Friday, March 14, 2014

Private Life Collection by Phsics.Private


Contextualizing Private Life’s design brief is like driving in reverse through a mountain pass. This was a complex collection from its inception. It was the result of the frustration I had working on Phsics.Private’s first collection back in 2012, and I must have penned it more than five times. Accompanying the Private Life brief was a figurative moodboard which captured the symbolism behind the idea of the Private Life. The overall design philosophy behind this capsule collection can be attributed to a Margiela, Coppens, or Simons (notice how they’re all Belgian), alright then we can add Touitou to that list. Of all the Phsics brands, Phsics.Private has to be the one I’m most careful about. Being a participant and a commentator at the same time can leave you exposed. When I set up Phsics.Private back in 2012, I wanted to establish a link between my magazine publication and my higher-order imagination. I wanted to feel what the designers I wrote about felt, and I wanted to see what they saw. It’s possible to achieve all of these from an editorial standpoint too, but my experience so far has taught me that playing on the field and watching on grandstands are concepts which are at extremes of each other. So then, what is Private Life? 


The Private Life is a state of completeness. It’s about being able to see beyond your imagination. What I’ve observed along the years is how the ‘culture of fashion’ evolved into the ‘fashionable culture’, where anyone who chooses to live it becomes content with the allure of ‘living in the moment’. The Private Life is a bold statement which says, ‘I don’t have to be part of this fashionable culture, but I still possess great taste and sensibility’. The intricacies behind this collection are what make it so fascinating. It’s more than a clothing capsule collection, there’s an underlying discourse within it. An eye opening dissertation which the Private Life collection introduces so effectively is that of the ‘quality of life’.  



Lastly, I really hate sounding like a capitalist, but these capsules are the fuel to the business. The magazines I put out, the documentary work I’ve done so far, music and photography clearances, a major part of what I’ve put out was supported by this brand extension. Many thanks to my incredible team comprised of Marco Oggian, my designer, and Nedret Eren, my manufacturer. My next collection will be for women, but until then, guys can pre-order the Private Life by emailing me at soulphsics07@gmail.com
Blessings
// Crewneck – USD35.00
// T-Shirt – USD25.00 


Photographer Marco Oggian
Model Paolo Rossi
Location Laveno, Italy
Creative Director Tebogo Mohlahlana 

Sunday, March 2, 2014

PhsicsMag Issue no.4 - A Universal Language


Working on this fourth annual issue made me be that person who forced their way into very uncomfortable situations. As people we are afraid to get uncomfortable. I found myself having to convince people who have never heard of what I do that they could work with me to produce something as remarkable as this publication. I’ve also introduced film to be an extended medium of this magazine. 


Waking up knowing that your film is in its second day of production, and everything is up in the air will have you asking yourself “what did I get myself into?” and frankly speaking,there’s nothing glamorous about feeling that way. You actually find yourself in a very uncomfortable position, and the only thing you can do is to put your life jacket on and hurry along. In the end, the greatest feeling comes when your product comes out exactly the way you had envisioned it to be. Even if only two people share it among themselves, knowing that you pushed through that very difficult storm to be where you are is the best feeling in the world. The creative process is similar to sailing through an endless ocean. There are moments of calmness, and there are moments of “we’re about to sink!”, but nowhere can you give in. The escape is just too perfect. A friend of mine challenged me. She’s about to launch her resort bag collection which was assembled in Ghana and Burkina Faso. She left her air-conditioned London home to be out there under the sun, on the grind, far from the glamour! If you had to ask me what other fashion people are doing right now? Probably picking outfits for Instagram or browsing the web for “inspiration”.My problem with glamour is that it’s very short sighted. 


During my recent trip to Milan I caught up with a friend who knows all about the fashion industry. He told me of how the back-end of the fashion business over there treats and nurtures its talent. On the surface it looks very glamorous, but what actually goes on is unbelievable. In this publication’s fourth edition, A Universal Language, I wanted to broaden my scope. I’m not a music reviewer and I never was. I knew that writing about music would challenge me. I wanted to do a music issue. I wanted to be uncomfortable. From where I’m sitting right now, this issue is more than a music review. It’s personal and it carries a lot of intricacies. I wanted to achieve exactly that be it with the publication, the documentary film, and the Private Life collection; each of these elements of my brand speak A Universal Language. Stay blessed