TOFFIE POP CULTURE FESTVAL, IN THREE PARTS

PART ONE //// "WIE GAAN HIERDIE KAK DRA?" by RICHARD DE JAGER

PART TWO /// DAYTIME PICS

PART THREE /// 'SAILORS AND SECRETARIES' AFTERPARTY

Ola skattie, this post is a little overdue. The Toffie pop culture festival was more than a week ago. I couldn't post because i was travelling and i didn't have my laptop with me, London and Barcelona to be exact, by the way i took a few snaps there which i'll post sometime this week. Unfortunately i make exactly zero cents from this blogging business so I maintain a day job, which requires me to travel from time to time. Anyway, done explaining myself, let's move on to the Toffie festival. I must be the first to admit that whilst these images are fabulous, they do not nearly capture all the creativity, fabulousness and buzz of this festival, so please check here, here and here for a fuller picture. One can't help but draw a comparison between the Toffie and the Design Indaba festival. Both occupy a very important place in the creative landscape. I went to the Design Indaba earlier this year, it is big with more commercial backing and the creative exploits on offer are geared towards commercial gain with a strong mainstream market. Don't get me wrong skattie i think that is fabulous, it is very important that creatives are able to make a living out of their talents. They can't bloody well be expected to eat their creations. The design indaba helps to make this possible for many. However, what i find particularly refreshing about the Toffie festival is that these guys have created a platform that seems to be more focused on expanding creativity than commercial gain. there was a lot of product for sale, but there was also a lot of product that wasn't obviously commercial but it inspired and challenged the imagination of both the audience and the creator. the were also quite a lot of speakers who are accomplished in their respective areas of work and they came thru to share and inspire. One that really stood out for me was Daito Manabe, you really need to google this guy, his work is out of this world. Anyway, check out the pics above which i took last Saturday, I've split them into three parts, the first being Richard de Jager's aptly titled "Wie Gaan Hierdie Kak dra" show. The second bit is a mix of pics i took during the day, those fucking amazing shoes are the work of Michelle Son, i think they are mindblowing, OCD much? The shoe collection is a tribute to Beth Levine, click here for more info and more shoe pics. The shirt is David West's. The Last bit is the afterparty. I am totally looking forward to the next installment of this festival and i am glad it is part of the SA creative landscape.