Personal Patterns - our first collection with all originally designed prints

z. Costa and cyd patch work insta square.jpg

After years of hunting for the most exciting patterns for our creations we are finally designing and printing our own textiles! This has been a long time goal for us and it is only the beginning of our growth as a brand. Cydney and Costa design, cut and sewed all of these new items at their home studio in Observatory Cape Town during the COVID-19 Lockdown in South Africa. Due to social distancing they produced this photoshoot themselves with the help of a tripod and are happy to announce that the collection is for sale in South Africa! You can shop it online at IZULU shop which ships across SA and you can shop the collection in Observatory Cape Town at Better Half and Essentially Obs local stores! Unfortunately we cannot ship internationally at the moment but our plans are to bring PatternNation to Canada again next year.

Black Lives Matter - our thoughts and messages of solidarity

PatternNation stands in solidarity with #Blacklivesmatter

A message from Costa Besta and Cydney Eva

As an interracial couple who creates art together our lived experience is one that only a few generations ago in America and South Africa would have been illegal. Black people fought for their rights in colonial South Africa and America and without their bravery we would not be married today. As we all know the fight is not over, the fight is now. We do not live in a just society and racism is still eroding the strives that have been made by black people, indigenous people and their allies. We often experience the difference race plays in the way we are treated when we go out together in Canada and South Africa. We live this double standard as Costa is constantly treated differently and with less respect than Cydney and we want to see an end to racism. We ask
you all to look deep inside and think about the stereotypes you hold for people of any race outside of your own. Why do we (as a collective society) judge others who we do not know and make assumptions about them based on race? Can we stop living from a place of guilt, fear and hatred and instead unlearn our prejudices
and live from a place of love, understanding and compassion? Individually we may not be able to stop the corrupt racist police forces and governments through our self-reflection, we may not be able to physically join the protests but we can all look deeply at ourselves and our communities and no-longer condone the
racism we see around us in our families, friends and communities. Thank you to all the protestors on the front lines risking their lives for justice.

A message from Costa Besta

When I was growing up, my elders used to tell me about what they'd encountered when they were around white people. I always ask myself why do white people hate us so much. "What are these Baboons doing here"?
"You black people are lazy." "Blacks are nothing but thieves". " You are not people, you are animals."

Till today, this racial beast is still at large and it has a lot of white privilege in it. When I was in primary school I had racist white teachers all over, they would tell us all in Afrikaans that we will never amount to nothing, thinking that we won't understand them.Racism is still alive and well. There are jobs that are allocated for white people only and not for black people. A lot of our parents and siblings are sitting at home with their qualifications (certificates, diplomas and masters) but they're not getting any jobs because they are reserved for whites people. As a black person out here in the job world, your position is questionable, if you're up there with other whites, they will quickly make it harder for you to work with them "on their level".Your job to them as a black person is to clean the toilets, scrub the floor, shut up and do as I say, raise their kids and at the end those kids that our grandparents or parents raise end up disrespecting them as they grow up because they were taught that way by their parents.

I was told by a white lady to go back to where I come from at a restaurant when I was serving them,it
didn't sit well with me so I answered her, "what are you talking about lady, this is where I come from, South Africa, Africa. This is where I'm from, I belong here. You are dumb for saying something that ignorant
cos you're the one that doesn't belong here." She called the manager on me and it went to the owner of the restaurant, now I'm explaining my part of the story to them and they're not taking it because the owner of the restaurant is white and to them I'm just a rude and ungrateful black employee.

Another work space that was white dominant that I worked at the head of staff didn't like me because i had dreadlocks and black, she always followed me around to make sure that I'm not stealing anything, I worked there for several months without getting an official position, new white boy comes to the job and they tell me to show him around and how things work, a month later he is my manager, a month later the same dude I was helping fire me.

We as blacks are the most hated race on this planet .There are a lot of racist experiences that I've come across.
It's been worse now that My wife is white, I get most people talking to her only and not even acknowledging my presence, I see all of you and sometimes I ask myself how do these people live with such hatred in their hearts, for what..? JUST BECAUSE WE'RE BLACK

WE SEE YOU, CHANGE THE WAY YOU ACT. OR ELSE IT WILL AFFECT THE FUTURE IN A BAD WAY.

