The eighth installment of the Creative Hustles series, presented by Live SA and British Council Connect ZA, explored the ever changing world of street culture.
Meet the panel
Taking place at Boaston Society in Cape Town, the panel boasted a mix of influential leaders of street culture:
Elisha Mpofu – the founder of concept store and project space, Boaston Society which was the venue for the event. @boastonsociety
Obie Mavuso – co-founder of Jam That Session, a platform bridging young creatives and helping them achieve their dreams. @JamThat_Sesh
Nick Kaoma – founder of clothing and lifestyle brand Head Honcho and one of Forbes’ 30 most promising entrepreneurs. @nick_kaoma
Anthony Smith – 2Bop Clothing founder and one of Mail & Guardian’s 200 Young South Africans Arts & Culture category for 2012. @2bop
Kim Smith – lead creative at AndPeople, an advertising company focused on youth culture and developing their ideas. @_andpeople
Carla Ilena – a Cape Town illustrator and graphic designer. @ClaraIlena
Vuyolwethu Dubese – host on Hashtag Radio and SABC2s Roughing It Out and facilitator for the event. @VDubese
The evening started off with MC Vuyo introducing the opening act – rapper Andy Mkosi who debuted her new single called “Fresh Start“, getting the crowd in the zone for what would be an educational and inspiring discussion.
What is street culture?
“The economy of street culture”, as Vuyo puts it, is an ever evolving dynamic. Especially with the rise of social media, trends whether in fashion or art travel abroad, influencing a generation until the next hip thing appears.
“Street culture is where we hang out,” says Carla Ilena when asked her take on street culture. “It’s where we connect, network and express ourselves. Especially if you’re starting out; when you’re not on a design indaba level.”
“Street culture is the biggest form of expression out there and young people are all about rebelling so that’s why I think it appeals to them a lot,” explains Boaston Society’s Elisha Mpofu.
The street savvy crowd came in in their numbers. “It’s a good thing I’m studying retail,” whispers a young student next to me as the benefits of business and it’s dynamics are discussed.
Freedom to explore
“I realised that if I continued what I’m doing – working a nine to five – I wasn’t going to be happy. I wanted to make decisions properly and communicate,” reveals Elisha. Highlighting the ever present idea that street culture is a big form of expression.
Adding to the point of expression is being able to rely on your own thought and gut. It is key when maintaining originality, highlights Carla. It is also good to remember that it does become repetitive when looking for inspiration in your field. So branch out, and get creative.
Curtain call
After an interactive hour of sharing ideas, rapper Sabza rounded off the evening with his punchy, real-life lyrics and the crowd responded in a frenzy.
Overall, it was another successful Creative Hustles pop-up event and we’re looking forward to seeing you at the next one.
Presented by Live SA and British Council Connect ZA, Creative Hustles are an event series for 18-to-35-year-olds, providing a platform for up-and-coming creatives to connect and build relationships with established industry professionals. This project is part of SA-UK Seasons 2014 & 2015 which is a partnership between the Department of Arts and Culture, South Africa and the British Council.
Check out what went down at this year’s event in the video below.
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