farmers, by buying local.  All of the cream is from Ohio dairy, from pasture raised cows, with no antibiotics, growth hormones, herbicides or pesticides..just cows eating grass.

Jeni's focuses on fresh clean flavors, instead of overwhelming sweetness.  There is a whole line of 16 interesting signature flavors such as: Salty Caramel, Bangkok Peanut, and Wildberry Lavender, and then a shorter line of seasonal favorites that change with the season.  This end of winter season promotes Honey Buttercake, Askinoise Dark Milk Chocolate, and Lime Cardamom Yogurt (which happens to be in my freezer at this very moment). 

 

Each flavor is so powerful and exciting that you slowly savor each spoonful, while looking forward to the next.  The ice cream is thick and creamy, but not rich, nor heavy.  

 

While there are just a few Jeni's ice cream shops around the Columbus area, you can also buy the pints in high-end grocery stores here in Ohio, or, of course on their website!  How great would it be to get a delivery of ice cream on your front porch?  When I was down in Nashville, TN last month, I noticed a new coffee and ice cream shop that just opened in the trendy Hillsboro Village...and all it sells in Jeni's!  If you haven't yet tried Jeni's, check out a store or their website and give it a try...or support your own local artisan ice cream (or gelato) producer, and let me know what you think! After all, if you are going to eat the fat and sugar in an ice cream why not make it the absolute best tasting, and most satisfying, fat and sugar possible?

THE DESIGN INDABA 2011 - ADRIAAN KUITERS AND THE SUMMIT

The first time I met Cindy Poole of The Summit was a year ago. I was encouraged to visit her stall by Robyn Cooke who said this girl was incredible. The only difference between then and now is Poole dons a shorter 'do. The enthusiasm and energy is still very much the same, gasping and giving me another item to hold before she's finished telling me about the one before. There are few designers I have  encountered with half the excitement. It's inspiring.

Now being proud and raving about your product is one thing but having it backed up with superior quality and design is another. Cindy's gentleman is a throwback to an old age, he carries a newspaper around, smokes cigars. But he is also modern with a certain sense of whimsy.

I was particularly a fan of the leather and sterling silver collar clips she added to her collection, these are great because you can also add them to your jacket lapel at different angles. This "Ridgeback to back link" sells for R620 and is part of the first range of jewelry for the Summit.

She joined Adriaan Kuiters (available at Spence) at this years Design Indaba with her range of leather goods. I thoroughly enjoyed these two together, what a great match.


IMAGES COURTESY OF SDR PHOTO

Schön! FEATURES LOCAL DESIGNERS IN ISSUE 10

Local designers Stiaan Louw, Suzanne Heyns and David West are featured in the latest issue of Schön! magazine. You can access the whole issue at nineteen74.com but make sure to see page 138.

GREGG HAMMOND IS COSMOPOLITANS SEXIEST MAN 2011

It's easy to win the Cosmopolitan Sexiest Man award. You just have to be, you know, tall and ridiculously handsome, and well built, and tanned and... well nevermind.  Taking over from Wynand Olivier who won in 2010 is Fusion model Gregg Hammond. Along with a R10 000 cash prize the winner also walked away with a floating trophy and goodie bags galore. 
According to claytonmorar.com Hammond is "currently focussed on his modelling career and appears regularly in print campaigns and commercials, he’s also completing his final year of studies for an LLB. He excels at anything sports-related; he cycles, runs marathons and loves the gym." Obviously.

The event which was held in Johannesburg last night was sponsored by The Oxford and KISS and hosted by Bonang Matheba.If you're want to see who lost to Gregg or if you're just jealous take a look at the other 12 guys in this year’s Cosmopolitan Sexiest SA Men Calendar, or take a look at the February 2011 issue of Cosmopolitan (on sale now) or visit www.cosmopolitan.co.za

(Credits: Cindy Ellis, Cosmopolitan magazine, Clayton Morar).

PORTRAIT OF A NATION

I was very honored at the beginning of last week to be photographed by Andrew Brauteseth. You may also know him by his other name "guy with camera". He was voted best photographic blog at the recent 2010 Blog Awards, his campaigns, editorials and shoots are in all the major local magazines and still he finds time to surf.

He started a project he calls "A portrait of a nation". He has long list of local personalities and figures, equally as long are the names he has already photographed for the series. Bloggers, entrepreneurs, politicians, comedians and regular people feature. So please do take a look at this wonderful series.





