All about Miss Leigh Van Den Berg

Cape Town based freelancer and copywriter Leigh Van Den Berg is currently working for Magazines and ad agencies, she mostly works from home but sometimes in-house as well. Among the many things she does, she also holds a beauty and Fashion Editor Position at a local online women’s magazine,” so I’m crazy busy but I love what I do. Writing about beauty is probably the thing I enjoy the most so I also have a beauty blog. It’s a great way to indulge that passion even further.” She started off her career by working for a small boutique ad agency, “but I can’t even remember its name right now. (Seriously! It was some random acronym and they retrenched me within six months.)”  

She has since worked for The Publishing Partnership, TBWA Hunts Lascaris, The Jupiter Drawing Room full-time “and what feels like a zillion other places in a freelance capacity ever since. “

And so here is all you need to know about Miss Leigh Van Den Berg J

• You been in the industry for some time, where did you love working the most and why?
  From my bed at home. I’ve had office gigs I’ve really enjoyed but nothing compares to working in your PJs with a face mask on.

• What was the best part of your job?
   Which one? ;-P

• Why did you get into the beauty industry?
  I was the assistant editor for Clicks ClubCard magazine for four years and found I enjoyed writing the beauty stories the most. I also loved getting to learn about new products months before they’d hit the shelves.

• Which is your favourite product and why?
  You’d have to give me a category to narrow it down. A good make-up bag is like a paint box – you need several shades to create something pretty. 

• Which product is always in your handbag?
  An el cheapo ‘mood’ lipstain I pick up at the Dis-Chem sale or Chinese stores, MAC Blot powder, Guerlain Parure powder foundation, Essence blotting powders and lipgloss. (Right now it’s MAC lipglass in Flashmode, a fuchsia colour),

• Where do you usually do your shopping and which is your favourite clothing brand?
  I tend to buy a lot from Woolies and Cotton On but get a lot of my shoes and handbags from New Look online.

• How would you describe your style?
  Bleh. I don’t know. Feminine? I like fashionable things but tend to pick out pieces that flatter as opposed to what’s trendy. I like to wear colour, especially blue, in summer but in winter my wardrobe’s pretty much black, black, black with the odd splash of animal print and lots of gold, blingy accessories.
  

• Which item of clothing do you believe is a necessity and one cannot live without?
  Flip, don’t know. Jeans ‘cos they match everything? But then you’d need a top too ‘cos your arms would get tired from covering your boobs all day.

• Which product do you believe is a necessity and one cannot live without?
  I really appreciate the existence of self-tan. But I’d struggle if that was all I could take to a desert island.

• What’s your winter beauty tip for the ladies and gents out there?
  Shop for good, proven ingredients not brands, regardless of the season.

• In your spare time, when you aren’t working, what do you love doing?
  I don’t get a lot of that so when I do I like to binge drink with my friends, eat copious amounts of sushi and watch TV series in bed.

• Which is your favourite hangout place and why?
  My flat. (I sound like a total hermit now, don’t I?)

• Which is your Favourite Fashion Magazine?
  None. I don’t really read magazines.

• What are you currently doing?
  Right now I’m mostly busy with scripting the VO (voice over) for a new TV show called Hayden Quinn South Africa. 

• What advice do you have for people wanting to get into the beauty industry?
  I’m not sure. I don’t really work in the beauty industry – I’m a media peep who writes about beauty. But if anyone wanted to become a beauty editor I’d suggest they get any mag or online job they could find to learn the ropes in general and then angle towards beauty from there.

• Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?
  I’ll still be working like a dog but hopefully I’ll have a mooi hubby and possibly a toddler. I’m not sure how I’ll juggle everything but I suspect that that’s one of the things I’m here to learn.

10 Seconds with Leigh

• Favourite Lip-gloss?

That would be like choosing a favourite child.

• Favourite Perfume?

Thierry Mugler Alien eau Extraordinaire, Narciso Rodriguez for Her, Tom Ford Black Orchid Voile de Fleur, Elizabeth Arden Green Tea and Versace Signature in no particular order.

• Favourite Nail Polish?

In winter it’s anything red. In summer I always revert back to Essie’s Exotic Liras, a berry-fuchsia shade.

• Favourite Chocolate?

None, really. I’d rather have cheese.

• What do you Love about Cape Town?

My friends who live here, its beauty, the creative industry, the awesome restaurants, the shopping… there’s lots to love about Cape Town. I’m a big fan. 

