PHOTOS Micky Hoyle, Dook PRODUCTION Sumien Brink, Annemarie Meintjes WORDS Tracy Greenwood
Ahead of the June launch of the 450 m2 flagship GUILD design store and gallery space, the gallery asked 12 designers to create their own disruptive take on the classic I Love Cape Town T-shirt (available in limited-edition series of 200). Eight of the designers posed for us in their T-shirts.
ANDILE DYALVANE, ceramicist
This T-shirt is about interconnection, says Andile. He chose meditative freehand line work for its ability to centre and relax the mind. The intersecting of lines, the colour shading from dull to vibrant, and the fading of forms reinforce the concept of interconnection.
Andile loves Cape Town because… “of its creativity and its beauty”.
LADUMA NGXOKOLO, knitwear designer
One of the continent’s finest knitwear designers, Laduma incorporated the pattern design from his Spring/Summer 2017 collection in the heart motif on his tee. His latest collection seeks to express beauty in cultural exchange – such as that between Western and Xhosa dress codes.
Laduma loves Cape Town because… “There are many reasons. But mostly for the creative culture.”
JUSTINE MAHONEY, artist
Justine’s fascination with science fiction and adolescence – not necessarily in that order – are an initial point of departure for her T-shirt design. The intricate imagery plays with multiculturalism that transcends time, space, gender and sexuality.
Justine loves Cape Town because… “It’s the perfect hangout for misfits. There are so many places to hide.”
DOKTER AND MISSES, product designers
Katy Taplin and Adriaan Hugo chose to be playful, basing their tee on the familiar I Love New York motif. The addition of the lobster is a nod to Disney’s The Little Mermaid.
Dokter and Misses love Cape Town because… “ ‘Dokter and Misses love seafood.”
LUKHANYO MDINGI, fashion designer
Inspired by the essence of vintage heritage and a celebration of the rich diversity that exists in the Mother City, Lukhanyo based the design of his T-shirt on modern refinement.
Lukhanyo loves Cape Town because… “There is something incredibly special about the soulful and rich heritage that is still celebrated today.”
ANDILE BUKA, photographer
Andile played on the current state of affairs in the city and the fact that everything is, as he put it, “upside down at the moment” by using a flipped image of Jan van Riebeeck.
Andile loves Cape Town because… “You can get any landscape you want in this one city – the beach and the sea, the urban landscape, the winelands and the mountains. As a photographer, this makes it an ideal place to create bodies of work that differ completely – in just one day.”
PORKY HEFER, designer
Porky set out to create a design that would be accessible to the increasing numbers of Chinese tourists who come to our shores.
“When they are wearing their holiday purchase back in China, everyone will know where they have been without having to ask.”
Porky loves Cape Town because… “Its geographical position means we are physically isolated from the rest of the world. The isolation necessitates ingenuity, originality and creativity.”
Want to see more of what GUILD has to offer in store? Take a look.