We went out onto the streets of Cape Town to take a snap of me ironing while smoking a cigarette. Andrew likes his subjects to smoke. He likes his images quirky and to place the models in out of context areas. Which is what we did. It was windy, to say the least. This was to be the original concept of the photo shoot but we later ended up in his studio where he chose my sacred anchor to make the shoot more intimate.

Ten Questions With Gavin Rajah

Gavin Rajah is standing over a fashion precipice. Behind him he has made a name for himself as one of South Africa's leading womenswear designers. He has dressed many local celebrities, appeared in Vogue and Harpers & Queen among many others, become a Goodwill Ambassador and now he's facing  a whole new challenge altogether: Menswear.

Over the last few months small drops of campaign images landed in front of me. Rajah has done menswear before but never a full collection. Will it be welcomed by the South African public? Why did he wait until now? Curious as ever I contacted the man himself to find out more about this collection.

People are quite intrigued that you are suddenly shifting to menswear. Has this been the plan all along? 

All I am doing is diversifying our brand and making sure that we are able to cater to a demand from men wanting us to do this. I did not want to go into menswear until I was happy that we had the proper supply chain in place in terms of fabrics and trims. I also needed to ensure that we could manufacture to an exacting standard and the product could hold its own. We have always done a a bit of menswear for select clients and what we wanted to do with this collection to simply increase the product offering but limit the quantities. It’s done at the same level our women’s wear collection is and is based on the same design philosophy.

The campaign drops you have released for this collection suggest it will be all formal, does this carry through the whole collection? 

The collection is more about tailoring and is exceptionally formal as that is what my market wants. Fine tailoring in exceptional fabrics. The collection is also largely geared for made to measure orders. There are a standard collection of suits with different fits and silhouettes from which clients can select from.

What was your inspiration process for designing your menswear collection, is it different to designing for women?

I think the inspiration process has largely remained the same although not as evident in the styling of the collection. I think the movie “American Gigolo” was part of the inspiration for this collection. I remembered Armani doing the suits for the  movie and it had always stayed as a reference in my mind. We have focused on adding detail in the construction and the finish of the garments and wanted the fabrics and the design to speak first. I think that our male market is as discerning as our female market but not overtly flashy. The men we tend to dress are engaged in business and have an appreciation of fine things in life. 

(Above: Jeannie-D [photo credit: styleguidecapetown] and Leanne Liebenberg who are regularly spotted in Gavin Rajah's clothing)

There has been confusion on wether or not this is a made to order or a bespoke collection, can you clarify? 

This collection is based on largely made to order. As opposed to our ladies collection we have found that men who want to spend money on suits want them to fit well. There too many off the peg collections in the market and our intention is to focus on menswear which is made to order. We keep a limited range of standard sizes which we are able to tailor to fit but by and large everything is made to order.

Where will this collection be available to purchase? 

This collection available at present via our studio only and from later this month the collection is available on our online store www.gavinrajah.com

Who is the ideal man that you see in 'Gavin Rajah menswear'? 

There is not really an ideal man as such but I think someone who has an appreciation of fine craftsmanship, quality and superb fabrics.

What can you tell me about the tailoring? It's obviously very important today to have a well-fitted suit. 

For me I think that suits are really works of art. There is meticulous attention to the way the suit falls over the chest, the slope of the shoulders, the way one’s body interacts with the drape of the fabric etc. Fabrics that one uses are as important as all the other components one uses in the construction of a fine suit. Proper interlinings, fusings and linings are just some of the key items in which are integral to the overall fit of the garment. Tailoring in the true sense of the word is just something which is becoming a dying art form. There are a whole new set of skills one needs in constructing a suit and the people who make these garments are true craftsman and have a refined sense of proportion. 

What kind of fabrics are you using?

I am using fabrics mostly from Dormeuil. We have used cashmere/silk blends and super 150’s and 200’s in wool predominantly in the collection. The next season we are extending the fabric offering as we have sourced some amazing fabrics from Italy.

The campaign shoots are quite sleek and remind me of a few high-fashion brands, what exactly is the message you wish to convey through your campaign? 

I think I needed a campaign which was clean and made the garments speak out and at the same time needed to convey a level of sophistication without being too sterile...it still had to be sexy. I think our message is simple, for the discerning man who loves the finer things in life and who is not too much of a conservative dresser. I think the images had to also be able to sit next to other high fashion brands and compete on an equal footing as a lot of our clientele but ~ also other luxury brands. We worked hard to source a model who we also believed could be sensual and communicative and fitted the garments well and I think we found it in Piero Puccini (PURE MODEL MANAGEMENT) who has an impressive portfolio and with Jesse Leigh Elford, a great photographer who is very fashion forward and has a great eye for detail as well.

