manTebZA
one small seed network | selected member # 010
manTebZA student polokwane, south africa http://www.onesmallseed.net/profile/iamnotthemaninthispicturemantebza
Selected Creatives is a one small seed network initiative. Each magazine showcases the work of one member from www.onesmallseed.net and brings them a step closer to being in one small seed magazine. If you think this work should be immortalised in print click here and vote for it in our poll.
The Revolution is Korda
On the 5th of March 1960, 32-year-old fashion photographer Alberto Korda took a snapshot of what would become one of the most widely recognized images in history; the Guerrillero Heroico. The image is a portrait of Argentinean Marxist rebel leader Che Guevara. To put the photo in context; Che had just arrived at the scene of an exploded Belgian ship at the port of Havana, which had killed 136 men. Alberto Korda managed to capture the somewhat 'dignified disgust’ or anger in Che’s facial expression. How you interpret the Guerrillero Heroico is up to you, but one thing is certain- this image will continue to be reproduced for years to come because intense, powerful and most importantly because it manages to capture a poignant period in history- with issues still relevant today.
ERYKAH BADU'S incense explained through EMEK'S artwork Emek has been responsible for two of Erykah Badu's most recent album cover art. He currently has a day job as creative director for his Emek Studios, which has in previous years worked on album cover art for the likes of B.B. King, Neil Young, and The Beastie Boys just to name a few. Emeks' 'psychedelic' imagery manages to capture his struggles, and it is through them that he manages to be portray an artwork that is relevant such as on Erykah's previous album cover art; The New Amerykah Part One (4th World War). It saw Ms Badu being surrounded by the problems facing her society at the time. Things are slightly more personal this time around in New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh. These are the lyrics to the song ‘Incense’, which is on Ms Badu's new album: “Let the children shine their light. This is the return to Life. Fill your cup with love and joy. This is the return to life.” The album cover art shows a robot-like Ms Badu in a purpletree garden. There are also references to the 7th Chakra, which is also known as the crown. It lies just above her third eye. The 7th Chakra stands for wisdom, spirituality, and life (immortality). Going back to the lyrics "This is the return to life," you will notice a reborn woman coming out of the crown. This woman is Erykah Badu in her new self. The old of the last album is left behind in the robot-like machine. Again, the ankh is a symbol of life (immortality). There are three heart-shaped ankhs in this piece. The title, The Return of the Ankh, can be linked directly to the line "return to life". However, these ankhs are heart shaped, which also means love is very much a part of the 'rebirth'. So with the heart shaped ankhs, which also symbolise life, then the link to the line "with joy and love" can be established. Other notable features in the piece are the objects that are represented in threes. There are three moons, three babies, and three heart-shaped ankhs. Three is a number of 'completeness' (if you like). Erykah Badu has given birth to three babies to date, and the three moons have something to do with the end of the night and the springing up of a new dawn. This new dawn is her rebirth.
KIMIKO YOSHIDO -
a Zen Baroque
Seductive minimalism in photography is uncommon, but Kimiko Yoshida has managed to achieve it through her work. She ‘fled’ her native country Japan to come to France because of what she calls the “mortifying servitude and humiliating fate of Japanese women,” and this is reflected through the disappearing women in her Self Portraits. The use of monochrome adds to the disappearing woman, who is there but not there, so she is a woman in hiding. Hiding from what? She says in a statement that these Self Portraits are a “representation of herself, and not a reflection of herself.” I had a conversation about one’s identity with a friend of mine; I said identity is one’s religion, culture, and beliefs. Kimiko Yoshida states that her “quest for identity” has led her to realise that she is not everything she says she is. So the woman in hiding is hiding from who she is because she is not what she says she is. Kimiko Yoshida applies a ‘flat’ method to her use of lighting, which is common in photography and cinematography emerging from Japan. The lack of shadows in her photographic work creates the lack of desire, a very minimalist, Zen-like approach. Perhaps this is why she says: “To show doesn’t mean giving us everything to see, to look means seeing that something escapes the gaze.” Another interesting aspect of her work is in the idea of the Brides. Behind these brides is Kimiko’s face, in other words, a Japanese woman behind what is perceived to us as a Kenyan woman’s identity. These images leave me shocked and inspired at the same time… They also give me hope; hope that maybe one day we can look past what has already been presented in front of us as defining who we are.
the end for
HAUT COUTURE
Comme des Garçons
Apart from being the year of the economic recovery, 2009 was a bad year high- end-fashion-sales wise. I'll hand it to the designers, they pulled their weight. It was a good year for creativity and everything associated with it, but bad for making money. And every creative person knows that they have to pay the bills too, you know.
2009 Fashion Highlights
First, you can’t ignore the bankruptcies that came in ‘09; Yamamoto, Lacroix, Escada… the list goes on. These houses depended on bailouts from private investors. To date, Lacroix had to close down his operations, Escada (a German high-end fashion maker) was sold to an Arabian conglomerate, and Yamamoto needs 65 million USD in funding from the Japanese government.
