The streets of Soweto are dotted with vibrant colours — red Coca-Cola tuckshops selling sweets and chips, bright blue Vodacom containers promising communication across Africa and gold, green and orange taxis dominating the streets. Adults go about their business while teenagers hang out in the latest trends, wearing anything from Mr Price to Versace. Everything can be found here.
Diepkloof is the largest district in Soweto and spans Phase 1 to Zone 6. It has a rich history and is home to politicians, businessmen, musicians, artists and street vendors. In Diepkloof one is either a hustler or one is hustled. These are some of the reasons we chose it for our photo shoot.
When our models emerged in their designer attire, in true township style taxi drivers hooted their approval, loafers whistled in admiration and women and children stopped their activities, peeping out of their windows and over their gates.
Sowetans have always been in touch with the latest trends and, in the 1980s, Zoot Suits, Florsheim shoes, Hush Puppies and Goray skirts were some of the international brands that made their way into local magazines, on to billboards, posters and music album covers. Miriam Makeba, Dolly Rathebe, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and Brenda Fassie were the well-known style icons of the time.
And later, in 2000, pioneering fashion labels Stoned Cherry and Sun Goddess used them and other figures as inspiration for their designs — and Afro-chic was born. This modern, exclusively South African style made its way on to the catwalk and the labels became household names.
Ordinary South Africans displayed their new-found fashion identities at weddings, matric dances and birthday parties.
In 2007 a group of ambitious fashion designers, led by Mangaliso Mbitshana and Wandile Zondo, decided to close off a popular street in Soweto and hold their own fashion show. It gave birth to their street-style brand, Recycle. They would take second-hand clothes and combine them with new materials to invent a new item.
Later, while they were hanging out with a friend who was writing a paper at university, they decided to change the name of their clothing label to Thesis. Embedded in the name is the belief that their work will be dedicated to collecting and redefining what Soweto is and how young people in Soweto present themselves.
A no-nonsense attitude and rebellious streak identify these brands, so it’s no wonder that Tsidiso Modikeng named his label “Keti”, which is the word for slingshot. To him Keti implies endurance and he wanted his brand to identify with the resilience of the youth of the 1970s who fought for their survival.
When you walk down the street in Diepkloof Zone 6 where Keti Designs is located, you can find young men walking around in Modikeng’s brightly coloured shirts, sporting the Keti icon boldly across their chests. It’s hard to believe that such high-quality street wear is designed in a small room that functions as an office, studio and spaza shop.
Modikeng has no formal fashion education and grew up in a family in Soweto struggling to make ends meet. His family, he says, was not keen on him being a fashion designer because of the stigma that conflated fashion with the gay lifestyle. But when he gave up his day job — selling art to tourists at the local flea market — and settled down to make clothing, they soon recognised his talent.
Today he designs and produces functional casual wear that can be worn by students, uniforms for corporate clients and traditional wear for adult women.
Sew Africa school of fashion design prodigy Sello Medupe came to the fashion scene with plenty of talent and accolades to his name. While studying for a design diploma, he received an award for the best student in design and illustration and was named the outstanding student in design and construction. In his second year, he was approached by Nando’s fast-food chain to design a uniform that was young, trendy and cheeky to fit the Nando’s brand.
The idea behind Medupe’s Scalo label is to supply clothing that allows people to express their inner selves. He says his slogan is “emotional clothing — regaining meaning. When you’re wearing a Scalo, it evokes a feeling that comes from within.”
Medupe challenges himself to come up with something new with each design so that no design looks like the next and each customer feels that what he or she is getting is unique.
Although Gaone Seru and Medupi attended the same school, their styles are different. Seru began designing in 1995 and learned the basics of fashion from her mother who was also a designer. She later took up a learnership at Sew Africa and studied craft management at the Visual Arts and Craft Academy in Newtown, Johannesburg. She sustains her small fashion label, Gaseru, with the sales she makes from her clothes.
She has a good client base and designs corporate wear for businessmen, bridal wear for traditional weddings and functional clothing for dancers. Her designs are rooted in South African styles and she has shown her work at fashion shows in Soweto. She believes that her traditional designs differ from those of her competitors because “I like to keep things simple”.
These young designers all share the same key ingredients — passion, discipline, talent and determination. Although they are not making international headlines, their designs are loved on the street and they continue to be relevant where it matters the most — in Soweto, which is home.
“People used to have a negative perception of Soweto, associating it with crime, poverty, Aids and student riots. But now it’s seen as vibrant and global. It’s the only township with its own mall and university,” says Mbitshana.
The aim of these young designers is to make garments with global appeal that also remain true to their roots. By wearing them, the youth are saying, “Look at us — we are finally here!”
Photos by Ayanda Sitole