STYLE BIO. ZBU MASOMBUKA

" Sibusiso Masombuka, Zbu, as most people would call me, is a boy from Benoni. I moved to JHB in 2011 to further my studies in BA Psychology and Anthropology at the University of Johannesburg, now doing my final year. I just turned 21 so I am yet to learn more about myself and hopefully turn some interests into serious professions. 
When I started off with my psychology degree i had no idea what i was getting myself into. However, i was certainly channeled into a field that I've gradually fallen in love with. I'm planning on studying further and hopefully obtain my doctorate in Educational Psychology. The idea of helping people out has been a primary instinct considering the manner in which i was socialized in.
My interest in fashion started at a very juvenile age, but at that time i couldn't get myself to put clothes together and actually being "stylish". But i guess years of practice allowed me grow progressively. Having to look at my older  brother dress up and get all the attention, put so much pressure on me to actually step up considering that i wasn't as popular.



   

                                                                                           


In my 1st year i was privileged enough to work for quite a big international brand when it first launched in SA, called Superdry. I had no retail experience, but i generally think i got the job  because i was spoke and obviously dressed well (lol) (the trick to getting most things in your life).
I then moved on to to Religion Clothing South Africa, where i recently got the promotion to become the store manager. Quite a big step, and yet i feel like i was  thrown right in the deep end, however  i am learning quite a lot about retail and myself ultimately. So in considering the brands I've worked with, i am more into the European fashion, without letting that box me.
                                                                





                                                               


 In the years that I've been in Jo'burg, my fashion interests excellerated mainly because i saw how people expressed themselves through threads and i think that's when i personified fashion. Fashion became therapeutic for me more than anything else, my friends will tell you that i dress up for tests/exams and more,  just to psyche myself up and curb the nerves. Style is an art,( just with a bit more edge) and every artist expresses themselves differently and thus i acknowledge other people's fashion sense.  With studying psychology and being into fashion so much, I have learned that most people express their emotions or try to build up to a certain emotion.
 The more "controversial" you are with what you wear the more intriguing and unforgettable you are. So gain that confidence and own you look, it worked for me. "

                                                                

I remember the first time I met Zbu. That moment when u take a second look @ the way you're dressed and are immediately convinced that you could have done better.  That's the precise feeling I got upon our first meeting. Zbu was a "friend" of a friend.
His was a style that was almost so technical. It was the perfect balance of contours and different aesthetics that looked both cheeky and admirable.

One night he steps into a club in a hiding hat, cropped skinny jeans, a dress-like looking t-shirt, Chuck Tailors & and leather & the other, he's in a tailored blazer & fitted slacks. I have come to realize that in a world that is so based on current trends and magazine-fueled influence, he's is one of those rare people who truly harness and exhibit their own style. True to their own mood & silhouettes.






                                                      
                                                               Zbu in State Of Guru
                                                            (shirt available @ R350.00)

 For me, fashion is not what's given or predicted. It's an individual creation. Finding a piece that works for you even when the Jackie Burgers and Dion Changs disagree. It is a current interpretation of self. Influenced by past, present and future experiences and moods. I've always admired the one who wore a dashiki in typical Marc Jacobs surroundings. Fashion for me is a personal rebellion. It's a constant need to break the rules and voice your own ideals and convictions. A medium of self expression and refusal to blend in.

For me, Zbu has done and been precisely that. He, along with the likes of Teddy Nkonde, Linda Mthembu & Khotso Thanjekwayo are [allow me to be carried away here for lack of better expressions] like the unspoken soldiers of modern time South African street fashion.

Follow @Zbu_M on Twitter.

#Love&Respect!                      