Where do you see your brand in five to ten years?

I am overwhelmed by the response and really did not envisage how well it would do and I think we were caught a bit unprepared but next year our intention is to first increase our clientele and then look at creating a far more commercial line by end of year 3. I hope to think that in 10 years from now that it would be as entrenched as our ladies wear (which took ten years to actually come into its own!) and possibly available through select outlets around the world.

Undacova underwear now at Woolworths

Having only existed for two years, it really is a pleasant surprise to discover local underwear label 'Undacova' is making their swift ascent into mainstream retail. Having witnessed their latest showing at AFI Cape Town fashion week in August I can vouch for the zany and quirky brand. Obviously Woolworths feels the same because as of October 13th you can buy your very own 'Undacova' underwear in their stores. 

Chris Kilching, Creative Director of Undacova was a graphic designer by trade before any ideas to start an underwear label with his partner Percy Ndaba. But like the start of most great things they felt there was an obvious need for a fashion forward local underwear brand.

Naturally, Kilching has ambition to take this small and young brand and have it reach into a wider market, pressing the importance of expanding production capacity and distribution. But that is where Woolworths fits in. "Having a range at Woolworths also gives you the opportunity to explore a different segment of the market. Besides that, it brings a certain amount of stability and security which you need to build a strong brand. The deal also gives you credibility in the industry". The exclusive range Undacova have designed for Woolworths stores  "sticks to the core attributes of the Undacova brand". Meaning their bold use of colour, print designs, comfort and fit will bring "quite a bit of (much needed) excitement" to the Woolworths retail environment. 

The daring colour palette Ndaba and Kilching are introducing will certainly stick out over the black/white/grey briefs you have come to expect. And they only retail for around R130, which isn't bad at all.

DAVID WEST OPENS LONG STREET STORE 'DOKTER AND MISSES'

What could be more Capetownian than when all the cool kids gather around and drink beers on a gorgeous day? If there is such a thing I'm not interested. David West being ever so Capetownian decided to open up his newest endeavor in this theme. He called it 'Dokter and Misses' and without any exaggeration it really was spilling over with the Cape Town cool crowd. So much so that we all ended up on the street talking. Seth and I got into a fascinating topic (See below) and we were later joined by Dylan Jack and 'Popyacollar' blogger Sam (I stole the photo from her site).

Getting a close up view of West's range (which we first witnessed at Cape Town Fashion Week in August) was a particular treat. He really seems to understand what we want in terms of fabric and design. Light, soft materials for the hot weather and pleasing, quirky prints. The breton-striped tee was a particular favorite but naturally it came second to the blue checkerboard-esque shirt which carried the conversation of his range in August. 
The new store was a joint venture between West and his partner Elmi and Dokter and Misses Joburg based furniture and product design duo. This is their first outlet in Cape Town. (They have a store at 44 Stanley in joburg as well as a showroom and workshop in partnership with WhatIfTheWorld called Co Op in Braamfontein).


So why the partnership? David and Elmi felt that Katy and Adriaan were kindred spirits, and if you see the store you will notice how their respective products compliment one another. Having only a short time to view the store on opening-day it was easy to miss the shopfitting details which West developed to change fixtures and displays according to the product they wish to show. They worked with Elmi on designing the rails, lighting the fitting room and shop counter. 

Pre-West the shop was a famous Aspen Flower shop. It has a Victorian facade which was restored to its original glory. And now it houses David West which I'm sure will have you all investigating it soon. And best you do!

Country Road Spring 2011 Campaign feat. Vincent Lacrocq & Niels Raabe by Daniel Jackson

With a whole new range already in store locally, Country Road released their Spring 2011 campaign photographed by Daniel Jackson. Niels Raabe (German not South African oddly enough) models alongside Jeisa Chiminazzo, Julia Hafstrom and Ieva Laguna. Country Road's latest images even include that green safari shirt I am coveting!

Go take a look at their new collection, it's pretty great!

image source: fashionisto

GQ: The Entertainers

Local comedians Rob van Vuuren and Riaad Moosa appear in this months GQ. I am a big fan of The Rob. 'Twakkie' is my kindred spirit. Glad to see his feature. Cool photography right? I included the odd but amusing questions they were asked for your enjoyment.