 To keep up with Miss Leigh Van Den Berg  you can catch up with her on her blog @ www.lipglossismylife.com and follow her on twitter @lipglossgirl

Happy Shopping Guys
XoXo

Keeping up with Trill And Tailored

Last week Friday I had a chance to speak to the founder of one of my Favourite local street brands, Trill and Tailored. I spoke to Mo Mandita the founder of TAT and we got a chance to know about the brand and the Stylish Guy behind it. It just so happened that he had a photo-shoot for TAT on that very Friday and here are the latest pics for Trill and Tailored.

The images were taken by Jennifer Souls and you can follow her on twitter @steezusxchrist

They were also taken by Mo and you can follow him too on twitter @Super_Mo

And you can of course catch up with TAT on Tumblr www.trillandtailored.tumblr.com

Happy Shopping Guys 
XoXo

Miss Leigh Van Den Berg

This week I had the privilege to speak to Cape Town based freelancer and copywriter Leigh Van Den Berg who currently works for magazines and ad agencies. She mostly works from home but sometimes in-house as well. Among the many things she does, she also holds a beauty and Fashion Editor Position at a local online women’s magazine,” so I’m crazy busy but I love what I do. Writing about beauty is probably the thing I enjoy the most so I also have a beauty blog. It’s a great way to indulge that passion even further.”

Leigh is on the left hand side

She started off her career by working for a small boutique ad agency, “but I can’t even remember its name right now. (Seriously! It was some random acronym and they retrenched me within six months.)”  She has since worked for The Publishing Partnership, TBWA Hunts Lascaris, The Jupiter Drawing Room full-time “and what feels like a zillion other places in a freelance capacity ever since. “ 

To find out more about  Miss Leigh Van Den Berg , you will just have to wait for Thursdays Post but until then you can catch up with her on her blog @ www.lipglossismylife.com and follow her on twitter @lipglossgirl

Happy Shopping Guys 
XoXo

Trill And Tailored

This week was a very interesting week for me as I got the amazing chance to speak to the founder of one of my Favourite local street brands, Trill and Tailored. I spoke to Mo Mandita the founder of TAT and this is all you need to know about the brand and the Stylish Guy behind it.

The desire to create inspired the founder of TAT, ‘Trill and Tailored’, to start his brand. He saw a business opportunity and a way to express himself as an artist at the same time.  TAT which started in November 2012 was founded by Mo Mandita; however “the brands growth has been due to the efforts of the TAT team, including the homie Roy”. Mo believes that a lot of the stuff that has happened taught him priceless life lessons. If he could change any of the decisions he had made while starting TAT, it would be to change the time spent on chilling to put in some work, that’s all.

Their creativity isn’t limited in any way or specific form and Mo Mandita desires to inspire with his art and create pieces that will change industries forever, therefore “TAT is more than just clothing although clothing is the core of TAT. Trill and Tailored is a lifestyle, a strong emotion, it’s the way you feel when you put on a TAT item. Basically, Trill and Tailored is an experience. It’s like spending a Sunday Afternoon in Paris, I could go on forever. I just want (TAT) to be the greatest “

Their clothing is designed to be worn uniquely; therefore they don’t design for a specific male or female. “There’s no specific creative process in terms of our designs but it always begins with a small idea that evolves into a masterpiece “Mo doesn’t see many competitors within the industry and he started noticing growth in his brand when people he had never met started buying their gear and also when people in other provinces such as Cape Town and Durban started ordering in their items.

The concepts for their attention-grabbing photo shoots are based on the type of clothing for that particular shoot – the colour, the style, the texture of the clothing and they don’t mind working with different photographers.

As one of our contributing brands to our street culture Mo thinks that our South African Street Culture is one of South Africa’s most beautiful and definitive cultures considering how fast it’s growing. “Many of us are moving forward past international standards.”  Not only does he contribute to our street culture, he also supports many of the local brands but he also enjoys shopping online and he also doesn’t mind thrift shopping as it is cool too, however his favourite brand is of course Trill and Tailored. However he wouldn’t mind invading the closets of Scoop Makhatini and L.E.S as well as Pharrell, Yeezus and Andre 3000.How he dresses daily is inspired by how he feels when he wakes up, “therefore, how I’d be dressed on any day would be an expression of how I feel (especially in terms of colours worn)”.

