Sunday Times FW - MBFW 2016 - Street Style

So one of my new permanent missions is a retainer with South Africa's Sunday Times Fashion Weekly supplement which is SA's biggest newspaper. The Fashion Weekly comes with the Lifestyle section of the paper. They have given me free rain with the camera and I will be capturing South African street style and fashion culture. Our next mission is capture the different folks hanging at this years Outland Festival in Mooiriver KZN and after that I will be hitting SA Fashion Week again in Johannesburg (We have two fashion weeks in Johannesburg). 

With this post is a selection of images from some of the super stylish people hanging out around Sandton Square at this years extravaganza, Mercedes Benz Fashion Week 2016 / Johannesburg. 

I have included a few more images on the blog for those who didn't make it into the print issue this previous Sunday. Unfortunately we can only fit so many in a spread. 

(Image above of menswear designer Zamaswazy) 

CT 2016 

Aart 

 

     Alyssa Cole wearing Selfie

 

          Anna-belle durrant                                                                 Brian Lehang

 

       Dimitra Alex                                                                          Dimo kutama

  

 

                  Gareth Pon                                                              Gisele human  

 

 

 Ines  cuatrecasas                                                         Jamal Nxedlana & Anita Makgetla 

 

           

              Logan Rodriguez                                                          Lwazi Soga 

 

                   Mbizo                                                                             Mpumelelo 

 

 

 Nontando Mposo & Sibusiso Mahone                                   Sibusiso Malete

 

                 Siya Fonds                                                              Thabiso Skhosana

                      The Suit Collective                                                              Thebe

           Thubellhle                                                                  Sibusiso Yanta

  

 

            Tokelo Motsepe                                              Trevor Stuurman & Gareth Pon

    

                             

                              Tyron Sweeney                                            Zele Angelides & Lo Makandal

Pantsula - NY Times - First Release

'Ezomdabu a Pantsula crew from Vosloorus, posing in their signature way on a wall' 2014

For the past 6 years I have spent envy spare moment documenting a culture I think deserves to be in the limelight. Pantsula is a way of life epitomised through an incredible fast paced dance which tells stories about the life in the townships of Johannesburg. Most people that grew up in Johannesburg know about it or have seen or experienced some form of the dance. Its something intrinsically linked to a place which is my home intrinsically linked to its history and adapting to continue to exist into the future. 

After six years of working on a in depth documentation of the culture the first preview of the upcoming larger body of work has been released by the NY Times Lens blog and Art Section, below is an extract from the article on Lens, to see the rest follow the link here: http://nyti.ms/1OPpJnS

CT 2016 

Tebza 2000 part of my dance moves video series where I shoot video footage of a specific dance move and then break it down into a still contact sheet. 

1. 325 Pantsula, Orange Farm                                       2. A Second generation Pantsula, via Broom. 

Rosary Productions from Dukathole pose above outdoor toilets to children.

            1. Lee from Intellectuals Pantsula, Soweto                                      2. Dlala Mapantsula - Mohlakeng 

Born In Africa Pantsula - Khatlehong 

A shadow of The Future Pantsula crew posing at an old hall in Mohlakeng Township outside of Johannesburg. 

Rea Iktetsa Pantsula posing in Soweto.

Simunye On Fire, in a signature pose as a train passes by in the background. 

Vila Coster Pantsula dancing in one of the members front Garden.

Bubblegum Club Launch - Featuring Manthe Ribane

My good friends over at Bubblegum Club have posted our first story together, as you can see Manthe and I have been making waves with the Ghost Diamond collaboration and before embarking on our first tour to Europe Jamal Nxedlana (co-creator of Bubblegum club) asked us to do a shoot. The results are tremendous and we are very happy to be associated and featured on such a great portal. From the creators of South Africa's CUSS magazine (and some of the members of the CUSS Collective) they bring you Bubblegum club magazine and agency. Below is a blurb from their site, check out the website http://www.bubblegumclub.co.za/

From the Bubblegum Club website:

Our Online Magazine is a compendium of images, news and opinion which presents our perspective on the people and production defining South African youth culture. Its vision is to present an alternative narrative on South African art and society, by showcasing cutting edge creators and their work. The magazine is not based solely on popularity or visibility, but aims to give exposure to individuals and groups who embody passion and innovation. As well as being a showcase, the magazine is a platform for ideas and commentary which frame and advance cultural trends.

The Bubblegum Club is a cultural intelligence agency, founded by Lex Trickett and Jamal Nxedlana. We work to help brands and organizations understand and engage with contemporary South African youth culture. Along with identifying trends, we take the holistic approach of interpreting and explaining them. Through conceptualizing the broader social context of trends, our projects and activations help our clients to organically access youth culture.

Reflecting this mission, the company is divided into three interconnected divisions- an agency, an online magazine and a physical project space based in the Newtown precinct.

Ghost Diamond Live - Switzerland & UK 2016

We have completed our first tour of screenings with the Ghost Diamond project (my new collaborative film project with musician OKZHARP starring Manthe Ribane). The film was presented at The 7th Norient Music Film festival in Bern Switzerland (as well as satellite events in Lausanne and St. Gallen), we where also given the opportunity to launch the new live experience, 'Ghost Diamond Live' where by OKZHARP, Manthe Ribane and myself (under the alias Sondeza as a VJ). Taking the footage from the film, I remix it live with the show, creating a new version of the film live at each time we play. 

On the tour we also took the opportunity to start filming new content which we use live in each live rendition, adding to the existing narrative. One element is to film new dance footage from the city we are touring in at the time, this way incorporating recent and up to date material into the show, this is also a form of recognition of the environment we are performing in. With such a fast moving pace to the music industry at the moment, incorporating relevant new content into the set all the time plays to the 'social media' and instant nature of the industry. My version is more of a thought through post event upload mentality where by I shoot the footage earlier in the day and then incorporate it later on live, this way curating and making sure that I can work in interesting locations and still honour my classic film making background, not just focussing on the instant element completely. This is both a statement on the fact that I think that its important for modern film makers to focus on the narrative, process and aesthetic, as well as work with modern, instant (as possible) showcasing techniques.

The images posted are photographic material shot of Manthe during the tour in Switzerland and in the London. 

CT 2012. 

All images copyright of Chris Saunders 2016