Styling Thabo Makhetha in Maboneng

On the 26th of January, I had the amazing opportunity to be a stylist on a photo shoot for designer and friend Thabo Makhetha.  It was a beautiful scorcher of a Sunday afternoon and the location was the bustling, high energy Fox Street in the Maboneng Precinct, Johannesburg city.  

The team was small but super efficient; Justin McGee (photographer), Ole Morapedi (model), my sister Siwe (photographer assistant), Nomsa Madunda (make up artist), Lebo (shoot assistant) and myself as the stylist.  The shoot was for Thabo’s new line of Basotho jackets made from traditional Sotho blankets into gorgeous, fashion forward jackets, perfect for the upcoming winter months.  I loved working with these garments as they were so striking and original.  The brief was to keep hair, accessories and make up really soft and simple, making the jackets the heroes of the shoot.

The jacket styling was elegant, fun and effortless cool, pairing the jackets up with jeans, leggings and short cocktail dresses.  These jackets are for the everyday, modern woman who is on the move but still wants to look chic and be the envy of many.  The streets of Maboneng were abuzz with sundowners, coffee lovers and foodies.  The jackets received head-turning attention on the streets and had many pedestrians asking “Where can I get these jackets?”, even males were in awe and needed to get their hands on a menswear version of each jacket.

I honestly had no realistic idea of how much hard work being a stylist actually is.  It was a lot of running around, checking every detail of the model’s movement, hairbrush in hand for any “flyaways” and making sure that every single accessory or garment is accounted for and not damaged.  Being a stylist means being highly organized, planning all possible outfit options and being able to adapt to anything.  Though the day ended off with tired bodies and heat-induced headaches, there were big smiles too!  The shots looked amazing, I cannot wait to see the final edits!  The spontaneity of the people, streets and photographer’s vision made for an unforgettable story.  Maboneng is so so rich with subjects and photography material, I was blown away.

Thabo will be showcasing her Kobo-Ea-Bohali Basotho collection at the Design Indaba this month, make sure to support the movement, visit her website: www.thabomakhethadesigns.co.za or follow her on twitter @TMakCC. Thabo Makhetha designs are now available at Burgundy Fly at The Zone, Rosebank and Maponya Mall.

Take a look at some of the behind-the-scenes shots:

Photography by Siwelile Thusi (blackandwhiteequalsgrey.blogspot.com)