STYLE BIO! XOLI NZAMA

"I discovered my calling for fashion 2 years ago, I've always loved clothes but I didn't wanna make a career out of it and only because I didn't know that I could.
I studied BSC plant pathology at the university of Pretoria. I didn't finish my degree because I was so unhappy, I only studied that because I didn't think I had other options.
2011 I found my calling, my calling in fashion. I started working for Zara. At the time I thought I would work there just for two months and leave and go back to varsity to start studying something else.
At the end of my 1st day at Zara I remember feeling like I was at the right place, I felt like I belonged there. Not only do I work with clothes but I also work with people. I love interacting with different people.
Iv been in love with fashion since then. There is nothing that gives me so much joy!
I want to open my own fashion business in the future. I want to travel the world and meet new people and learn how their culture is, the kind of food they eat, what fashion means to them, the music they listen to.
I'm inspired by the people around me, my friends. They work so hard, they wake up everyday and want to do better. Success is not an option.
Besides fashion I love live music, good food, great chats, art and God.
God is love."

                                       
                                           


I remember having been recently hired @ ZARA for about 2 weeks as a fashion advisor. Fashion had always been what I do and I was already pretty damn good at it. At this point I was still a fish out of water and I remember the only thing important to me at that time being proving myself. I wanted to prove also to myself that I can also work and succeed in commercial fashion as I had come from a high-end fashion background. Needless to say, all eyes were on me.
It wasn't long till I was put into training as fashion coordinator. The coordinators were respected members of the team. These were the people who knew everything. These guys understood the trend, the influence and the market. They were the Emelys and the Andeas of ZARA.

Having been moved up the ladder into the "official glam squad", I was excited because then it became a platform to influence the trends and the image and concepts. Having my 2 cents worth felt like my own contribution on an internationally recognized retail platform.

                                                                                                                      
It was at this point that I met Xolile Nzama. Upon my arrival @ Zara, Xoli had either been on leave or in Cape Town, I think. I had heard of her. In my head I had envisioned a tall bitch with a fabulous weave and a bad attitude. So, naturally, I had already tuned my own attitude into bitch mode for the day of Xoli's return to Sandton.

Seeing Xoli for the first time, really, I rolled my eyes. She was short, had a small voice and a permanent smile on her face. The kind that made me feel silly for having "rehearsed attitude". Xoli and I got introduced as she would be one of the people to officially train me for the "glamorous" new post.

Days went by and months went by and me, Xoli, Ndumiso & Lebo (also fashion coordinators) grew more closer and as thick as thieves. We'd be clad in those silly suits for the duration of our working hours but it was quite evident that each one of us became alive @ the end of our day as we'd change back into our clothes. Every single one of us had an element of their own. It was almost like people came alive when they got out of those dark clothes.

                                                      

Hers was a style that wasn't too different nor too common. She'd always have a balance. One day she'd come in in sequined flats, a skirt, big hair and bright matte lipstick. The next, she'd be in Chuck Tailors, cropped pants and a neon blazer. It was admirable that she'd always balance out everything in a way that was subtle yet eclectic. She firmly secured a place in my black book as a stylish woman who's always understood what's worked for her and made it look amazing. Everything was tailored, neatly pressed and surprisingly often new. Xoli shops!! Trust me, Xoli shops.
I still don't understand why she still refuses to wear dresses though.

 She has just recently established a fashion business of her own. Sourcing out turbans and other accessories from a supplier and making them available to all.
Not only cute, stylish as oh-so-sweet but smart and hustling too. I love it!!!

This is my Pumpsie & she's fierce.

                                      


For TURBANS and more FIERCE FASHIONS, contact Xoli on:

CELL:             0735117888
TWITTER:       @xolinzama_
Email :            retrofashion88@gmail.com

Don't say didn't hook u up!!!

TEA WITH THE EDITOR!

                                                           TEA WITH THE EDITOR!!!

                                                    


The address is Res144  on Anderson, central Johannesburg. The corridors on the 5th floor are long and cold. His is a corner unit. Unit 503. Sounds of Edith Piaf's La Vie En Rose are inviting. As he opens the door, he flashes a smile and leans forward to give a warm embrace. That's when you know you're welcome. Meet Lehlohonolo FashionWidower Senokoane. Editor of Previdar Online magazine.

