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Greetings Beloved, my name is Mabandla Phakula
I’m a young black man from South Africa who has lived in Pakistan and Denmark for 5 and half years each.
I was born in 1997, so I’m currently in my Jordan year
Currently reside in Johannesburg, Randburg
I can be reached on Instagram @mabandlaphakula.
Before my interest in fashion emerged and I wanted to become a Formula 1 driver. I still have aspiration with working with Formula 1, i do not know in what field yet but Im still young so I’m not in a rush.

Adidas has partnered with Parley to prevent waste products from entering the ocean. One of their many objectives is to create high performance sports shoes from recycled materials. The material of the shoe would also be able to break down, so another pair of shoes can be made from the same one.

 “This is the turning point for plastic. To minimize waste and multiply the lives of our materials. This is our first sports shoe that’s made to be remade. Futurecraft LOOP”  (Adidas, 2019). Adidas has vowed that by 2024 that they will only use recycled plastic for all of their products.

“PARLEY IS THE SPACE WHERE CREATORS, THINKERS, AND LEADERS COME TOGETHER TO RAISE AWARENESS FOR THE BEAUTY AND FRAGILITY OF OUR OCEANS AND COLLABORATE ON PROJECTS THAT CAN END THEIR DESTRUCTION.” (Parley)

Though the objective of both brands is to protect the environment, the question is whether people will actually be able to support the cause purchase the shoes. The shoes officially dropped in South Africa on 11th July 2019 and are also available online at adidas and other sneaker sites. The shoes cost R6000 which is essentially triple the cost of most of the brand’s other sneakers. The high cost makes these impractical for most consumers to purchase and therefore does very little to actually support the environmental cause. Adidas X Kanye West collaboration cost between R3500-5000 which is still slightly cheaper than the Adidas Parley yet people had to save money and waited in line for a pair of Kanye’s shoes. There is a hype about his shoes which will make people do that and explains why the cost that much. There are some people who can purchase the Adidas X Parley collaboration, but it is more likely that they will choose to rather buy another pair of shoes. 

Adidas has stated recycled polyester is 10-20 per cent more expensive than virgin materials and about 50% of the materials used in their materials is polyester, which is why it will take a while to completely stop using and why it is expensive. 

The future of recycled materials is said to be changing as more companies are shifting to recyclable materials which will cut the cost down, especially with new technology, and hopefully make it viable for consumers to go green. The problem with the Adidas Parley  is that very few people will pay R6000 for the product and therefore does nothing to support sustainable product development. I definitely will not be waiting in any lines or saving for months for a pair of these recycle kicks, I will buy the yeezy. 

Russell Brand, comedian, actor, director and author has published one of the most authentic books about dealing with recovery entitled ‘Recovery: Freedom from our Addictions’. The book discusses drug addiction, but also addresses other common addictions like pornography, sex, eating disorders and impulsive lying, some of things Brand himself has struggled with in his past.

Many people got to know Brand after his movie ‘Get him to the Greek’, where he plays a musician whose life is dependent on a downward spiral of drugs, sex and booze. Brand stated that he used his past experiences as inspiration for the role. In his book, we learn how Brand went from being a heroin addict in the gutters to where he is now – successful, influential and 17 years sober. The book follows the 12 steps AA program to deal with addiction, but Brand has reinvented it with a mixture of empathy, edginess and cunning insight. Brands version of AA goes something like this: Step 1: Are you a bit fucked up? Step 2: Could you not be fucked? Step 3: Are you on your own going to unfuck yourself?

For the people who have not yet watched Brand’s stand-up comedy, you will realise that he likes to use a vast range of vocabulary and is actually quite the intellectual. So be prepared to have a dictionary on hand when reading the book. You will also become aware quickly that he uses a lot of vulgar language, so for the faint-of-heart you’ve been warned and try not to judge his book based on his way of expressing himself. For those who like to write down their thoughts while reading or answer the questions the book asks, you will be excited that he leaves room to answer the question to help you deal with your addiction.