A message from Cydney Eva

I am a privileged white Canadian woman whose life has been shaped by black culture from across the diaspora. My path to allyship continues to be a learning experience everyday as I learn how to best support the black people in my life and black people on mass. I have been influenced and interested in black culture from a young age and have met, loved and grown close to so many amazing black and indigenous people of colour. It is an honour to work with and be a part of so many creative projects with black folks who have
collaborated with PatternNation. To the African American/ Canadian community standing up for their rights and protesting to change the colonial white-supremacist system and end police brutality and racism in North America PatternNation stands in solidarity. To the black and coloured South Africans still fighting for their rights and equality who continue to experience police brutality and racism on their own land in a post-apartheid society PatternNation stands in solidarity. To the white people in North America and South Africa it is not okay to indulge in black culture while segregating yourselves to all white or almost all white communities, there will be no change if we do not change. We need to do better, dissect our privilege and learned biases, educate ourselves and stand up alongside black people for a just future.

Costa Besta - Rapper & Mr.PatternNation

Pattern Privilege Collab with Black Privilege for THREE MAG

Published in THREE MAG

This February Cerbastian Davids of Black Privilege, Nthabiseng Letsoso The Fashion Sangoma and Black Rose Mbalemnyama Radebe came to Cape Town from Joburg and Soweto to paint a mural in Baz Arts IPAF International Public Arts Festival which took place in Salt River. These artists partnered up with Pattern Nation's Cydney Eva and Costa Besta to create the clothing and jewelry for a photo and video shoot in front of their amazing new murals. During their stay at the Pattern Palace live work studio in Cape town Black Rose and the Fashion Sangoma made all the jewelry for the shoot and Cerbastian partnered with Cyd and Costa to create a new collection of clothing remixing Black Privilege T-shirts into new garments. The collaboration was
captured by the amazing cinematographer King George of Back Bone Media who also edited the film. This shoot celebrates self-expression and creativity and brought together artists from Gauteng, Kwazulu Natal and Canada all connecting in the CPT. PatternNation asked Black Privilege, Black Rose and The Fashion
Sangoma what drives their creativity, the concept behind their IPAF murals and the deeper message behind the art they make.

What was the concept behind the mural you painted in Salt River for IPAF?

Mbali: The subject for IPAF was digitalization of the arts and my concept behind the mural was to bring colour into peoples spaces especially places that have been deserted or abandoned by hopefully plugging on Wifi access to the community because that would be how we digitalize the artists and the work they do internationally and this is how we open up more knowledge by giving access to these communities as well.

Nthabiseng: It was our first experience with BlackRose to paint a public mural so we wanted to communicate
more using colour and incorporate the Seven principles of Kwanzaa, which emphasizes connectivity of every community. So we brought color, creativity and connectivity to our mural.

Cerbastian: “Digitalization”. In conclusion I would like to depict the possibilities that are not just out there
but right in front of us, for our youth to explore, Educate and equip themselves with skills and to succeed in
this world. You will be a fool if you do not make full use of what has been provided in the 21st century we live in. Our days of struggling to excess technology are over, its freely available. Use it do not abuse it.

What clothing or jewelry did you make for the collaboration? 

Mbali: The accessories I made were the necklaces and hat I'm wearing in the video, its was an interesting
process as it was my first time making them and using the equipment I used too. The accessories were made from rope and recycled materials from Pattern Nation who also assisted in the workplace and workshops. I loved it so much that I'm currently adding accessories to my Art works now for the future of Mbalemnyama
Art.

Nthabiseng: For the collaboration I had so much fun with Colour learning to make accessories ,from
yarn making pom poms earrings and neck pieces with rope and fabric cut offs . It was so exciting being part of this as everyone had something to contribute and could be whatever, so I got inspired so much by the creative energy that I was surrounded with at Pattern Nation Studios.

Cerbastian: It was a collaboration of Myself and the Pattern Nation crew that made the trousers and
T-shirts. Using my Black Privilege prints and their expressive patterns we came with these sick new looks.

What is the vision behind your artistry?

Mbali: My art is focused on highlighting beautiful images of black women and the culture around them, And I
love using bright colors and adding educational concepts on the pieces, because it creates interesting conversations for both the audience and myself.

Nthabiseng: The vision behind my artistry is to always bring more creativity in all my expressions. I do this
through Colour and what is considered as waste.

Cerbastian: I do not consider myself an artist. I am simply an expression, sharing my stories, opinions and knowledge about South Africa though, I believe it is our responsibility touse our natural given talent to empower and educate the youth about their history and present times to better equip and prepare them for the future.

What mediums do you use to express yourself?

Mbali: The mediums I use are mixed media, which contains of canvas, charcoal, paper mache, acrylic and oil
paint.