The furniture gives away that he who exists here is an artist. The oriental scatter cushions, the mannequin dressed as a knight, the gold Alladin-style shoe ashtrays and stacks of books on fashion and human anatomy.
The smell of the burning inscense gives birth to a calmness in the atmosphere. A sense of purity and tranquility.

He dons copped camouflage pants, a tribal print knee length kaftan and a denim cut-out jacket. On his neck hangs a work of metal chaos. A filthy mess that has become known as Coco Moon.  Pure artistic brilliance.
Hlony is tall. Very tall. His stature is almost intimidating but his soft voice is kind. He speaks softly & laughs loudly. We discover that we are both lovers of jazz and that immediately gets us insanely aqcuainted. We flip through music like manics. From Edith Piaf, Salief Keita & Nina Simone to Emeli Sande' & Birdy.
                       
                                   
                                         

I sit on an intriguing piece of furniture. A half mannequin used as an otto-man. Its comfortable and sexy. I'm in love with it. As we sip on boiling hot herbal tea and puff on our cigarettes, we talk about everything. Love, fashion, music & art. We get deeper acquainted with every sip, every song change and every puff of a cigarette. It is a coming together of passionate people who are finding a securing a place in a much complicated and often messed up fashion industry that often requires casual sex, ass licking and backstabbing to remain relevant. An industry that has taught us your talent does not count for much as compared to your firm ass. However, that is a story for another day.  
There is a deafening silence as I ask Hlony of his dreams and aspirations. He searches deep to find the fitting words to sort of paint this picture of his dreams in a way that even I see it almost in a way that he does. There are plans to travel Africa and bombard Paris with African influences.


                                      


Hlony studied graphics at VEGA and worked for one of the most prominent economic development companies in the country as the creative guru. Even in the midst of this promising success in this company, the fashion drum was louder than Microsoft and technical image manipulations. Away from his desk on the 1st floor on Main Street, Hlony was building a much sought after fashion profile as a freelance fashion stylist. This is what gave birth to FashionWidower.

In January this year, Hlony took the decision of following a dream.  He quit his job for an industry that seldom pays what it should. He jumped on board at Previdar and in just 6 months, steered that ship to the very north of the fashion hemisphere.  Previdar became known as "The Church Of Bloody Creatives".


                                     


He acquainted himself with designers, models, photographers, stylists, make-up artists and hairdressers. Artists jumped on board onto what became a shining beacon of hope for artists who were tired of the politics of getting their work into mainstream fashion magazines. Previdar was fast, free and accessible to all. For this reason, it became viral. Cyberspace had never been the same.

There are plans to turn this ship into a plane and fly it higher than ever. Its the understanding that not even the sky is the limit that keeps these artists going. Corporate industries are even taking notice.
For this man, its gone past a point of just fashion. It became a belief, a spirituality and a celebration self and spirit. It became an abstract truth that births curiosity.

Its not a cult. Its a religion

THE MEN IN SKIRTS

Have u noticed how boys on the streets, billboards, magazine covers and even on the streets are looking more and more like girls? The fashion industry has been accused of turning men into fairies. Be this true or not, the world is developing and evolving and truth is men are just becoming more & more comfortable with the bang-in-your-face kinda fashion and are just becoming more androgynous with every copy of ELLE, VOGUE, COSMOPOLITAN and ARISE that hits the shelves.

                                                          
                                                          

I, myself, am not sure if this is necessarily a bad thing but one thing for sure, it just looks damn sexy!!! Have u seen pictures of the runways of House of Ole, David Tlale & Ephymol? Chiffon shirts, skirts, harem pants, turbans? And now the invention of "male-heels" (or whatever term they refer to them as)?
Fashion is evolving and designers across the globe are causing a stir. Some of the pioneers of this revolution are Alexander McQueen, Lanvin, Karl Lagerfeld just to name but a few. African designers have also taken these trends to a whole new level. In a continent where a man who dare wears tight pants, or anything that hugs his oh! so beautifully sculptured silhouette is blasphemous and almost even illegal, this has surprisingly been surprisingly very well embraced.
                                                       
                                                     
 Just the other day, in central Johannesburg, I came across a man in sequined harems, a leopard print tee (slit across his chest to reveal dark, pierced nipples), black biker leather jacket (which must have had only about a thousand zips on it) and black suede and leather loafers. This is the type of thing you only get to see on channel 184. Seeing it on the streets is nothing short of orgasmic.

