00:02Our grandpas, well, they're style icons.
00:06But what does that have to do with this designer?
00:10I got inspiration from all-world dressmen in the streets.
00:13I couldn't find anything that resembled aesthetic, then I decided to make it.
00:18In Johannesburg, fashion designer Sam Killerboy-Klaba
00:21is taking classic style and turning it into something new.
00:25Fashion is a way of expressing myself visually and creatively.
00:30I believe that in South Africa we are rich in terms of storytelling and history,
00:36the stories that haven't been told.
00:38So I use fashion as my main medium to tell those stories through fabric and visually.
00:43And I also think that the youth don't really read a lot of history,
00:48so with me telling the story visually, it makes it easy for them.
00:52Architecture plays a big part in my inspiration.
00:56Our previous campaign was shot at the first parliament in South Africa,
01:01which also ties to the story behind the detourisation.
01:05For Sam Killer, fashion is a way into history.
01:08His work has explored the lives of black labourers during apartheid.
01:12And his latest collection picks up another part of that story,
01:15the swankas, Zulu migrant workers who became known for the way they dressed.
01:20But what did swanking really mean?
01:24It motivates them and I also think it helps them to not focus on the bad side in their life.
01:32They would put like beautiful suits and be well dressed,
01:35despite their background, where they're coming from.
01:37That will make them feel good or feel like they are where they want to be in life.
01:42Swanking was about dignity, status and being seen differently,
01:47even when the world around you said otherwise.
01:49On weekends, the men would gather and compete to find the best dressed.
01:53No matter what, they showed up.
01:56I think I find the connection between swankas and my work ethic,
02:01because like there are people who, no matter what the circumstances,
02:06they keep on showing up every week to the competition.
02:09Whether they lost this Saturday, next week's Saturday, they can't dress better.
02:13So like the situation that you are in right now or your circumstances,
02:18you need to keep showing up.
02:20So that's what I think I do.
02:23His last collection made it all the way to Paris.
02:26Now he's back home with something new.
02:28A new film, a new show and all pulled together in just three days.
02:33Why does he put himself under that pressure?
02:37I enjoy the creative process.
02:39I like now putting in the work to get everything together.
02:43And yeah, it gets quite hectic because there's a lot of hands involved,
02:48a lot of people involved.
02:50Just like the swankas, Sam Keller keeps showing up, no matter the pressure.
02:55Because behind every piece, there's a team making it happen.
02:58In a place where jobs aren't always easy to find, this kind of work and income matters.
03:06Young boy from Soweto.
03:08My grandmother was a seamstress.
03:10So over time I would, you know, just dabble into like using her machine,
03:16just stealing it when she's not around, you know.
03:19Just trying out to alter my own stuff, just so I can present myself differently.
03:24I believe we need to take care of the men in as much as there's a lot of female designers.
03:30We need to also focus on the men, what they wear, how they present themselves into the society.
03:36And then I met Sam Keller along the way.
03:39We both have been attending events where dandy gentlemen just dress up in suits
03:44and then they just come in, they talk about suits.
03:47So we had a very similar interest in tailoring that sparked our friendship
03:52and then ever since we've been working on, you know, how we can better each other's lives.
03:56I did a show also recently and he was an anchor.
04:02In helping, you know, just to see through, just having him around as a mentor, as a friend,
04:07it was really like helpful.
04:10And now all their hard work is brought to life in the new film debut,
04:14taking audiences back into South Africa's migrant labour history.
04:18And for many watching, it hits differently.
04:21Today I actually learnt a lot about South African history.
04:24I felt like I was in a time capsule.
04:27Like there's certain nuances and subcultures and things that I'm like,
04:30what that exists?
04:32But through the fabric and the scenes and I'm not from Joburg,
04:35but just seeing those places like actually this is what South Africa feels like in a Joburg lens.
04:42It means a lot to see like we as African can push through boundaries
04:46and not confine ourselves with what we have here, but still fly and play amongst the big boys.
04:52The main thing that keeps me motivated is the love for it, the love for fashion,
04:58and the love for storytelling through fashion.
05:02To use my medium to teach people or make people aware of the stories that we have
05:09that have been forgotten about and also to export our stories, Africa, to the world.
05:17Those stories are now reaching far beyond South Africa, carried through fashion and the people who wear it.
05:23Because the legacy didn't start today, it came from those who came before.
05:27So, I'll see you next time.
05:31Bye.
05:31Bye.
05:31Bye.
05:32Bye.