The very stylish Mo does not keep up with trends instead he creates his own because he believes that “it’s always better to create your own as it helps define your art”. And this winter he suggests that we don’t layer up with too many colours and an item of clothing which he believes is a necessity and one cannot live without is a stonewash denim jacket as it is versatile.

Since the beginning of TAT Mo’s life has become much busier. “I have a lot less time to chill and life is basically a balance between school and TAT. However he does advice those who are willing to get into the industry “to not rush, take your time and listen more than you speak”

A few extra seconds with Mo Mandita J

·        In your spare time when you aren’t working what do you love doing?

I enjoy writing and going out with pretty girls

·        Where is your favourite hangout place?

Any Kind of rooftop

·        How did you come up with the name for your brand?

“Trill and Tailored” came about from the initial idea that TAT was birthed from. I can’t say too much about the idea but in due time it will all make sense to our people

You can follow Mo on Twitter @Super__Mo 
You can Catch up with TAT on Tumblr trillandtailored.tumblr.com

Happy Shopping Guys 
XoXo

Babatunde Wednesday

It all started in October 2009 when their first samples of caps and trilbies were completed and their first stock being produced in 2010 in the middle of July. Four Years later Babatunde has grown and has become one of our popular street culture brands which is uniquely identified by their use of bold African Brands.  I had the amazing opportunity to speak to the founder of Babatunde, The man behind the prints, Gareth Cowden and this is what he had to say.

The use of print was inspired by a trip to Libreville, Gabon in 2007 “I was inspired by the way people there wore their prints with pride. It was everywhere. So vibrant and uniquely African. This inspired me to work with prints.”  Babatunde encourages people to respect themselves and those around them and make decisions that benefit fellow Africans “It would be great to push a way of life or a consciousness through a brand. But I don’t think it’s that easy. It is something we will try though.”

Since Babtaunde was born a lot of hard work has been put into building the brand into what we know it to be today, Gareth says that he noticed the growth of Babatunde in the little things “You notice small things. The boxes for packing finish quicker. The fabric finishes quicker. The bills start getting bigger. You notice the time spent on different parts of the brand demanding more and more attention.” The growth of Babatunde resulted in a lot of hard work and less sleep. However, looking back he wouldn’t change any of the decisions he took as it is because of those decisions that he is, where he is today. 

Gareth Cowden is a photographer himself and therefore he comes up with most of the concepts, “Sometimes quickly and easily and other times a lot more laboured. There’s no real formula. Generally the simpler shoots are the most enjoyable and bring out the best results. Planning and preparation are key to making the shoots efficient and beautiful.” However he does admit that he enjoys working with different photographers, even though it is usually specific photographers he likes mixing things up, “At the end of the day, if I wanted to work with the same people all the time, I would work in an office.” At the moment Gareth is more inspired by prints than people he also looks for inspiration in music and everyday life which enables him to make things people like.

If given the opportunity, Gareth would love to work with Adidas or Puma, he has been a loyal Adidas shoe wearer since he could decide on his own Kick game, and he also loves what Puma is doing. “They do amazing collaborations. I know they are sort of enemies, but to work with either would mean I could die happy”

Babatunde is also another brand which is part of our street culture and Garth thinks our Street Culture Fashion is growing brilliantly. “There are a lot of inspiring brands and crews coming through. It’s great to be a part of. Creatively I think there are so many exciting things happening. Even outside of brands and fashion.”

Personally Gareth doesn’t really shop at specific places however currently his favourite brand is Paul Smith. This winter he suggests that it is necessary to have a comfortable jacket or coat, he also advises us to “have fun with layers. Mix and match different winter accessories. Woollen anything please.”  Gareth is very active and when he isn’t working you can find him playing football or playing Golf, he enjoys spending time with friends as well as listening to music.

Gareth advises those who are willing to get into the same industry to “become a master of what you want to do. Whether it’s styling, photography, designing. Know the history, know every little thing and always strive to know more about it. Work before glory.”

A few extra seconds with Gareth J

·        How did you come up with the name for your brand and which other names would you have gone for if it had not been what you have chosen now?

I was going to call the brand Bamako (the capital of Mali). But then one evening I remembered Babatunde. I had come across the name while downloading dancehall riddims while living in Dubai in 2006. I was fascinated by the name and researched it. The name had a lot of meaning and represented what I wanted to try in a multi-faceted way.

·        Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?