Nthabiseng: I express through Paper Waste Art, photography, fashion, music and graffiti.

Cerbastian: I express through painting, murals and canvases. I use rubbish I find in streets and upcycle it
into art. I’m also the founder of a fashion line called “Black Privilege”.

What does “Black Privilege” mean to you?

Mbali: Black Privilege means that I understand who I am, what my true history is and how I can always be
expressive about the black nation and my culture at large.

Nthabiseng: On Black Privilege.It means I am the carrier of the seed of humanity. That is a privilege.

Cerbastian: It is the vibrancy and diversity in food, music, language, fashion and art found in Black Cultures
and Traditions around the world.

How do Colour and Pattern influence your life?

Mbali: Colour and pattern mean a lot to me due to my traditional history being Zulu. We are a very expressive culture and we have used these mediums to communicate as the Zulu tribe.

Nthabiseng: Colour and Pattern brings vibrancy and positivity in my life. Awesome engaging energy. Always.

Cerbastian: They give me the freedom to be expressive. I get to manifest my thoughts through colour and
patterns and create my own reality and it becomes a way of life every day is a new canvas so put your signature on it.

Pattern Nation is ran by interracial couple, Cydney Eva who is white from Vancouver Canada born and
raised on indigenous unceded Coast Salish territory and Costa Besta who is of Zulu descent born and raised in Kwazulu Natal and Free State South Africa. We believe in the power that comes from indigenous people and colonial allies coming together to make positive change in the world. We are so often polarized in our communities and our collaboration with the brand Black Privilege is allabout unity. Both South Africa and Canada are countries with long histories of colonialism and mixed race artists like Cerbastian Davids want to see white people join the conversation about race and identity politics. Therefore he encourages white folks to buy and wear Black Privilege gear. He speaks about creating opportunity for radical conversations through having non-black people rep his message, Black Privilege asks us to celebrate the beauty, ingenuity, diversity and genius of black people.

This team of creatives felt it is a privilege to work together on this project and the essence of our collaboration inspired us all to make new art and be innovate with our given talents. All thanks to the amazing IPAF festival ran by Baz Arts who brings in local and international muralists to paint the Salt River district. The project brought us together to learn about each other’s cultures,backgrounds, stories, strengths, and most of all, to live together and break bread as one.

Team Credits:

Model, muralist, fashion designer:Cerbastian Davids of Black Priviledge @cerbastian_davids @blackk_privilege

Model, fashion Designer,musician, photo editing: Costa Besta of Pattern Nation @costabesta@pattern.nation

Model, fashion designer, writer: Cydney Eva of Pattern Nation @cydeva @pattern.nation

Model, muralist, jewelry designer: Mbalemnyama Radebe Black Rose @blackrose_dynasty

Model, muralist, jewelry designer: Nthabiseng Letsoso @thefashionsangoma

Photographer, videographer and editor: Kind George Back Bone Media @back_bone_studio_africa

Murals for International public art festival: Baz Arts@bazart_ngo @ipaf_festival_sa

Music: Mzanzi Today by Soundz Tabuu @soundztabuuand Costa Besta of their album Bantu Rhythm Rap.

Serving Culture Cover Shoot with THREE Magazine

PatternNation was asked by Cape Town based magazine THREE to style their latest Serving Culture cover shoot You’re Invited to a Table for Twelve: Take a seat at the table and dig into culture with Rarri, Mars Baby Nikola Vlok and co. Read the full feature HERE

“when the team came together to shoot this cover, we had no idea just how foreign the concept of togetherness illustrated here would become- just more than a month later. The Serving: Culture issue seeked to highlight how connected we are as South Africans, creatives and humans. No matter what our unique and individual definition of culture is, we can all acknowledge that we are part of a bigger local and global culture.” - Zoya Pon

Production: Zoya Pon

Photography: Courtney Haas

Styling: Pattern Nation

Studio : Mr George’s Studio

Production assistant: Nuhaa Soeker

Featured creatives: Nuhaa Soeker, Rarri, Tzara, Nikola Vlok, Rufaro Chiswo, Cydeny Eva, CostaBesta, Gina Fredman-Jacobson, Aaron Kruss Van Der Heever, Zena Kruss Van Der Heever, Mars Baby, Zoya Pon.

