#look at our little fashion icon there :') cape + sneakers | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

expatimes · 3 years

Photo

South AFrican illustrator Karabo Poppy's take on sneaker culture celebrates African design Written by Michelle Cohan, CNNOf all the artwork lining South African illustrator Karabo Poppy's home, perhaps most notable is a gigantic, multicolored stack of Nike shoeboxes filling an entire wall.Her "tower," as she refers to it, has been a work in progress since the age of seven. It's a cornerstone of what makes her the distinguished multimedia artist she is today, with a resume that includes Netflix, Google and Coca-Cola. And in Johannesburg, where she lives, it's hard to miss her murals sprawled across everything from water towers to basketball courts."When I started my (art) journey, I was really inspired by hip-hop, rap and basketball, and I'd always seen this theme of Nike Air Force 1s and Air Jordans," she recalls. "I'd always associated that with Black people really creating groundbreaking, global, effective work and I really wanted to be a part of it."From Nike to Netflix, this illustrator is making noise with her artwork Even from a young age, Poppy felt she needed to look the part. Growing up in the small mining town of Vereeniging, south of Johannesburg, she says she did not meet an artist until she was in high school -- and her family did not greet her decision to pursue an art career with excitement.But the Forbes' "30 Under 30" creative found a supportive community through sneaker culture."People identify from their sole, S-O-L-E, on purpose," says DeJongh "Dee" Wells, a self-proclaimed "sneakerhead" and creator of the podcast "Obsessive Sneaker Disorder (OSD)."South African multimedia artist Karabo Poppy in streetwear clothing she designed for label Rich Mnisi. Credit: Bruce Buttery for CNN"They choose their footwear very specifically to give them a little glimpse of 'who I am and what I'm about; what's important to me,'" Wells says, whether it's an iconic pair of Jordans or maybe "a Jeremy Scott Adidas sneaker with the wings, because they're holding on to dreams of hope and change."Shoebox collections like Poppy's tower are a source of pride within sneaker culture, according to Wells. By having those boxes serve as her "vision board," he says, "(Poppy) was speaking what she's doing today into existence."Wells' statement holds truth for the 28-year-old illustrator. She has collaborated with Nike on several occasions, starting in 2019 when she designed three styles of Air Force 1s that sold out in a matter of days, and even landed on the feet of basketball legend LeBron James.Poppy shows off one of her first Nike Air Force 1 shoe designs, with her name stitched on the back. Credit: Bruce Buttery for CNNThe Air Force 1 has been both an inspiration and a launching pad for Poppy's career. From drawing on the shoes with whiteout in high school, to painting her first mural while wearing a pair, she says it was monumental to see her name stitched onto a shoe that's been such a big part of her journey. Most recently, she worked with Nike on a release of the Jordan "Why Not?" Zer0.4 sneaker, basketball player Russell Westbrook's latest signature shoe. The origins of sneaker cultureSneaker culture is hard to define, says Elizabeth Semmelhack, historian and senior curator at the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto.Ultimately, she says, it's a group of individuals interested in the history and the storytelling opportunities offered by sneakers. "Companies make these things, but it's culture that transformed them into objects that have meaning," Semmelhack tells CNN. Walt "Clyde" Frazier in 1971 shown here playing basketball with the first iteration of the "Puma Clyde" shoes. Credit: Focus On Sport/Getty ImagesThe rise of sneaker culture began in the 1970s when shoes designed for sports like basketball and tennis crossed over into lifestyle fashion, according to Wells. Both he and Semmelhack describe the moment when the famously well-dressed New York Knicks basketball star Walt "Clyde" Frazier teamed up with Puma to make the Puma Clyde shoe as a turning point in function-to-fashion footwear.The simultaneous birth of break-dancing and hip-hop in New York City also fed into the burgeoning sneakerhead trend. "You begin to see how this intertwining of music, sport, dance, fashion, New York kind of all begin to weave together in the 1970s. This paves the way for the huge cultural uptake in sneakers," says Semmelhack.The original Nike "Air Jordan" shoes worn by Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan, circa 1985. Credit: Focus On Sport/Getty ImagesPerhaps the watershed moment for modern sneaker culture was when NBA star Michael Jordan signed with Nike to launch Air Jordans in 1985. His dominant success as a player and global popularity boosted shoe sales; Jordans have gone on to become one of the bestselling shoe lines to date.By the time a young Poppy encountered sneaker culture in the early 2000s, it had become a full-fledged global phenomenon. Shoe exchanges have since popped up in Cape Town, while African brands are growing across the continent and beyond."It's the most diverse culture that I know," says Wells. "I've been to parts of the world where I don't even know the native language, but a simple point, head nod, or thumbs up, basically saying 'I see you, I see your kicks, I like your kicks.'"Creative inspirationUniting Poppy's diverse artistic output is a central theme: creating images that "preserve the African aesthetic."She says inspiration comes from a seemingly ordinary place -- the barbershop. This was the first place she saw Black beauty represented, she tells CNN.Poppy in front of a local salon in Johannesburg, a place that gives her a lot of inspiration. Credit: Bruce Buttery for CNN"Hair has been something that's important for not only my family but a lot of African people as well; it's really like the center of our identity in a way," she says. "So, when I started drawing, I'd draw people having really fresh haircuts or beautiful braids.""Within all of my work you'll see nuggets of a zigzag and that represents cornrows that you see in beautiful patterns; you'll see combs, you'll see people that look familiar to myself and my narrative," she adds.Those designs are evident in her shoe collaborations with Nike, a partnership that Wells says is all too rare in the world of sneakers. "We need to see more female designers in the industry. There's not enough," he says.Combs feature in this Air Force 1 sneaker design by Poppy, a 2019 Nike release. Credit: NikePoppy acknowledges the challenges faced by women in her field and hopes to serve as a torch bearer for future generations of Black female creatives."I'm extremely proud to be a Black female African illustrator because this was a space, I'll say 10 years ago, there weren't a ton of us there," she says. "There's a certain way in which we tell stories that I think the world not only will enjoy, but I think the world needs." Read full article: https://expatimes.com/?p=18285&feed_id=34409