I’ve got big dreams. I would rather work at them than talk about them.

• You can follow them on twitter  @babatundestylin
• You can also catch up with them on their website  babatunde.co.za

Happy Shopping Guys 

XoXo 

Babatunde Wednesday

African Prints can make almost any outfit look proudly and uniquely African. Whether you decide to go bold with your prints or you decide to feature your prints in the smaller accessories, African Prints not only brighten up any look but they also add personality to any outfit. Babatunde has grown and has become one of our popular street culture brands which is uniquely identified by their use of bold African Brands.  I had the amazing opportunity to speak to the founder of Babatunde, The man behind the prints, Gareth Cowden and tomorrow will be Babatunde Wednesday. To find out more about the brand and what it is all about look out for tomorrows post as tomorrow is of course Babatunde Wednesday. 

Happy Shopping Guys 

XoXo

The Lady Behind The Camera

Recently I had the awesome opportunity to work with an amazing photographer; Sphiwo Hlatshwayo.  Sphiwo, who also refers to herself as Sphi_woah, is a 17 year old photographer who started photography towards the end of 2013, Creativity runs in the family as her mother is a fashion designer and her sister is a professional makeup artist. She says that they have made it easier for her to do what she loves whole heartedly because they’ve clearly set the example. They sky is the limit for Sphiwo as she clearly plans to make the most of photography by leaving her mark in the industry. Today’s post is all about her, so everybody meet Sphiwo Hlatshwayo; The Lady Behind The Camera.

“Well I'm Sphiwo Hlatshwayo. Lol. I like to refer to myself as Sphi_woah. I'm 17. Was and still is basically raised in the burbs. I'm a city girl but really dig the kasi lifestyle. Honestly, I prefer being in an environment that's not too uptight, and where I can be who I am 24/7. Spontaneity is what I live by. And people are my thing. That's technically where I get most of my inspiration for my practice in photography from. I come from a creative back ground where by my mother is a fashion designer and my older sister is a professional makeup artist. They make it easier for me to do what I love whole heartedly because they've clearly set the example.

My journey in photography has been very eventful and enlightening. I don't think there's a day where I don't learn anything new about this craft. I'd like to think that it has built my character in a tremendous way - I've been put on the spot to take photos even when unprepared, and that has helped me sharpen my skills. I still have YET to learn, though. And I absolutely cannot wait to learn more. I could learn forever.

The business mindset I've acquired from my father has helped me in deciding where I want to be in the future. I see myself owning and running a professional business that offers a wide variety of shooting styles. From shooting on the Cat walk to studio, right down to shooting at little children's birthday parties. I want to offer the whole enchilada as a one-stop shop.

In the near future which is between now and the next ten years, I picture myself still studying photography to get the highest possible qualification so I can work towards excellence in my business plans. Of course I'll be studying film alongside photography to give me that edge.

The world needs more leading ladies in the photography and film industries. And I am going to enforce and follow through with that statement.”

Catch up with her on twitter and Instagram @Sphi_woah

And check out her blog @ thecolourbetwixtu.tumblr.com

And of course check out my blog and look at  RHTC week for more pictures that were taken by her. 

Happy Shopping Guys 

XoXo

Twice Shy Clothing

It’s not every day that you come across clothing that focuses more on art than the clothing itself and its always great to come across brands that can blend the idea of fashion and art together all in one garment. Twice Shy clothing does exactly that, they focus more on the art and try to blend art and fashion together bringing you the best of both worlds. They focus on their product as a whole making sure that every aspect of each garment is unique in terms of their prints, shirts, designs, tags and presentation.

Twice Shy Clothing has been around since 2012, it was an idea that grew into a clothing brand and before they knew they were doing events.  They admit that it was a costly journey however an exciting adventure as they started without any destination in mind.  Today they’ve grown into the brand that we know them as today, they experienced a lot and learned along the way and have eventually moulded themselves into a brand which speaks to art and fashion lovers out there.

” We only trade through our webstore and in trusted tattoo parlours around the country. The designs are singularly printed and sold, thereby keeping our mark of exclusivity. Our biggest achievement was to turn what was once merely a project, into a lifestyle. Creating liberty in which our scene can develop; creating a place where the unorthodox is standard.”