ROB VAN VUUREN


Age: 34
Credits: The Most Amazing Show, Strictly Come Dancing, SA’s Got Talent, Footskating 101 (2007), Bunny Chow (2006), and Crazy Monkey Presents Straight Outta Benoni (2005)
Occupation: Thespian
Growing up, whose posters were on your wall? Argh, that’s way too embarrassing to even contemplate admitting. I grew up in the ’80s (which isn’t fair to anyone) and I strongly believe that whatever happens in the ’80s should stay in the ’80s. Okay, I’ll tell you, Patrick Swayze and Belinda Carlisle. Blind.
What’s the funniest thing you’ve ever heard? I went incognito to the latest Leon Schuster to check out the scene where I schucksed him, and the guy sitting a couple of seats down from me said to his mate (when I appeared on screen); ‘What a doos.’ I thought that was pretty funny. Perhaps not the funniest thing I’ve ever heard, but funny nonetheless.
When did you know you wanted to get into this business? For as long as I can remember. I am painfully extroverted and I’ve been putting on shows forever. My biology teacher in high school used to say that all the time. It was hilarious though.
Describe the school-kid version of yourself. Scourge of biology teachers everywhere.
What is the secret to your success? Never, ever stop working. And don’t be kak.
What would your fans be most surprised to learn about you? That I’m six foot five in real life.

RIAAD MOOSA

Age: 33
Credits: His post is addressed to ‘Dr Moosa’
Occupation: Comedian/doctor
What’s the funniest thing you’ve ever heard? Larry David’s ‘Ski Trip’ episode in season five of Curb Your Enthusiasm. I identify with the subject matter.
What message would you like to give to all the critics? Mom, leave me alone. I like this shirt.
Have you ever had a stalker, and if you could meet them, what would you say to them? If I’m in a situation where I meet a stalker, I’ll probably say things like ‘Please don’t kill me’, ‘Smearing that lipstick on your face makes you look distinguished’ and ‘your mother’s basement is awesome’.
Have you ever been told that you’re not funny? Yes. Thanks for bringing that up. Awesome.
Describe the school-kid version of yourself. Big hair, big eyes, big teeth, big glasses, big nose, big... personality.
A lot of the beautiful women we feature say humour is one of the most important qualities anyone can have. What do you think? Sure, Brad Pitt has an amazing sense of humour. I’m sure if Angelina Jolie met Casper de Vries, Brad would be bringing out the lotion.
What line(s) would you use on a girl? Do you mean pick-up lines? You know I’m married, right? What line do I use on my wife? ‘Quick, the kids are asleep!’
Have you ever asked, ‘Don’t you know who I am?’ Yes. I asked my uncle. He has senile dementia.

Catch all of the entertainers, including Riaad Moosa, Jack Parow, Trevor Noah, Whackhead, Ben Trovato and the Julius Malema puppet in the September issue of GQ. On sale now

Photographs by Russell Smith

STIAAN LOUW DOCUMENTARY: Brand vs. Persona

I just got this video teaser in and wanted to share it with you straight away! In a new 12 minute documentary Stiaan Louw is followed around during the recent build-up to 2010 Design Indaba. Not only will you be introduced to the process of building a line, but you will also discover the artist behind the name.



The documentary director, Kyle Lewis had this to say of Stiaan :

"I believe that the world of fashion; design and film all co-inside. And as a fashion lover myself I wanted to shed light on how crazy the fashion world is but also how rewarding it can be.

Stiaan Louw is one of the most revolutionary South African designers, taking his brand to the fore front of international fashion.

But even with all his success he has managed to remain a humble down to earth person, who is driven by his passion to create and inspire. I believe it’s important to expose people to Stiaan’s world, because he is the perfect example of a success story.

I wanted to show the man behind the name."

Ooh Girl, you da man!

There's something to be said of a male model who can act this camp and still look butch. Photographed in Craig Port swimwear on the Sea Point boardwalk, local model Bryce Thompson in a 'South Beach' editorial.





Lip gloss and tiny pooch not included. Sorry.

MODEL MINUTE: MARC BUCKNER

Marc Buckner's career is on the rise and rise. Not only has the local Boss Model graced the cover of Mens Health more than once he even became the face of Canal Walk. He took a minute to sit and answer a few questions for me today and this is what went down:

You are showing up all over the place these days, Marc. Did you ever plan to be a model?

