Fashionista Of The Week

This week’s Fashionista is the beautiful Miss Aaliyah Tia Singh who is not only my very good friend but a great shopping buddy too. She constantly tries new looks which so far have been working for her and she is not afraid to express herself through her looks. She is just a regular teenage girl who just adores fashion, her style is “Versatile but with every look I add a hint of edginess to complete my look.”

· You aren't afraid of trying different looks and you always take risks but they always work, what pushes you to take fashion risks?

I just enjoy experimenting with fashion and my image, some people may see it as risks but for me I purely enjoy it because I ultimately love anything fashion related.

· Who inspires you in terms of style?

Rihanna, Vanessa Hudgens and believe it or not but my sister and mother!

· If you had to invade a celebrity’s closet, which celebrity would it be (Internationally and locally)?

Rihanna and kylie Jenner internationally and locally would have to be Bonang and Lala.

· Where do you usually do your shopping and which is your favourite brand?

I shop everywhere. I don’t have a favourite brand as I said; my style is versatile so my looks vary from street wear to glamourous style.

· Which item of clothing do you believe is a necessity and one cannot live without?

Black leggings! Little Black Dress [LBD] !Sky blue jeans & a white t-shirt!  Extreme necessities!!!

· What’s your winter style tip for the ladies and gents out there?

Knee-high boats for the ladies and scarfs for the gentlemen, a classic Chuck Bass look. Coats usually complete the winter look.

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

I love spending time with my friends and sister, shopping of cause and just doing girly activities. I love trying new things and just seizing the day.

· What do you think of South African Street Culture fashion?

I believe that there is a gap in the South African market in terms of fashion and it’s always great to see new ventures start and ultimately S.A grow in fashion as a whole. It has potential to be big.

. If you had to go shopping in a different country where would you go?

For street wear it would be the US, but high fashion would definitely be Paris.

. Which country do you believe has an interesting sense of style?

France

· Which is your favourite hangout place and why?

Margate, there are many activities and I, myself am a beach baby. So that is absolutely my scene and the vibe is nice. Whenever I go there’s a good atmosphere.

· Which is your Favourite Fashion Magazine?

Vogue. I love high fashion.

· Who do you usually go with when you do go shopping?

If I’m browsing through items, I don’t mind shopping with anyone but if I’m ready and set to buy many items of clothing, then I take it seriously and I prefer to shop by alone. I need a clear space of mind and just to be alone in order to make wise decisions. When you shop with other people their opinion tends to influence your choice of clothing.

. Which is your Favourite Label/Brand and why?

I actually do not have one. I haven’t come across a brand that is completely versatile in their range of clothing.

· What advice do you have for people who are interested in the Fashion industry?

 I believe that if that’s their passion, they should pursue it and be committed to it and the rest will eventually materialize. This actually goes for anything!

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

Above all, I just see myself being happy and successful in every aspect of my life. Growth is important.

I hope you have enjoyed meeting Miss Aaliyah you can catch up with her on Instagram @Liyah_Tia and follow her on twitter @LiyahTia

Happy Shopping Guys

XoXo 

Fashionista Diaries

This week I thought it would be pretty cool to catch up with our Last Fashionista of The Week, Natasha Eniye who is also known as tashanomics. She is just a normal 19 year old trying to figure out life. She is Nigerian/British and once was residing in South Africa. She currently lives in England and will be studying Fashion at the University for the Creative Arts. You can find out more about her by reading the post ‘Fashionista of The week’ and watch out for next Fashionista of The Week next week.

You can catch up with Natasha on one of her blogs: www.tashanomics.tumblr.com

                                                                               www.thatissoeniye.blogspot.com

You can follow her as well on Instagram : @Tashanomics

You can also follow her on twitter :           @Tashanimocs

Happy Shopping Guys 

XoXo

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