Not Julius Malema’s Youth League

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I’ve blogged before (at my old blog address) about the Johannesburg fashion movement, The Smarteez. (More exclusive than the mass outlet Amakipkip.)

Now Dazed Magazine have discovered them. For its June special “South Africa” issue (Africans still get “special issue” status everywhere), the magazine’s editors sent a writer and photographer to profile the designers.

The piece is not online, but a slideshow and a video. On the Dazed blog, writer Rod Stanley has a quote from one of the designers explaining how he feels his generation differs from their older cousins and neighbors: ‘… Too young to really remember the struggle for apartheid, they’re less politicised and claim that their “struggle” is now one against blandness and conformity – to them, it’s all about partying, self-expression and challenging stereotypes.’  I don’t think they care for Julius Malema.

Photographer Chris Saunders, who has been documenting the Smarteez for a while now, took the pictures.

There’s also a short film about the Smarteez on the Dazed website.

Sean Jacobs

Via Style Bubble. [h/t Nerina Penzhorn]

Comments

  1. Not the JMYL – well thank goodness for that. Young Julius often makes no sense (fashion or otherwise).

  2. ASwank says:

    Love it!

  3. liz says:

    Hi Sean….iam posting some football pictures…for the final count down….check them out…liz

  4. Sean says:

    @Liz: Will link to them via twitter. Got little time before leaving to South Africa tomorrow night for 12 days. — Sean

  5. Lara says:

    Very different in style but they remind of the two Congos’ sapeurs.

  6. Andrew W says:

    @ Lara, I thought the same.

    Great book by Daniel Tamagni on their style too: http://www.trolleybooks.com/exhibitionSingle.php?exhibId=276

  7. NP says:

    @Lara and Andrew
    From the article these photos were taken from:
    “Another intriguing tidbit is that contrasting the Sapeurs for instance from Congo, they are dead against buying things from international labels (save for trainers…), preferring instead to use local textiles and work them into their outfit,.”
    http://www.stylebubble.co.uk/style_bubble/2010/06/smarties-not-just-sweets.html

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