CHEERS CHINA, HELLO CAPE TOWN!

So, I'm off to Cape Town in less than 48 hours for a trip I've been postponing for quite some time now. Besides a little work that I have to do there, Malibongwe(of Skattie What Are You Wearing) and I are doing more collaborative stuff, which I'll tell you about after the trip.
Speaking of Cape Town- wouldn't it be nice if the city and its textile industry could kick China's butt to a point where everyone manufactures locally? With China's cheap labour this is perhaps a pipe dream. For now!
I went to the Holmes Bros store in Rosebank the other day and found the 'Cheers China' label on their tee's quite inspiring and cheeky(in a good way). So, there you go: Holmes Bros is one of those that are designed and manufactured at home! Love it!

D'ANGELO IN GQ FASHION SPREAD, TALKS MUSIC AND COMING BACK

PIC: MEN.STYLE.COM

One of my favourite neo-soul stars D'Angelo is making a comeback and has done his first magazine shoot since disappearing from the scene, gaining weight, doing drugs and surviving a car crash back in 2005. US GQ shot the crooner for their June issue fashion spread and also did an interview where the D tells all about his 12 year absence from music. I still listen to 'Voodoo' which came out in the year 2000 and 'Brown Sugar', which does not sound like it was released in 1994 at all! Love this dude and can't wait to hear fresh joints from him.

CONRAD ROSELT'S FASHION FILM 'CAMCORDED'

Camcorded is a fashion film by stylist Conrad Roselt.
Visit Conrad's Tumblr by clicking here

DOES ANYONE 'LIKE' MARK ZUCKERBERG'S WEDDING LOOK?

PIC: GRAZIADAILY.CO.UK

If you answered 'yes' to the question in my headline then you have problems. There's absolutely nothing to 'like' about Zuckerberg's really sloppy and sad wedding look. Granted, dude, we realise that fashion is not the most important of things to you, but (gosh!) can you at least take yourself seriously enough to be serious about your wedding day? If one's wedding is not the perfect excuse- even for a dude with the worst taste- to splash out on looking your absolute best, I don't know what is. Really! *SMH*

007 'SKYFALL' TEASER

Everyone's favourite agent 007 is finally back!
If he isn't your favourite, I'll just assume something went terribly wrong in your childhood. *tisk*

Sony Pictures posted a new teaser trailer on Youtube ahead of the November release of 'Skyfall', where dapper Daniel Craig plays James Bond for a third time. 'Skyfall' is directed by Sam Mendes and is the 23rd film in the James Bond franchise.
Check it out!

STIAAN LOUW 'ATLETIEK' CAMPAIGN TEASER

PHOTOGRAPHY: NEIL ROBERTS
MODEL: THANE GUY WILLIAMS @ MENS DIVISION
ART DIRECTION: MICHAEL BEAUMONT COOPER
GROOMING: HENRY MARITZ @ ONE LEAGUE
DESIGN: CHARL EDWARDS

MENSWEAR Q&A: SHALDON KOPMAN OF 'NAKED APE'

Naked Ape is known for its fine tailoring, the use of quality fabrication and attention to detail. This menswear label made its SA Fashion Week debut at last year's autumn/winter collections and immediately earned a place among the best. In our third menswear designers' Q&A, we speak to owner and designer Shaldon Kopman.

NAKED APE SS12

NAKED APE SS12

SN: What are your thoughts on the South African fashion industry and the position of menswear within the industry?

SK: SA Fashion Industry, we are growing at a pace we wish would be more rapid than current. Menswear, ah well, we are trying to break ground and get consumers to understand and believe that local is the future. We all know that massive challenges we are faced with, variety of fine cloth and skilled manufacturing etc and these often delay production and delivery.

SN: Who are some of the menswear designers, besides yourself, that you think are doing great things in the industry?