FRAMEIN MAG feature

Photos by Costa Besta @costabesta Models: Kieron JIna @afrohomo Jesse Khoi @Khoiboimagic

Location & Art installation: Basha Uhuru Freedom Festival 2019 Clothes By PatternNation

Photos By Tonya Allen @Cajenua MOdels: Bailey Soliel @baysoliel Amalia @amaliamamalia Cydney EVa @cydeva

Clothing: Spandex by Glad I Exist @Gladiexist Fringe top, Hair wrap and pullover PatternNAtion

Earrings by: Bella P @Bellapdesigns EVent:Vancity Street Week 2019

BLOB Moments

PatternNation Blobs are interactive play sculptures made from upcycled fabric and stuffed with balloons. These unique sculptures have been installed around the world in galleries, clubs, parks and more. The Blobs are fun and safe for all ages and can be installed for short pop ups or longer term installations.

Previous Blob installations include Art Represent Gallery in London UK, Art in the Park North Van, Assemblage Gallery Johannesburg SA, KZNSA gallery Durban SA, Belmont Montreal. Celebrities Underground Vancouver, Durban First Thursdays in collaboration with Colour Your City and more.

Cydeva has edited together 3 short one minute films showing the blobs in action set to music produced by Costa Besta. Check them out bellow and we would love to hear your feedback on the BLOBS.

Glad I Exist Collab for Vancity Street

Pattern Nation joined forces with sister brand Glad I Exist Apparel ran by artist Brianna Klassen in October of 2019 to showcase at Vancity Street fashion week. Lead designers of both brands Brianna and Cydney have been friends since the age of 7 and making art together ever since, Cydney is now living between Cape Town and Vancouver, Brianna in Bangalore and Vancouver. With the two designers being in Vancouver in October 2019, the launch of Glad I Exists first collection aligning with Vancity Streets first fashion week it was the perfect timing for this collaborative fashion show to come to life. With a cast of 17 amazing models, dancers and performers from Vancouver we brought together PatternNation one of a kind clothing, with Glad I Exists range of leggings and tops sporting original textile designs by Brianna and earrings by designer Bella P we brought together this collection. All the models walked down the runway dancing and we ended the show with a live performance by Nigerian Canadian musician Adewolf. This show was truly a celebration of our community in Vancouver who have been supporting PatternNation since day one, even Cydney’s mother Lindy was modelling in this remarkable show. We showcased our first ever collection at Vancity street’s first show in 2017 and it was such a pleasure to get involved with this outstanding underground runway show as it launched its first 3 day fashion week.

Read Glad I exist’s blog post about the show HERE

Designers:

Glad I Exist @gladiexist - spandex leggings, tops and skirts, photo edits and ilustrations.

PatternNation - Jackets, fringe tops, jump suits, hoodies, and curation.

Bella P Designs - Hoop earrings

Models: AdeWolf @adewolfy Leah McFly @leahmcflywaackeisha Cydney Eva @cydeva Brianna Klassen @brianna.klassen Lindy Sisson @lindydance Bailey Soleil @baysoleil Shawn Yip @shawnrichard_ Bella P Cuffley @bellapqueenb Amalia @amaliamamalia Alyssa Amarshi @alyssamarshi Sophia Gamboa @sophiaa.sosa Helen Proskow @helen.proskow Char Loro @houdinikazimi Tylee Styne @tyleeelise Barbara Chirinos @b_esme6009 Nancy Cottingham Powell

Photographer: Tonya Allen @cajenua

Make Up by Brianna Klassen, Hair by Leah Mcfly

Location: Celebrities Underground Vancouver October 2019

FUUD London Collab

PatternNation Designer Cydney Eva had the pleasure of collaborating with Louise Halswell the designer of FUUD London while in London November of 2019. While at Fuud’s studio in Margate UK, cyd made 2 new fringe tops and shot them along side FUUD’s amazing street wear. Joined by Cath Carver of Colour your City who connected us with FUUD we went to the beach to shoot these photo’s and had tons of fun doing it. Fuud is one of our biggest inspirations at PatternNation, they make all their clothing in house on organic fabrics!!!

Fuud is taking sustainability in streetwear seriously with their “fabric and ribbing 100% GOTS organic cotton.” In our interview designer, owner and founder Louise stated that the vision and mission behind her business is “to create a brand that changes the way we perceive fashion environmentally to create clothing that is creative but conscious, artistic but functional, statement but durable.” I truly think that Louise has accomplished this vision and is an inspiration to designers and consumers looking to make a shift into sustainability. The fact that her clothing is made to order and 99% plastic free sets Fuud apart from the competition, offering a radically gender free sustainable clothing line that is still fresh, funky, stylish and comfortable. As a big fan, owner of a custom Fuud hoodie and joggers and friend of the designer I am thoroughly inspired by the direction Louise has taken her brand in the last few years. She has found a way to stay true to her brand identity and design esthetic while switching to an extremely environmentally friendly business model. When I asked her if she had any management tips for running your own business and fashion label she said: “Be honest and upfront about everything.” I truly believe that Fuuds honest approach to street wear is what sets them apart from so many other brands out on the market today, and you know that when you wear a colourful, creative and comfortable Fuud garment you will always turn looks honey.

