#OneForMeOneForYou - Nomination Italy

It's no easy feat to be in the country for less than 2 days & open the first ever Nomination Mono Brand store in South Africa & to launch the new Nomination Italy brand Campaign - #OneForMeOneForYou! And do it with style & flair to say the least. But in true Italian style, Alessandro Gensini always just seems to hit the nail on the head.

I got to sit down with Marketing Director & Co-Owner, Alessandro Gensini, who is the son of Paolo Gensini - the founder & Owner of Nomination Italy, to chat around the brand & find out what's the story behind the new brand campaign.

A bit around the brand. Started over 30 years ago, where Paolo Gensini once sold ice cream on the Ponte Vecchio in Florence. The Nomination brand was founded and has since then grown into a major international name that now stretches over 40 countries & 113 stores across the world. Being in South Africa for just over 10 years, they deemed it appropriate to open the first ever Nomination store on the African continent, right here in the brand new Fourways Mall.

A perfectly suited location & great brand alignment in my opinion. I do hope & wish the brand all the success in their new home here.

The new #OneForMeOneForYou campaign is more than just meets the eye. With a target market of pretty much every person that has ever been loved, been in love or felt love. It is about breaching the barriers of society that have been put in place by gender, colour, orientation & even religion. "A new generation for Nomination." - Alessandro Gensini. All human beings are the same, there are no differences when it comes to love & sharing of love. One way to share your love with Nomination is through the Composable Bracelets, and this is their new message. Check it out here.

Visiting a Nomination store is more than just shopping. It is an experience! From the customer service to choosing your own composable link that has a unique story that resonates with you. Or tells a story about an experience with a special someone, making the composable bracelet the best seller. (I think I've just some great ideas for Christmas gifts!)

The new composable link, is to dedicate to your loved one. 

Check out #NominationSAOfficial, #NominationItaly & #OneForMeOneForYou online & add your story to ours. 

SA Fashion Week - #AW20

It's that time of the year again. 

South African Fashion Week kicks off this Wednesday on the rooftop of the iconic Sandton City Mall in Johannesburg. 

With 30 of SA's luxury label designers set to show us what they've got, this season is bound to be one for the books. Get ready to see what some of the biggest names in SA fashion have got coming down the runway. I'm really excited to see what Gert Johan Coetzee, De Mil, Lunar & Ephymol have in store for us. 

And the opening show on Wednesday is the New Talent Search 2019, which I think is always an exciting one. With a briefing along the lines of: Shaping the Future of Sustainable Fashion, entrants had to consider 2020 world trends to submit a 7-look portfolio combining contemporary shapes, style & construction with their creative inspiration. 

Get your tickets here. 

If you can't be there, get in on the online action & follow the conversations.

#SAFW #AW20 #SAFWAW20

#SAFWWomen #SAFWMen

#SAFWLuxuryCollections #SAFWLuxury

#SAFWTradeShow 

#NewTalentSearch2019

WIN: the Soviet Denim 'Anga' Sneaker...

Let's be honest now? Soviet Denim has been on the forefront of bringing you unique & creative collaborations. And they are damn well good at it too, I mean, they have been doing it for 32 years already. Creating denim & footwear showstoppers that fully embrace the ethos of fun, fresh & fashionable, but still keeping it real & staying true to their slogan of 'Real People, Real Denim.'

So, fresh out of the design house at Soviet is some very exciting news. A brand new addition to the winter footwear collection, the 'Anga' sneaker. A sneaker that exudes the brand ethos & rightly so is perfectly matched to Anga "NaakmusiQ" Makubalo, brand ambassador for Soviet. Even Caroline Hardman, MD at Soviet, says that Anga is the perfect representation of talent, passion, energy, playfulness, innovation & simplicity, which is the ultimate mirror of the Soviet brand. 

"I've always been a huge fan of Soviet gear & I'm super proud to be doing a collaboration like this with them," Anga shares with a smile. "Having a sneaker range is a dream come true for me, & I hope that the fans love them as much as I do." The 'Anga' sneaker is a limited edition sneaker that is available in 2 colour pallets, a white/olive & a white/navy with complimented contrasting colour panels & branded with the official NaakmusiQ logo on the back heel counter. 

What Anga & I have in common when it comes to his new collab, is that it is a simple sneaker & it's  nothing too over the top. I mean, simplicity is key.  

I'm already planning an outfit that these would go with. How does a pair of Soviet skinny jeans for a night out sound? And then Soviet denim shorts paired with a crisp white t-shirt for the afternoon lunch with friends. 

You can get your own limited edition pair of sneakers exclusively from Soviet retail stores & online for only R499 a pair from March 20th. (But why wait right? The sneakers are currently on pre-sale via the online store here, until the 8th of March.)

But wait... I've been hooked up with a pair to give away! Which means, that you could grab yourself a pair of these limited edition 'Anga' sneakers. 

How to enter:

1. Like Soviet Denim & As Seen By Lloyd. 

2. Share the Facebook or Twitter Post using #NaakMusiQSoviet.

3. Tag a friend or 2 in the comments.

#MissSASoviet - it's time to #WearItLikeTamaryn

It's always an exciting time of the year when you get that inbox from Soviet Denim & their collab with Miss South Africa.

I've been privileged enough to have walked the path alongside Soviet & Miss SA from the inception of the project in 2014, for the past four years with Liesl Laurie, Ntando Kunene, Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters & now with current Miss SA, Tamaryn Green. If you don't know what I'm going on about, it's the #MissSASoviet denim collab, whereby each Miss SA has had the opportunity to create their own style & brand of denim jeans. We are lucky enough to have had a sneak peek at the new range created & personalised by current Miss SA, Tamaryn Green at the Soviet Denim Head Offices in Midrand. 

