Fashion designer Celeste Arendse created her own brand, Selfi, in 2009, focusing on “thought-provoking attire that has dreamlike qualities, yet is classic and easily wearable”.

And the name? “SELFI is about exploring one’s authentic self, self-belief, being true to oneself, and living by one’s own compass.”

The brand’s seasonal shows have become highly anticipated local fashion week events, and Celeste showcased her Autumn/Winter 2015 collection at the major fashion trade show Pure London.

Having found buyers as far afield as Italy and Japan, this 31-year-old fashion designer is certainly going places. We wanted to know more…

Tell us about your prints, a key element of the SELFI brand.

I’ve always loved illustrating, and began incorporating illustrations into the brand in 2013. I started with screen-printing, but now I only do digital printing, as you can create so much more with the image and the turnaround is quicker. Designing the fabric prints myself makes the process of designing a collection simpler. I now have cleaner silhouettes, as the focus is on the prints.

What are some of the challenges of building a fashion brand?

The local market is small and can be conservative, which limits you as a designer. You have to find a balance and create something that is different yet sellable. I’ve always loved that challenge. I believe that the creator has to educate the consumer. You build trust as the consumer gets to know and like your product, and that trust makes it easier to push the boundaries with each collection.

Any advice for aspiring young fashion designers? 

Know your market. Look around you to see what you can offer that no one else is offering. Ask how you can add value to your industry and your country. Explore what’s happening in your own back yard. You have to carve out your own world in your industry, a world that will intrigue people, a world they’ll want to be a part of.

View more designs at selfi.co.za.

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Here at VISI HQ, we’ve long been proponents of collaboration and interdisciplinary work. In fact, we launched the year with our collaboration issue, where we celebrated some of our favourites. So you can imagine our excitement this past week, at Mercedes-Benz Cape Town Fashion Week, where the spirit of interdisciplinary collaboration was alive and well.

On the first day of fashion week we once again witnessed the successful collaboration between designer Adriaan Kuiters (aka Keith Henning) and artist Jody Paulsen. Adriaan and Jody have been collaborating for a couple of years now, and this marked their last collaboration, as Jody will now take time to focus on his art career.

The show, which took place at The Watershed at V&A Waterfront, maintained the androgynous feel the pair has been developing over the last few seasons. “We have used women’s items on men and men’s items on women,” says Jody. “The fits are spacious and forgiving. However, we have introduced fitted women’s trousers and shirts, and paired them with boxy and loose garments, something that was important to us to retain an effortless, easy-wearing look. We went for a light, minimal look with a fresh sporty theme, working in particular with the grid-like ’70s graphics and motifs of a tennis court. We further used ballet-like embellishments inspired by Lucinda Childs, the celebrated American postmodern dancer/choreographer, to give it a feminine fluidity. We both admire Childs’ physicality, perseverance and androgyny.”

Just two days later, Klûk CGDT showed their range at CAAM Gallery in De Waterkant. However, instead of the usual catwalk, the worlds of art and fashion met through a fashion exhibition of sorts. “We always try to find new ways to present our collections,” says the duo. “This season, the artisanal quality of fashion was important to us; the couture, the exclusive, the luxury, the made-to-order aspect of it, which is what KLûK CGDT is all about. It made sense to play with the idea of art and create an exhibition that would last longer than a catwalk show.”

The collection was made up of 31 looks with a strong Asian influence, following the pair’s recent trip to Tokyo. They handpicked and invited nine photographers whom they commissioned to interact with the range and create three limited edition prints each. Videographer Roice Nel documented the project in a series of fashion films. “The brief was completely open. We wanted them to be creative without any commercial restraint. Call it our Andy Warhol/Factory moment!”

The exhibition, titled Artisanal, will be on show at the CAAM Gallery until the 8 August 2015. The prints are on sale and 20% of all proceeds will be donated to the Sunflower Fund.

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