DIGITAL DAME

MUDE

Who are we? Do you know? We’ve become so inclined to just ‘be’; going through life with no purpose, with the emptiness of our being all that fills us. How long until we feel the need to fill the crack in our humanity once again?

We have become Müde, weary, drained and anxious, which has led to the eradication of our true selves. Some of us don’t mind it but the forever changing self just speaks of the numbness and lethargy we have come to know.

What will you do?

Will you put up the last fight or will you be Müde?

THE MUSES OF AN ESCAPIST

I’ve always been that kid who’d sit for hours dreaming of elaborate worlds and characters; creating paracosms within parcasoms that would occasionally colour an awkward childhood, and exercise an overactive imagination. As I matured I began to outgrow idle daydreaming and decided to pursue something a little more…sophisticated. If one could compare daydreaming to taking scenic jogs through the countryside then imagining fashion was like driving in a luxuriously fast sportscar, against a film-worthy manicured background. Fashion became one of my most formidable mediums for escapism.

One can see the appeal of sequins and stilettos as a welcomed distraction to the world’s unrelenting cruelty. A glamorous diversion. Through fashion we express and emulate. We become the hero’s that slay dragons, and rescue princesses from burning towers. We hide and make prominent that which we find most beautiful or repulsive. We’re given the opportunity to imagine and create. To escape.

Quotidian existence is often plagued by an adversity and banality that affirms that our lives can be places of chaos and routine. Some form of “escape” or relief then becomes inevitable and even a necessary act of survival. The idea of escapism has always existed and has been expressed through a multitude of simple activities such as reading or painting. But its primary purpose has always been to help to take one’s mind off of the realities of mortal existence. Fashion, I believe, is then a medium for escapism because it entertains and has the power to create a sense of nostalgia and sentimentality. It can be said that fashion can in fact educate and challenge conventional notions; it can argue and even draw necessary attention to matters concerning societal injustices. But it can also be purely aesthetical and gaudy. Fashion magazines, as an example, are considered controversial pieces of text and glossy imagery; but occasionally turning a couple of pages of seemingly shallow, artful “nonsense” can be a pleasurable intermission from the manic train that is humanity.

THE SALDATOS WAY OF LIFE

“Nothing is more certain than change in the constantly evolving world we live in .We have postmodern yearning to belong to find truth and meaning in what often seems completely senseless. Becoming creatively aware is an act that reaches into our hearts and reawakens our dreams and desires. We are reminded about the human part of beauty and being part of humanity”.
Walking into Peter Soldatos’s Parkwood home/studio, one steps into a fabric filled cavern. The light streams through the window dappling his desk, pilled with sketches, magazines and old photographs, a myriad of a wonderful life lived. His opening statement, when asked about his life and experiences is that, “You’ve got to crawl before you walk in this game. There are no short cuts in fashion. It’s literally blood sweat and tears”. This sets the tone as he candidly guides me through his poetic notions and unbelievable tales.

This pioneer of fashion accredits his beginnings to fate, “Getting into fashion was a major fluke. My passion was music and I still wish I had pursued that. I was encouraged to become a doctor but my mother’s friend sent my sketches to some fashion schools without me knowing and I was offered a spot soon after that, while I was still in the army. Raising the money was another story! Again fate stepped in when I was out with friends at the Durban July and I bet on a horse called Migraine, because I was suffering from migraines at the time. It looked more like a donkey to be honest and everyone thought I was mad betting on him. And guess who won? Migraine! And so my winnings paid for my tuition. I gambled and I’ve never won again! When I walked into the Kirsten Academy of Fashion I knew this was for me”. From a young age Soldatos recounts being called “The Fashion Brat” by boutique owners that his mother frequented, as he proved to be their toughest customer only at the age of 7, “I believe creativity is a God given talent. You are born with it”.

Soldatos was “thrown in the deep end” as he explains that at the beginning of his career his competitors were much older than him, having many more years of experience than himself. But this fact proved useful as, The South African Couture Syndicate was started by Soldatos and his elders. He was the new kid, “I used to congratulate my fellow designers (who were a lot older) after a good show or whatever, and subconsciously I would wish that I was as good as them. But I wasn’t aware that I was leaps and bounds ahead of them”.

Innovator is the word that comes to mind when chatting with this charming man, as he leisurely smokes his Peter Stuyvesant’s. The House of Soldatos was the first open plan collaboration of different fashion experts, having jewellers, furriers, cosmetics and of course his clothing all in one store. “It’s all about perseverance. I was never one to stick to conformity. If you do what others do you become one of them and that is pure boredom for me! Look at Balenciaga, his work was timeless, and that’s what I aimed for. When clients tell me that their grandchildren are wearing my clothes, I know I’ve succeeded”

His success started at an early stage of his career, being offered a job with Dior, but it never transpired as he was so inundated with orders and clients that he postponed his trip and never went back to Paris, “I always wondered how my destiny would have been different. But I believe I was meant to be here”. Again he was lucky enough to work for celebrities such as Liza Minnelli and Liberace, making him a household name. His rebelliously golden reputation and design motto that, “A woman should dress according to the man she loves, the life she leads and the size of his wallet”, has led to his loyal client base. Famously he won the fashion Oscar in 1967, “I was determined that if I won, it would be for cut and technique. Not one bead would be put on that dress!”

He admits that this industry has a vicious side, “fashion politics are ugly”, he declares while puffing away thoughtfully. He recounts a tale of his near win of his second fashion Oscar, where nepotism and sabotage snatched the victory away from his then avant-garde creation. “I’m not naming names but my fabric was held up at the then Jan Smuts airport. The fabric was delivered on time but they had paid under the counter to keep it there so I would be late in my production. But I was told to fight for my title and the day before the competition I collected the fabric and made that dress in 24 hours”.