I never planned on much in my life but started at 17 because a friend dragged me to a school fashion show where we had to do rehearsals... I immediately pulled out but slowly got convinced into going to an agency by a scout.

Where are your favorite destinations? I imagine modeling has taken you all over the world!

I loved all the big cities like New York and London in the beginning but soon realised that due to my lifestyle I am drawn to places like Thailand and many of our African islands. ( Asia is by far the worst place as u work your ass off but the payoff of all the interesting cultures is way worth the hard work ). I leave for Thailand in April to buy a house.

List your three essential items when traveling for work/pleasure.

My favorite Thai style shorts, a vest and some fruit. I really take nothing with me when I travel...even for work, then it would be a pair of long pants and a smart shirt but nothing enters my backpack until I have laned at my destination.

What has modeling taught you about fashion?

That like anything else in life it is an expression of self and only what you make of it. I have worn so many labels that I cant even spell but have gravitated toward keeping it simple and functional.

What was your favorite shoot so far in your career?

Tough one. It would have to be a combo of good people and great location. A shoot on the isle of Scilly outside the U.K. We took a train, then a helicopter, then a boat and finally a landy up the mountain to our destination. I was for Moët & Chandon. Everyone on that shoot was amazing.

Who is your favorite designer?

I know no designers... myself and the many unknown people who put pieces together just for the love of it.

If you were handed a blank cheque what would you buy and why?

Whoever deserves it would get enough money to get out of the rat race and enjoy life. I leave for Thailand to buy my mom a house in our favorite place. I suppose I am already doing that.



What kind of hobbies keep you busy when you're not in front of the camera?

Every day that I am not casting or shooting I am on the mountain or in the ocean , yesterday I was in Tokai forest mountain biking and the day before I was up table mountain bouldering. Thats my life and the reason I do this job... so I have time to do that.

Where do you see 'Marc Buckner' five years from now?

Not much different from now only a little wiser, a little more fit and a lot happier, I want to go forward as we all do but consistently and slowly. I would love to have visited many new places and to have gone back to many old. I have made friends all over the world and I would love to see them all again. I leave again for New York in a few months and I would love to have made it big there by then just to fill the other side of the spectrum.

To strip that winter weight off what do you recommend?

Diet, health, sport-- but something you love....if you have no sport you love then find one, preferably something outdoors. It will make you a better person. I eat much like our ancestors, unrefined and natural.

What is one fact about yourself that no one would guess is true?

You want me to give away my secrets ...? if someone were to show that they would give from the heart, they would and could receive anything from me and besides that my favorite sweet is Liquorice!



You can find more images of Marc on his website www.marcbuckner.com

Craig Port | Audi Joburg Fashion Week

Although I am a little late on reporting this I definitely still wanted to show you. Craig Port surprised me this year. Like, really surprised me. Featuring a flurry of handsome Craig Port look-a-likes wearing well structured suiting in purple and enlarged plaid. I honestly enjoyed these images more than when I saw Paul Smith's show. Because I wasn't expecting it, and because it's really different to what any South African designer is coming up with.



Not only is the use of plaid suiting on-par with International designs, but the use of purple as you know was all over Fashion week in Paris and Milan. I particularly loved the dipped jacket at the top. I have a pair of off-white jeans I don't wear too often and I have been thinking of doing something like that.



The purple paisley in the middle is gorgeous. It actually looks like one of D&G's from their last collection. Inspiring!

I wonder if he will be bringing these and other designs to Cape Town Fashion week?

Save the date: Man of the Cloth on Top Billing!

Man of the Cloth makes it's debut into the Television world on Top Billing. The segment, which is Valentines Day themed will be aired on the 11th of February! So save the date and catch me chatting to the lovely Kelly Parkhurst on SABC 3!

David West SALE

Stiaan Louw at Design Indaba 2010

The design Indaba, now in it's thirteenth year will be showcasing an array of South Africa's diverse talent. Each year challenging to outdo themselves, offering graphic design, décor, jewelry, industrial design, furniture and of course Fashion just to name a few.

And with fashion we need look no further than Stiaan Louw who will be showcasing his 2010 Winter collection. The promo image was designed by friend and muse Morné Visagie and comes part of a series of four.

As for the fun to be had at the CTICC in Cape Town from the 26th to the 28th February, there are all day fashion shows, a short film festival and over 250 exhibitions to help empty your wallet after pay-day.