SK:  All of us are working hard and we all faced with the same obstacles. Understanding of your target market is key and designers should stick to this. I applaud all SA menswear designers as we are trying to grow a difficult sect of fashion industry, we are a new market with lots of conservatives after all.

SN: What would you say sets Naked Ape apart from other brands? 

SK: We enjoy trends but seldom follow. We try not to compromise on quality at any level - design, fabrication and assembly.

NAKED APE SS12

SN: And how would you describe your ideal customer?

SK: There is no ideal customer, we love them as they come, we have the ability and patience to accommodate many but not all.

SN: Naked Ape is one of the labels that was on the Edgars shop floor at Melrose Arch. What would you say have been the benefits of this, if any?

SK: Being on a floor for 1 month in one store is not very beneficial to any brand, it takes a lot more time to create awareness of exclusive brand in commercial space, as the consumer needs to relate and adapt. Also the floor’s predominant feature was ladies wear, not quite fitting for exclusive menswear. It was however a great opportunity, just need more time and more affordable merchandise for this particular market.

SN: What are some of the biggest problems that face menswear in South Africa? 

SK: The attitude of consumers needs alteration. And we are as good or even better than some of our international rivals. Give us marketing budget and government please understand and expand our platform for luxury brands.

SN: Besides Melrose Arch Edgars, where does Naked Ape retail? 

SK: We have been selling from our showroom but will be available at House of Fashion from June onwards.

SN: Do you see online as an alternative retail space for South African designers? 

SK: Not alternative but additional, it is needed for international clientele. It is also important to feel and fit (the product).

GQ STYLE LAUNCHES IN SOUTH AFRICA

THE FIRST EVER 'GQ STYLE SOUTH AFRICA' COVER

I have always wanted to see a South African edition of GQ Style being published and that has finally happened. GQ Style South Africa, the autumn/winter edition, hit the shelves on Monday with designer Ozwald Boateng as the cover star. The magazine offers purely fashion related content for the dudes and retails for R 69, 95. The local edition will be a bi-annual, serving up fashion editorials, industry interviews, grooming, shopping and news. With this launch edition, every reader gets a R150 Ben Sherman voucher. Worth every cent, no?

HOLMES BROS. MR. PRICE LIMITED EDITION WINTER RANGE

A winter range from Fly Holmes, the collaboration between Mr. Price and Durban design duo The Holmes Bros, will be at selected Mr Price stores starting May 11. This marks the second collaboration between the designers and the retailer with the first 'Fly Holmes' collection having been sold last summer. Here are a few pics to give you a sneak peek into what you can look forward to.

PICS: MR PRICE

DIRTY PARAFFIN'S INTERESTING SOUND IN INTERESTING TIMES

South African record labels are resting on their laurels busy signing acts that the youth really don't relate to. Think about it- artists that sell in modern day South Africa are those in the adult contemporary categories like Afro Pop. Bo-Zahara and the like. The youth are not buying local music because, one, there is little innovation in the way music is sold to them and, two, the music being sold to them is simply crap. I don't know if these guys would even consider being signed but Dirty Paraffin, the Jozi duo consisting of OK Malume and Doctor Spizee, are an interesting pair with an interesting sound. I've been excited about it for a couple of years now and I do believe they are up there with the likes of Spoek Mathambo and BLK JKS in bringing South African music up to date and keeping things fresh. Found their new video 'Papap! Papap!' online and would like to share it with you. From the styling in the video to the lyrics- this is where popular culture is. Walala wasala!

A BAG NAMED DESIRE

R 1, 100 AT MSC BOUTIQUE, 7TH STREET, MELVILLE
JOHANNESBURG

I'm really into bags right now. It's all about functionality. I usually have a notepad, pens, my phone... just stuff that needs to be put somewhere and pockets are not the place. We ain't trying to create artificial hips now, are we? Anyway, spotted this bag at MSC Boutique when the one year old store celebrated its first year in business last week Thursday. Pretty dope, ain't it?