What many people do not know about his epic career is that he was the first fashion designer to feature a black model in his clothing, “You could have called me a fashion activist in those days”. The infamous picture from a campaign was front page news of Die Vaderland, and later received threatening phone calls, as this was at the height of apartheid. “I clearly remember saying to a lady of the Women’s Federasie, ‘Mevrou my Afrikaans is nie goed nie,maar los my uit and jy kan gaan…”, he recounts chuckling. It didn’t stop there with mere pictures but he took this controversial model out for coffee one afternoon, where they refused to seat her, “So I asked them to seat me and when I got to the table I over-turned it, and stormed out with my model. It was scandalous”.

The industry has clearly changed, with infinite internet access and new technology. Soldatos has seen fashion evolve from 1958 to the present day, holding a unique view of over four decades, “fashion is like architecture, with a good foundation, it will stand forever”. With a reminiscent excitement he explains that designer friends would bring back a fashion book from overseas and it would do the rounds to other designers, “it was like fashion porn”. According to him, modern technology is a good and bad thing, “all these young designers have to do is go onto the internet for inspiration, instead of coming from your brain and heart. It’s like being a copycat. Inspiration is something that you cannot really define. You don’t switch it on like a light. It’s got to come and when it does come, you handle it with a vengeance. You can take from the past but give it your own twist. Once I used a heavy South African inspiration, print and bead-work. I showed this Euro-ethnic collection about 16 years ago in Prague and it was way too early for that look. I’ve learnt it’s just as bad to be passé as it is to be tomorrow”.
Fashion has transformed into a business, with financial gain often being the motive of creativity. Soladatos scolds the amount of designers that according to him “pop up like mushrooms”. He maintains his artistic intentions revealing that he never thought of his great success. “A lot of people hit the limelight but do they stick there for long? I think you’ll often find people who take fashion from a business perspective, aren’t the true creative, they have people working under them, which is like plagiarism. People are quick to put their names on things, when they don’t even know how to cut a pattern. I remember interviewing Pierre Cardin, and he told me you can put your name on shoe polish, as long as you like and know the product”.

Separating the myth of fashion and what is real, is difficult. Status quickly goes to one’s head and the forged idea of a glamorous life in fashion becomes a false reality, “I call it the ‘Fashion Eyebrow’. When you have finished with your shows and your bows, come home and take off your ‘Fashion Eyebrow’ and just be yourself”. Listening to his recount makes me feel an overwhelming amount of admiration for this larger than life and yet humble character. “I tell people, if I have to reach the ‘departure lounge’ any time soon, I’m happy. I’ve had a very interesting life. But this industry is not easy. I made my first wedding dress at 19 and never looked back. One talks about the glamour of fashion and the models, but for better or worse I didn’t settle down and have a family. Be careful of whom you get involved with, some people wanted the Soldatos and weren’t interested in the Peter”.

Before I bid him farewell he reasons that, “Every season has its end and I regret nothing”. Profoundly he scans his studio, puts out his cigarette and lightly breathes out that, “We are born, we learn and hopefully we leave a legacy”.

LOOKING EAST

We owe a lot to the Japanese. Apart from their vast contribution to technology, the surplus of aesthetic and philosophical inspiration they have provided the world spans wide. What fascinates me most though about them is their understanding of beauty; an understanding that is so far removed from the westernized idea of it. There is no criterion; everything stems from truth and I think this is where tolerance is fostered, where there are no socially-constructed ideals and beauty isn’t determined so structurally. To them, speaking from a fashion perspective, the line between femininity and masculinity can be freely crossed because they, by pure virtue of their history, understand the efficacy of gender pluralization.

FAEEZA KHAN

As LISOF celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, we caught up with ex-Lisof student and prominent fashion designer Faeeza Khan. After studying Actuarial Science, Faeeza decided to pursue a degree in fashion. Raised in an academic household and community, she quickly gained the support of her family, who recognised her creative talent while she was still young. From interning to running her own business, Faeeza becomes the ideal candidate to question about the business of fashion.

Faeeza graduated from LISOF and – like most graduates – was unemployed for the first few months. Her first job was a month-long internship with Marianne Fassler but, because of her skill, ended up staying longer. “She liked me and liked my work, she asked me to stay and that’s how I ended up staying for a year”.

There, she learnt about managing different aspects of a business, accommodating different figures and dealing with customers. By the end of that pivotal year, she was ready to start her own business, saying, “I felt like it is time for me to execute my own vision”.
However, she soon realised that starting a label is a full-time job.

“It’s one thing making clothes but it’s another getting your clothes out there for people to see. I didn’t pay much attention to the accounting and business side” she admits. Having underestimated certain aspects of business, she expresses how important it is for young designers to learn entrepreneurial skills while still in school or while interning for a certain brand or designer.

“Start thinking like a business person, don’t just assume your work is going to be so good that everything is going to fall into your lap”, she says. Faeeza has also shed some light on the transitional phase of moving from being a student to a businessman/ businesswoman; a transition most people struggle with. She describes her experience as hard in the beginning but how unashamed she was to ask her peers for help in areas she struggled with.
Faeeza has taken the brave decision to take a break from her label to get more involved in projects within the fashion industry.

Speaking about consumer trends, Faeeza says she would like to see a change in South African consumer’s mindset. “If we try to encourage consumers to be more proud of what we have, then they would look more into buying local designer items. I would like to see local designers adopting a more local approach to fashion and not following trends as much”.

“South Africa has a lot of talent, but from an infrastructure point of view it feels like you are left to your own devices. With the international chain stores coming into the country it makes it really hard for local designers”.

There is struggle in every success story but Faeeza says “find what makes you unique and that will bring you success”.