#design #SouthAFricanillustratorKaraboPoppyx27stakeonsneakerculturecelebratesAfricandesign-CNN

0 notes

jessicakehoe · 5 years

Text

How Camp Was Last Night’s Met Gala?

Last night’s Met Gala kicked off with Lady Gaga arriving in shocking Schiaparelli-pink cape by Brandon Maxwell, which she removed to reveal a black gown, then another pink one, before finally stripping down to her underwear and crumpling onto the pink carpet like a defeated Judy Garland. But besides this flamboyant display, how camp was the Met Gala, exactly?

On a scale of American Gothic (not camp) to Pink Flamingos (extremely camp) we’d wager it ranked about a Dusty Springfield, that is, it achieved a medium-high level of camp. (While it may seem a tad out of character for the fashion world to embrace a sensibility that is defined by bad taste, embrace it they did.

We ranked some notable Met Gala attendees on how they measure up to our own (very stringent!) camp criteria.

Photo by Stephen Lovekin/BEI/REX/Shutterstock

Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga is an incredibly talented performer, sure, but I kind of feel like she has me by a chokehold here, daring me to declare her anything other than camp after four outfit changes. We get it Gaga! You’re camp! Trying very hard is camp but there’s a sort of earnestness to Gaga’s desire to adhere to the theme that isn’t quite camp. Still, I’ll give it to her. Did you hear that? You can loosen your grip on my neck now, I think I’m starting to get rope burn.

Camp-o-meter: 8/10, definitely camp.

Photo by David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock

Billy Porter

This man understands camp on a deep, deep level. Porter arrived at the Met Gala dripping in custom gold Cleopatra-inspired look by The Blonds carried by six shirtless attendants. Subsequently, the attendants lowered him off the dais and Porter unfurled his cape to reveal a wingspan of Albatross-like proportions. To understand the true meaning of camp, we need look no further than this man.

Camp-o-meter: 9/10, severely camp.

Photo by David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock

Serena Williams

Williams’ floral, sprouting dress by Versace initially strikes me as a bit too ‘nature-y’ to be camp, but the Off-White Nike sneakers put the outfit over the edge. In her essay on camp in the May issue of FASHION, Tatum Dooley writes “Virgil Abloh’s penchant for quotation marks could be seen as the ultimate example of contemporary camp.” Go off, Serena.

Camp-o-meter: 7/10, totally camp.

Photo by Clint Spaulding/REX/Shutterstock

Laverne Cox

Don’t ask me why, but ruffles are camp. (Okay fine, ask me, I’ve already written a whole story about it.) Ruffles were one of the major themes of the evening, worn in heaping amounts by Doutzen Kroes, Lily Collins et al., but Laverne wore them best. Full camp marks awarded here.

Camp-o-meter: 8/10, totally camp.

Photo by David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock

Natasha Lyonne

The aeronautic shoulders of Lyonne’s jumpsuit are a clear reference to queer icon Klaus Nomi, which affords her some serious camp points. (Plus, she acted on Pee-Wee’s Playhouse, one of the most camp tv shows of all time.) This look is bold, strange, and very gay. Do you hear that? It’s the camp alarm sounding off.

Camp-o-meter: 7/10, undoubtedly camp.