Designers: FUUD London @fuudlondon PatternNation

Models and Photographers:

Cath Carver @colourcarver

Louise Halswell @fuud_on_a_misson

Cydney Eva @cydeva

Blobs and Kids

BLOBS - interactive play sculptures
PatternNation loves to work with youth and create environments for kids to play and have fun! It's no doubt that kids love BLOBS . We hope to introduce more young people to BLOBS after this virus passes, they will definitely be ready to get their play on.
Installations featured in these Blob moments are: @iheartmarket in collaboration with @colour_your_city and @colourcarver - 2018 Durban South Africa

@artstarts gallery for our Pattern Nation Imagination Exploration youth art program- 2018 & 2019 Vancouver Canada

Why I Design show at @museumofvan - 2018 Vancouver Canada

Video Edited by @cydeva

Music produced by @costabesta
A big thank you to all the kids and families who have played with BLOBS over the years! .

TRASH with Nubian Nene

Montreal/ NYC Based street dancer Nubian Nene met up with PatternNation’s Cydney Eva in Vancouver Canada Summer 2019. Nene was in town as a judge for Vancouver Street Dance Festival and this gave these long time friends as opportunity to collaborate. We styled PatternNation Looks with 3 Vancouver Mural Festival wall in the trendy Mount Pleasant neighborhood and set the film to the Track Trash by Johannesburg based queer musician Fortune Shumba.

Credits:
Model: Nubian Nene
Clothing: PatternNation
Earrings: Hot Brown Honey, Kasa Kava and Sequin Slim
Photography and editing: Cydney Eva Pattern
Production assistant: Lindy Sisson
Track: Trash by Fortune Shumba

Vus'umuzi Phakathi - Poet/ owner @ Kalahari Books

Vus’umuzi Phakathi

Vus’usmuzi Phakathi, also known as Bhudi Vusi is a Poet, Basa Scale up Mentor, Executive Director at Current State Presentations and a co-owner at Kalahari Books.

We first met Vusi at the Basa scale up mentor sessions in Durban where he was our mentor for three days.

“BASA” means [Business and Arts South Africa], he was guiding us through the steps and safety measures of creating a creative business and/or maintaining it if you have one already. He was also enlightening us about various Arts fundings and how to go about in registering for them.

Fast forward 2 months later, we are trading at a Festival in Johannesburg called Basha Uhuru, “ Basha Uhuru Youth Fest commemorates the youth of '76 & features art exhibitions, film screenings, creative dialogues, and a music festival! “.

We spoke to Vusi about the Festival and coming to trade there, so we asked him if he knows any accommodations near the festival and he organised us a great place close to the place of trade. We organised this shoot in between days of the Festival and the shoot took place in his book store “Kalahari Books”.

PatternNation Imagination Exploration Intensive 2019

In our 2019 Youth Program funded by Artstarts Creative Spark grant and materials donated by Opus Art supplies we offered a 3 session art intensive for you in Vancouver. 8 amazing kids ages 5 - 13 participated in the program. They Designed the fabric of their own hoodie with painting silk screening and tie dye, learnt about photography and conducted their own photoshoot. They ended the program with a fashion show and gallery presentation for their friends and family.

Program Mentors:

Cydney Eva Pattern, Jason Bempong and Maggie MacPherson

All photos by Maggie MacPherson

Electric Elevation - Nubian City Collab

Electric Elevation

We are all in search of our most authentic self, that inner you that shines with pure Electric Elevation. This shoot reflects that search and was an exploration in cosmic connection and divine timing. PatternNation is an international fashion, art and culture platform promoting colour and pattern, collaboration and inclusivity ran between Vancouver Canada and Durban South African. PatternNation's co-curators/designers Cydney Eva and Costa Besta had the pleasure of connecting with artists Shaemara, Chuck/ Soft honey poetry and David Rinaldo one afternoon in their home city Toronto Canada. Combining the colourful designs of PatternNation's ungendered one of a kind clothing pieces with Nubian City's regal head pieces and statement jewelry the editorial shoot Electric Elevation was born. Nubian City is a Toronto brand by multi media artist Shaemara, who creates Goddess Accessories for every Queen. Nubian City is a state of mind, it can be anywhere you are; it's all about imagination and reminding us that we are all royalty, promoting equality. For this shoot Shaemara designed custom Nefertiti Headpeice and collar to name a few feature pieces. David Rinaldo's artisan workshop studio set the stage for this collaborative shoot incorporating his wonderful antique collection with pattern projections by Bangalore based artist Brianna Klassen. We all felt the magic of this connection, the alignment of our larger than life designs and we hope that Electric Elevation sparks viewers to embrace their most colourful, creative self, what ever that may look like for them.