You can follow them on twitter @TwiceShyThreads

And you can always catch up with them on their website www.twiceshyclothing.com

Happy Shopping Guys 

XoXo

All about Mpho Lehlongwa

It’s not every day that you come across people who are not only involved in the media industry, but have done so much in the industry that they are media.  In 2010 Mpho Lehlongwa who is also known as ‘Black Hippy’ began his interesting career path within the media industry, kick starting his career as a youth researcher for SideWalk Productions. He then went on to trying content producing and he was trained in TV. Admitting that the media industry has its ups and downs, he however managed to stick through it and 2014 is now his year of Journalism as he is now the entertainment journalist for the on line Magazine Live Mag. I had the opportunity to sit down with him and to find out more about who he is in media industry and this is what he had to say.

For 5 months now Mpho Lehlongwa has been the Entertainment journalist for Live Mag, besides meeting his very good friend Thabiso Molatlhwa who is also his photographer he also says that the best part of his job is the fact that he gets to meet dope people and he meets a lot of celebrities through his interviews .  “There are definitely many perks to being an Entertainment journalist such as meeting interesting people as well as going out to a lot of epic events”, however he also appreciates the fact that he has been given the opportunity to work with great mentors who have guided him along the way. One of his mentors being Siphiwe Mpye; who is the founder of Random Window as well as the associate editor for GQ Magazine.

Music videos also form part of his media industry journey ,  his cousin Mzwakhe Dlamini who is an Editor and Director is one of the people who introduced him into working with music videos and he was also given the opportunity to work with AKA’S music video , ‘I want it all’. Mpho also had the opportunity to work with F-Spot music videos, however mainly doing Grips.

He admits that he has made a couple of bad decisions along the way; he also says that, “the media industry sells a lot of dreams; therefore you may end up making a couple of mistakes”. However he has grown within the industry and is more hands on when making certain decisions even referring to some advice. Despite some of his mistakes, he does not regret any of the decisions he has made over the years.

Mpho has been in the media industry for a long time and there is no stopping him now. When I asked him does he see himself switching career paths he said, “No, I believe I am media, I live and breathe media at all angles”. He is even starting up an events company with his close friends and hopes to move into the events space. He also has future plans of furthering his career in journalism adding documentaries into the mix.

Mpho is in the streets all the time and he works within an industry that also plays a part in influencing our street culture, he believes that although there are levels to our street culture, it is really healthy with talent. “There are a lot of fresh ideas coming up in terms of music and fashion; even corporates are looking into investing in the culture. It has become more than just the streets but has turned into a whole movement.” He believes that there are a lot of elements within the street culture for example, art, music and fashion therefore we can’t really say who is leading our street culture because of the elements which all contribute to our street culture.

When he isn’t working he is usually out with friends, partying, spending time with his loved ones and working on his social life. Although he goes out as often as he can, his favourite hangout place is Kitchners as he is constantly there.

In terms of his own personal style, he says he doesn’t believe that he has style as he thinks he is pretty average, he is more of your track pants, t-shirts and Nikes kind of guy.  He keeps it as simple as possible but may follow a couple of trends here and there because he would much rather have a style that he can maintain. Besides the fact that he cannot live without his cell phone, he also believes that t-shirts and watches are a must have for any closet as they make life much easier. And for our winter season he advises that we all should have our kick game right, and rather than investing in some leather jackets we should consider Trench coats, scarves, hoodies and sweaters.

Although he claims that he is a simple guy and sticks to basics when shopping he would love to invade the closets of Kanye West and AKA as he says their swag is on point and is just too fresh. He would also like to raid Siyabonga “Scoop” Ngwekazi‘s closet mainly for his kicks as “his sneaker collection is on steroids”

He advises those who are willing to get into the media industry to be very fit as this is a tough industry with no favours. You have got to be fit for the shots that may be fired as well as equally fit for the compliments.

Mpho Lehlongwa has a come a long way within the media industry and plans on taking it even further, in the next five years he hopes to be well recognised in the journalism industry by winning an African Journalism award and watching his Hippy Innerviews blossom into something big and create more platforms.

Interesting Facts

Mphos favourite local street brands are

• ·         Petrol or Milk
• ·         AugistineGold
• ·         And Pyrex Street wear

Follow him on Twitter @Thy_Black_Hippy 

Catch with Black Hippy Innerviews @  www.livemag.co.za 

And do follow Live Mag on twitter @LiveMagSa 

 Photography: Thabiso Molatlhwa 

 Twitter: @Ric3hard

 Happy Shopping Guys 

XoXo