Photo by Michael Buckner/Variety/REX/Shutterstock

Cardi B

One of my many hopes for the Met Gala was that somebody would arrive wearing a train of Princess Diana proportions, and Cardi B did not disappoint. Though honorable mentions go out to Gwen Stefani, Rachel Brosnahan and Sophie Hunter for attempting the train, it was Cardi’s Bi’s distended Thom Browne dress that truly achieved the excessive exaggeration native to camp. Cardi looked a little bit like vampire Aaliyah in Queen of the Damned mixed with Pope Benedict XVI. Her train required three separate fluffers. If that’s not camp then I do not know what is.

Camp-o-meter: 9.5/10, unbearably camp.

Photo by Matt Baron/REX/Shutterstock

Miley Cyrus

Brutally un-camp. Cyrus’s status as a former Disney star should help her coast by on merit alone, but this Saint Laurent look is simply not camp. It would be perfect if she were, say, attending a Studio 54-themed party, but this is the Met Gala! Just because something has sequins doesn’t make it camp. Plus, major points docked off for having bangs.

Camp-o-meter: 2.5/10, unfortunately un-camp.

Photo by Stephen Lovekin/BEI/REX/Shutterstock

Celine Dion

So, so, so, so camp. It perhaps cannot be overstated how camp Celine Dion as an entity — and by extension, her Met Gala outfit — is. Dion’s appeal as a performer is based on her painfully earnest delivery of ballads like “My Heart Will Go On” combined with flamboyant showmanship and a penchant for pizzazz. In this silver Oscar de la Renta jumpsuit bedecked with fringe and a feathered headdress, Celine gets extra camp points. According to Dion, the outfit was partially inspired by “the glitzy costumes of the Ziegfield follies.”

Camp-o-meter: 9/10, indubitably camp.

Photo by Matt Baron/REX/Shutterstock

Hailey Bieber

A term that often gets thrown around when trying to define camp is ‘trashy.’ Bieber’s faux-thong backless gown by Alexander Wang was definitely that. The tawdry detail reminds of being an awkward middle schooler in the early 2000s when it was cool to wear low-rise jeans with a hiked-up thong. Intentionally exposing a whale-tail? Definitely camp.

Camp-o-meter: 7.5, unexpectedly camp.

Photo by Broadimage/REX/Shutterstock

Lena Dunham

Bizarre, yes, but definitely camp. Dunham’s Christopher Kane dress from his F/W 2019 collection inspired by sexual fetishes completely, unexpectedly nails the theme. Camp is all about reveling in one’s own freaky filth and what better way to articulate this than by caping for a semi-obscure sexual fetish? Good job, Dunham. This look is totally weird, very extra and undeniably camp.

Camp-o-meter: 7.5/10, distinctly camp.

Photo by David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock

Karlie Kloss

Kloss waltzed onto the red carpet looking the golden ticket from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory in a Dapper Dan x Gucci dress — and not in a good way. This outfit reads as if she did the cursory reading on camp, then decided to ignore everything in favour of looking normatively hot. This outfit is distinctly not camp.

Camp-o-meter: 5/10, regrettably un-camp.

Photo by Michael Buckner/Variety/REX/Shutterstock

Ryan Murphy

Wearing a shimmery salmon suit by Christian Siriano, Ryan Murphy appeared to be emerging out of a shell like Boticelli’s Venus. Mimicking a famous painting IRL? Yep, it’s camp.

Camp-o-meter: 7/10, high camp.

Photo by David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock

Wendi Deng Murdoch

Murdoch arrived in an outfit the looked like the ocean floor, all brain coral and undulating sea anemones. Though I am not in the business of awarding camp points to anyone less than six degrees of separation away from human axis of evil Rupert Murdoch, I must reluctantly accept that Murdoch’s Met Gala was sufficiently camp.

Camp-o-meter: 6.5/10, begrudgingly camp.

Photo by Broadimage/REX/Shutterstock

The Olsen Twins

MK & A’s floor-grazing Chanel leather getups give off extreme Morticia Addams vibes. Though the concept of twins wearing matching outfits strikes me as somewhat camp, these outfits are simply too stately and/or elegant to qualify. Camp stems from bad taste and Mary-Kate and Ashley could not access bad taste if they tried. It pains me to award the Olsen Twins a low score on anything, but these outfits are simply Not Camp.

Camp-o-meter: 4/10, slouching towards camp.

Photo by David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock

Katy Perry

What the actual f*ck. This woman clearly understands camp on a deeper level than I previously believed possible. On second evaluation, I should have expected this from the person responsible for “I Kissed a Girl” (extremely camp), but this look took me by complete surprise. Perry took the Surrealist concept of a readymade (the chandelier) and then cranked it up to eleven by wearing this Moschino dress and headpiece featuring over 7,000 Swarovski crystals. This look was so good — so camp! — it gave me a mild heart attack.

Camp-o-meter: 10/10, sickeningly camp.

The post How Camp Was Last Night’s Met Gala? appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

How Camp Was Last Night’s Met Gala? published first on https://borboletabags.tumblr.com/

0 notes