‘My customers can actually afford my products’

Native's exhibit at the Mercedes Benz Fashion Awards

Props to African Fashion International and the great work they’re doing showcasing SA design talent. Every month they profile a designer and his/ her plans for the future. This month it’s all about Mister Craig Native.

Craig Native: 'You can't separate culture and fashion'

When designing a collection, my references/point of departure is always the African lifestyle. But not all the stereotypes of Africa and all that stuff they put in tourist magazines, rather the authentic experience of people who have been born and raised here in Africa. More specifically, my own Africa and life here – I was raised in a typical working class, Afrikaans ‘coloured’ household where there is a rich and complex urban culture that is uniquely African. You can’t separate culture from fashion – one goes with the other.

My latest collection is a story about the Kaapse Klopse. Known by the authorities as the Cape Minstrels and by the locals as the Coons, they have been around for a very long time. It is a type of South African culture that I wanted to see recognised in a fashionable way as they have never been used before as a source of inspiration.

The most innovative thing about my new collection is sporty bodysuits with some ethnic details.

The next steps that I will be taking to continue my development are getting involved and working with a project group who are supporting African cotton farmers.

I understand quality in fashion to be culture and cloth. As I have said, you can’t separate culture and fashion and Native stands for true tradition mixed with humour and fashionability. Just expressed through cloth.

South African fashion design is defined by financial constraints and realities. And while this is a real issue for all of us in the industry, what I really want the Native brand to do is promote authentic South Africanism through my design, so that it is real to the people who buy it, and provides a snapshot of our culture to those who look at it.

I collaborate with Adidas on a track suit top for the supporters of the FIFA Football World Cup in 2010.

As a sports guy, I design practical yet interesting products that people actually wear. At Design Indaba I had a break dancing team perform in my clothes as the showcase.

In a tough economic climate my customers can actually afford my products.

I want to become known as the enfant terrible of the South African fashion industry but I don’t regret it. Fashion will always reflect the times. Right now, times are pretty tense and the Native brand likes to add a bit of chilli to the mix.

www.craignative.com

SA fashion at it’s best

Black Coffee

Last night I strapped on the heels for yet another fashiony event – the Mercedes Benz SA Arts Awards in Fashion Design.

The theme was ‘Modern South Africa’ and the finalists were Abigail Betz, Black Coffee, Mantsho (Palesa Mokubung), Darkie (Themba Mngomezulu), Craig Native, Stiaan Louw, Maya Prass and David Tlale. Basically, the best in the bidness. The designers each created a capsule collection and set up an exhibition space in the gallery (it was at the Seippel in End Street, btw).

The collections are being exhibited until 14 February and then they’re being taken on a little road trip to Berlin. If you can, you should really go check it out.

Black Coffee (Jacques van der Watt and Danica Lepen) walked off with the R30 000 prize – a well-deserved win, I must say. Their collection – which they say was inspired by the silhouette of a mother carrying her baby on her back – was absolutely amazing. The precision and intricacy of the drapery was crazy! I’m still excited about it. I just don’t understand where that type of creativity comes from. It was just… damn.

Here’s what Danica had to say:

Our inspiration was that silhouette created when African mothers wrap their children with blankets and carry them on their backs. We took this as our starting point. For the look and feel of the clothes we examined the textures of African hairstyles. We were also taken by the traditional head-to-toe clay colour, but reinterpreted it in a high-performance man-made fabric made with spandex to give it an uncompromisingly modern twist.

All-in-all, this was a fantastic exhibit. I have to admit that I was a leeeetle disappointed by the overall lack of creativity at JHB fashion week, but last night’s exhibition restored my faith.

I mean, I’ve often read about people who wept the first time they saw a Valentino gown up close because of the intricacy and detail, and I’ve never really understood what the hell they were on about. Honestly, though, there’s a lot of fashion going on on this blog, but I’m not really a fashionista. I was obsessed with US and UK Vogue growing up, but it made me love magazines more than it made me love fashion. But this event was something else.

More Black Coffee

Black Coffee: larger than life

Black Coffee: cool dog

Black Coffee: the detail is insane.

Here are some other mindblowing designs:

Abigail Betz. I loved this installation. Her work is magnificent and the beading detail is breathtaking. I’m not the marrying kind, but I swear if that status ever changes, I’m gonna call this woman to do my dress.

Stiaan Louw’s menswear collection was very dark, almost post-apocalyptic:

Palesa Mokubung’s Mantsho:

Craig Native did what he does best – streetwear. Seems he has 2010 on the mind, what with the vuvuzelas.

David Tlale brought the city of gold concept to life:

Tlale's installation

I enjoyed Tlale's City of Gold theme

Maya Prass did her signature prints, with a twist. I love the gold straps on this dress:

I was a but disappointed with Themba’s collection – I’ve seen this construction worker/ painter/ tie skirt thing before. Step it up, Darkie.