Addiction is not only about drugs and sex, it can be small things that we look past because we assume them to be lesser evils, but it the long run all addictions find a way to affect you or the people around you. I urge everyone to read the book with an open mind and if you like it, share it with others, because they might be dealing with something that you are unaware of and this book really does offer authentic ways to improve our lives through honesty and self-reflection.

“We have been taught that freedom is the freedom to pursue our petty, trivial desires. Real freedom is freedom from our petty, trivial desires.” (Brand, 2017)

For those of you who do not understand what a hype beast is, allow me to explain it to you, reader. “ A Hype Beast is a kid that collects clothing, shoes, and accessories for the sole purpose of impressing others. Although the individual may not have a dime to their name they like to front like they are making far more then everybody else. (Urban dictionary, 2019)

The first step is to stop dressing like your favorite rapper. Your favorite rapper, nine times out of ten can not dress, that’s why they wear a lot of designer clothing to make them look like they have a sense of style. Purchasing designer clothes will never make you look stylish, you just look like a walking advertisement. If you want to buy designer clothing, you do not always have to buy an item that has the logo all over it. Gucci has clothes that you only see the logo inside the label and they are mostly their best items. 

Step two is, having a unique style is way better than following trends. When people see you walking around they will see an individual who could inspire them and not copy cat of the most popular rapper. Embrace your inner style, and what you want to wear, rather than what appears to be the latest Instagram trend. 

Interviewer: What inspired you to study fashion design and is there anyone specific who inspires you?

Designer: Passion for clothes and I’m mostly inspired by people

I: Are you inspired by the people at LISOF?

D: I’m my own person. I draw inspiration from other things, like Art, Nature, Building, Colours.

I: Where do you see yourself in ten years?

D: I don’t think anything is going to change for me in ten years. I’m still going to be in the same place im in today.

I: Isn’t that bad?

D: All depends on how you look at it. I’m talking about the mental state, I’m in the process of learning and in 10 years I’ll still be learning

I: Do you not see yourself having one collection or selling small items, like what you already have?

D: Possibly.

I: What’s next for you? Design wise? 

D: I’m really not sure, my mind is always changing. What I want to do create is a brand that has a certain identity that is associated with me.

I: When you look at the youth of South Africa, do you see original style or just copy cats of one another?

D: South Africa does not have an identity of yet, we just find inspiration from other people. There was a time in SA when we had a culture of its own. During the kwaito area, pantsula, dickies, all stars. 

I: On an everyday basis I’ve noticed that everyone looks alike, why do you think that is?

D: Everyone’s drawing inspiration from the same place.

I: People are not taking things and making them into their own style. At this school it’s a little bit different, we are all wearing vans here, but none of us look the same, but that’s not always the case. Is it possible for that to change?

D: It will change on it own, whether i play a role or not.

I: Do you see anyone around the school that can influence others in the way they dress?

D: It’s only going to get worse. As long as Instagram is around.

I: Instagram is the death of fashion.

D: Yeah. There was a time when people used to read magazines to find out what’s new and they would only display products, no face was attached to it. You could see a pair of Dior heels without any face. Now with Instagram you are buying the face, who the face is, what they are about and you are buying the product. Example Ian connor, you are buying the revenge storms because of him. His face, he lives a certain way, and there is a swagger about him that a lot of people want to adopt. So, as much a we believe we are going to become individuals of your own, we are going to be more alike. Our interests are more alike, we all know the latest drops and have the same opinion about them. We talk about the same fashion shows. That’s why s**t will never change now. There are other ways to influence people without fashion.

I: What do you think is the best way?

D: Direct communication. People want to change lives with their profession. Before the profession we are human beings and as humans we are meant to communicate and share ideas to help each other to broaden our horizons. With fashion, art and music there is a lot missing since we only get the finished product, so there will always be a misinterpretation of the product. If you are not around during the process, you will never fully understand.