Photographer: Costa Besta @costabesta

Editor: Cydney Eva Pattern @cydeva

Models: Shaemara @shaemara_ Chuck @softhoney.poetry

Necklaces, earrings, hats & collars: Nubian City @nubiancity

Clothing, fringe earrings & rope necklaces: PattternNation @pattern.nation

Projections: Brianna Klassen @brianna.klassen

Location: David Rinaldo's Artisan Workshop Studio Toronto

Bleach the Dam - Water Wounds

Published in The Lake Magazine, Feroce Magazine and African Lens.co

It has been over three decades since people of Esikebheni, an area outside Inanda, north of Durban, have been displaced by Inanda dam. Forced to start over due to a water reserve that does not even supply the community with drinking water. Photographer Thobani K who was born in this area teamed up with Pattern Nation and vocalist Nosihe Zulu to produce images that tell a piece of the story about the struggle for water. Esikebheni is currently experiencing water cut-offs and strongly depends on water trucks delivering water twice a week. This has been a reality since 2013.

"When my family fell victim to Inanda Dam floods in 1987, they were given corrugated iron houses to live in them temporarily. Of course they ended up living there for 5 years before they could manage to actually build a new brick house for themselves. I was born in that corrugated iron house, and I can recall clearly my primary school days when a group of people from some organization came to teach us about cholera that had affected our community since we had no tap water. I remember one girl named Nana Mbambo who was one of the people that died from cholera; and I remember the fear those cholera deaths sent through out the neighbourhood. We feared the only water available to us but had no other option but to drink it, to drink the water from the very same dam that displaced us. They gave us bleach bottles for free and told us to put one spoon in 25litre barrels of water and wait for 24 hours before we can drink that water."

Thobani K has taken it upon himself to tell the whole story of the water issue through photographs; this set of images presented here tells a story of how the community was told to purify water from the dam using bleach, that is water for drinking and cooking. These images showcase Nosihe dressed in Pattern Nation's one of a kind clothing designs. They were shot on location at the dam, as well as in the community of Esikebheni. This collaboration between three individuals, Cyd Eva of Pattern Nation a creative, visual art platform and experimental fashion label based between Vancouver (Canada) and Durban (South Africa); Nosihe Zulu a jazz vocalist with a movement called UncutExclusive, where she performs in small intimate spaces in various cities; and creative fashion art photographer Thobani K.

Water Purification - Bleach the Dam Credits

Model: Nosihe Zulu @nosihezulu

Clothing and props: PatternNation’s Cyd Eva @pattern.nation @cydeva www.pattern.nation.com

Creative Direction, Photography and editing: Thobani K @thezoolooreigns

Location: Inanda Dam and Esikebheni KwaZulu-Natal South Africa

Gibela by Robin Third Floor

PatternNation styled Durban South Africa rapper Robin Third Floor for his “GIBELA” Music video sponsored by Jägermeister. We custom upcycled his look and UV painted robin’s face.

Photos by Ryan Roake

Madala Kunene & Foto Booth collaboration (Project Backdrop)

Madala Kunene is “Known as King of the Zulu guitar Madala's playing blends Blues and African Folk.

Madala Kunene was born in 1951 in Cato Manor, moving to the township of Kwa-Mashu, near Durban after his family were evicted by the Apartheid government.

He started busking on Durban's beachfront at the age of 7, making his first guitar out of a cooking oil tin and fish gut for the strings, soon becoming a popular performer in the townships.”

The shoot, “project backdrop” was organised by “Foto Booth Durban”. The outfit that Madala is wearing was made out of one of the backdrops that Foto Booth used at events. They assigned us to pair with Madala and create an outfit for him that best suit his style. The painting at the back of the jacket is done by Nqobile Hlela.

The location of the shoot is Station Drive precinct, Umngeni rd, Durban, KwaZulu Natal.

We also tagged along in some of the pictures with the legend himself.