                                                           



This, however, has managed to cause a stir in circles even so far removed from the fashion umbrella. Does this "new" fashion trend now strip us of our "africanism" & "manhood"?
I don't know. Frankly, I don't even care! As long as those boys keep looking as good as they do, I'm one happy camper. And you know what I find ironic? The more these boys look androgynous and almost girly, the more I find it even more masculine. Makes them seem dark, mysterious, sexy and yet so vulnerable! Does that even make sense? Oh well....

                                                     

Truth is, with every turn the earth takes on it's axis,  the fashion keeps evolving and changing. Be it for better or worse, it's happening and we need to claim it and own it, find our identity within it and create our own revolutions.
That's what fashion is about. Well, at least for me it is!

MANNEQUINS & CIGARETTES!!!

                                                


I've just recently been further annoyed by all the notion that to be fashionably acceptable, you need to be thin. This has been an issue for donkey's years now. I must admit, it only became and issue for me personally when I recently became a 36! Yes, I said it, I'm a size 36. I'm not sure if this just a temporary arrangement or what considering that my weight fluctuates like the mood swings of an Italian woman going through manopause. I have tried every trick in the book to shed the extra kilos but...I was left a 36 still! So...whatever really!!!

 

Anyway, just the other day @ a little gathering, some skinny ass gay boy, puffing on a Courtleigh, says that there is no space for "FAT" people in the fashion industry!!
REALLY?...I mean, it should be a crime this boy to even be allowed to talk about fashion!!
For my own safety, I will not reveal names but MR Price oversized trackpants, Markham boots, a fake Christian Audiger t-shirt from downtown JHB, and fake ass Gucci bag do not necessarily put on front-line as the Hitler of fashion

  

                                                    
So while everyone is so busy discussing who looks more like a cigarette than a mannequin, where do we draw the line as to what is "FASHION"?
I mean I don't need to be educating people about our African silhouettes. Anyone who knows as much as they claim to know, would knw that its not even a common thing for us to be as skinny as the Europeans. We are Africans and AFRICA=BOOTY!
People pay money to look like us yet we fail to embrace what the rest of the world is embracing ABOUT US.
                                              
I mean, the CIGARETTES are paying money to look like the MANNEQUINS but the MANNEQUINS are starving themselves to look like CIGARETTES! Am I the only one who is struggling to find a balance here?
I bet not a lot of us even know why the runway only (well, most of the time) use skinny models.
Allow me to educate: The runway culture was predominantly started by our European counterparts (bear in mind that the majority of the people in these states are skinny anyway) purely for reasons of saving fabric when creating their collections for Fashion Week and stuff like that.
                                                    

 Secondly, the major thing was height. The models needed to be seen by people even on 5th row.  And as we know it, taller people are most likely to be thinner!!! Get it???
So before we start saying that there is no place for "FAT" people in the Fashion industry while puffing on a Courtleigh cigarette that you probably don't even need because you, yourself look like the bloody cigarette, PLEASE bother to be educated!!!
Look, I'm not an activist for some National Obesity Rights Movement, but, all I'm saying is, our curves, our hips and all our full features are what separates us from the rest and we need to embrace it!
                                                     
                                                      
Hey, Haute Couture became what is today because it DARED to be different from all the shit in department stores!!!
JUST SAYING!!! And in true logic, the MANNEQUIN would be the one puffing on the CIGARETTE!!!
So maybe the MANNEQUIN holds the POWER!!!
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

COLOUR....

ABIAH!!!

JUST HOW BRAVELY AWESOME IS THIS? I LIKE!