Murua Japanese brand
Secondly, the question arises: Who will take over the haute couture throne(s)? Lagerfeld is retiring soon. We have some young people in there already. John and Marc to mention a few, but who will be the next king (or queen) of haute couture? There is no doubt that the executives at Chanel are scratching their heads on who will be the person to take over Lagerfeld. The man can only go for another three or four years, but he is aging.
Timeless: the 150-year-old Burberry trench
The emergence of fast-fashion in ‘09 resulted in tons of cash being lost, consumers turned to Zara, Uniqlo and H & M in ‘09. 2009 was the year that fast fashion became the new high end. Fast Fashion trends came and went. We still don’t know what to expect from fast-fashion houses in 2010. In 2009, we saw some collaborations between fast-fashion and high-end houses, such as Jil Sander with Uniqlo, and Comme des Garçons with H & M. Fast-fashion is growing bigger and bigger. In a few years time, we’ll probably see a whole fashion week dedicated to fast-fashion.
Jil Sander for Uniqlo J+ collection
Finally, 2009 was the year of failures, rebirths and innovation. I'm excited about 2010 and the future. As much as I liked following the scene in ‘09, the future of high-end ready-towear is up in arms... We are anxiously waiting to see who the next ‘it’ designer will be. Only a few more months till we can look back at 2010 and attempt to answer this question.
The Future of Fashion It's a case of extravagance versus practicality, Twitter versus Vogue, and old school versus new school. The picture on the left illustrates the perception the world has of creative directors; weird looking guys who made it a habit to do out-of-this-world things maybe as to prove to us they are 'creative' individuals. The picture on our right shows a more down to earth character who, believe it or not, heads one of the world’s leading fashion houses. Christopher Bailey is a leader of the new school. He currently holds the title of Chief Creative Officer at Burberry. Karl Lagerfeld is the leader of the old school. He has been Creative Director at Chanel since 1983. His role is to give each Chanel collection the prestige its clientele expects. This involves everything from drawing it to choosing which models parade it on the runway. He is given 'bling' status by magazine editors as they constantly chase after him, wanting to know his every move. Christopher Bailey operates His role can be defined manager, social media e-commerce planner, and
differently. as brand innovator, of course
design director. He has to be up to date with his consumer expectations always, and he makes sure he is always Twittering and updating his brand's Facebook page. Magazine editors rarely chase him; instead, fashion bloggers are responsible for creating the buzz around his brand. The role of Creative Director is gradually shifting towards being more brandoriented. The drama queens are no longer the individuals heading up the world’s leading fashion companies, instead, we are starting to see B-school graduates heading so called 'creative' fields. We live in a '140 character world', everything needs to be executed perfectly at a fast pace and must reach as many people as possible. So I guess the question is how does a creative person behave? Are they supposed to dress and look in a certain way? And since they are 'creative', does this mean they should live in their 'own' world without sticking to what is current? I personally feel we will see more of brand-oriented new school creatives, who will be forced to work within certain barriers and be innovative at the same time.
The Stupidity Behind DIESELS
One of the reasons my generation still fails to identify with Diesel is because our fathers find it to be the ‘coolest’ jean brand ever. People my age (20-yearolds) would tend to buy newer and more sophisticated brands such as Cheap Monday, Acne, No Nationality as well as old school brands like Levi’s and Lee Cooper. My intentions aren’t to generalize or cast stereotypes, but the typical Diesel wearer to me is a 30-yearold Italian guy who drives an Alpha Romeo, who has a shredded upper body, the only music he knows is Slash and everything from the ’80s, and worst case still lives in his parent’s house. Diesel is one of those on-and-off brands. I’ve known the brand long enough to be able to judge their product offering, and the Diesel brand over the last five years went through something like a ‘mid-life crisis’. After addressing everything from Global Warming to Living Fast, and Sex, Diesel’s advertising in the past has in some way influenced the way I perceive the brand; that they are a brand that thrives on ‘the buzz‘.
At the Marketing School of Inconsistent Brands they teach their students the importance of ‘buzz’… specifically that BUZZ SELLS! Ok, I apologize for taking jabs at Diesel, my dad wears their jeans and they’re premium quality stuff. But after being introduced to their Be Stupid campaign, I noticed the buzz it had created and the clothes that lacked. Is Be Stupid a campaign that aims to sell clothes? I like the campaigns’ brave approach in the way it challenges the ‘norm’. However, I don’t think its aim is to sell clothes. What’s even weirder is that somewhere in my mind I have a picture of myself in my Diesel jeans, dropping off my kids at school… Scary isn’t it? Is this because of the Be Stupid campaign perhaps? Well, I think it has to do with Diesels’ image altogether (in my mind). If I want to be taken seriously as a 30-year-old one day I wouldn’t achieve it in my Cheap Mondays, in my Acnes maybe, but not in my skinny Cheap Mondays or Lee Coopers. Until then I’m no Diesel fan, but their Be Stupid poster did make me look twice, and more importantly, think and question. This, I guess, ultimately makes the campaign one that has a positive outcome, for some of us at least.
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