So in celebration of the 'Diamond Jubilee' of the Miss South Africa pageant the back pockets of the denims have been personalised with diamond shaped pocket plates. Sticking with the theme of crowning & diamonds, Tamaryn & designers have kept that in mind to carry through the diamond element & Miss SA branding into the trim details of the denims. 

Presenting the 'Gina' - a bright indigo, skinny jean that features the popular rip & repair detailing. The waistband is elegantly designed with trimming of silver detailing.

Lets pair the Gina with sneakers & a basic t-shirt to hit that casual look out of the park, or dress it up in a pair of heels & blouse to take on the evening for a night out. 

Presenting the 'Rolene' - a bright periwinkle blue jegging denim, with the signature pocket details & has incorporated a rose gold waistband & matching button.

The Rolene, being slightly more classic would work great with a blazer & you have a variety of colours to play around with, matching it with hues of lavender, burnt mustard, white, pale pink or even a nude. 

Caroline Hardman, MD for Soviet Denim emphasized how happy they as a brand are with the partnership with the Miss South Africa brand over the past 4 years since that initial synergy back in 2014. "The collaboration allows us to offer our customers a limited keepsake in the Miss South Africa Denim, which we feel sets our brand apart from the other denim brands," Hardman added.

Tamaryn has just launched her personalised denims, which will be available to the public as from the 3rd of November. If you head on over to the Mall of Africa, Soviet Denim store, you'll find Tamaryn in store for a meet & greet. Thereafter, there will be limited stock in stores across the country. So if you want yours, you best get one as soon as you can. Check out www.sovietdenim.com to find a store near you. 

Check out the happenings online:

#TGDenim #WearItLikeTamaryn #MissSASoviet 

Image - Nikita Maritz

Thomas Sabo - #GenerationCC

A new look & design for the Charm Club.

Reinventing & Revolutionising the world of the Charm.

Combining High Fashion; Enthusiasm for Jewellery & your Personality resulted in the new Thomas Sabo collection with around 260 restyled sterling silver, 18k gold plated & natural material Charm designs. 

Cool vintage stylistics, extra-large Charms, seductive single earrings as well as a wealth of different carriers, including necklaces, bracelets & hinged hoops. Will definitely ignite a collector's passion for new & untold combination options to set trends for spring/summer 2018.

The new Charms are perfectly suited to modern layering styles with a variety of different sizes, structures & textures and are bound to create powerful jewellery creations which capture the collectors' individuality.

What is probably my favourite selection of Charms come from the iconic Rebel at Hearts designs which have now joined the Charm Club for the very first time under the "Vintage Rebel" category. Definitely making some serious eye catching Charm looks for both Him & Her. 

The Sterling Silver collection with an unprecedented intensity of colour & individual look. This range extends from artistic, tropically mythical motifs through to edgy wearable hinged hoops, creating quite a diverse collection, where contrasts combine to form a treasure trove of richly detailed pieces.

The new range is out & available in stores & online at www.thomassabo.com

Check out what everyone is saying on social media - #ThomasSabo & #GenerationCC

#SAFWAW18 Day 5 - De Mil

Conrad De Mol, designer of the luxury label - De Mil, was the winner of the 4th Scouting Menswear Competition in 2016. Going back to 1997, his 1st designs, were specialising in bridal & theatrical costumes. It was in 2007 when he moced over into menswear. Following a more alternative new world approach to making clothing that is blurring gender lines.

My Top 5 looks from the #AW18 Collection

#SAFWAW18

@safashionweek

#SAFW

Images: Eunice Driver - Eunice Driver Photography

#SAFWAW18 Day 5 - RK Menswear

They relationship between fashion & 'the man in the street' has always been a curious one. Egalitarian by Keys Fashion is at the forefront of the anti-feminist movement, where feminine masculinity can assume its place within the fashion industry. An industry where men are the protagonists of their own radical rethinking.

My Top 5 Looks from the #AW18 Collection

#SAFWAW18

@safashionweek

#SAFW

Images: Eunice Driver - Eunice Driver Photography

#SAFWAW18 Day 4 - Tailor Me

3 Friends, frustrated by off-the-rack suits that never quite give a personalised fit, their vision was to establish a brand that celebrated individuality, style & supreme quality. Today the Tailor Me brand sees each & every  one of their clients as a new friend who shares the same ideals. Men who believe that while looking the part is important, being undeniably themselves is even more important. 

My Top 5 Looks from the #AW18 Collection

#SAFWAW18

@safashionweek

#SAFW

Images: Eunice Driver - Eunice Driver Photography

#SAFWAW18 Day 4 - Vintage Zionist

Vintage Zionist has focused on ushering in a new era in teh vintage clothing retail market. Armed with a rock &  roll point of view, they create looks & styles by recycling & redesigning clothing with the aim of creating an on trend cohesive range that will appeal to the fashion forward market. This is a brand that is brave enought to change what is accepted as the norm in SA.

My Top 5 Looks from the #AW18 Collection

#SAFWAW18

@safashionweek

#SAFW

Images: Eunice Driver - Eunice Driver Photography

#SAFWAW18 Day 4 - Roman Handt

"My role as a designer is to question mostly. I'm not there to provide the answers. I am there to provoke." You can see that Roman Handt interrogates the role of the 21st century man, through the use of fabric, pattern, cutting & construction methods. The label started back in 2011 & has since been a growing menswear design movement. The artisanal approach to design empahsises a non-traditional attitude & centres on skillfully constructed garments that have transcended boundaries around occasion, situation & masculinity. 

My Top 5 Looks from the #AW18 Collection

#SAFWAW18

@safashionweek

#SAFW

Images: Eunice Driver - Eunice Driver Photography