Sunglasses with stars in their eyes
● DJ Zinhle threw shade of a different kind when she turned up at the launch of a popup store for a new designer eyewear brand on Thursday evening.
Taking place at that trendiest of addresses, Keyes Art Mile in cosmopolitan Rosebank, the Privé Revaux launch attracted Joburg’s cool kids.
Stepping inside the store, I say hello to the disc-spinning entertainer, but instead of asking for her take on that video of her ex, rapper AKA, in which he apparently refers to cheating on her with Bonang (while she was pregnant with Kairo), we talk eyewear.
It turns out that Zinhle is not simply the face of the US brand but also a partner in the local franchise.
I also meet Shlomo Hecht, the man responsible for bringing Privé Revaux to South Africa. He tells me that what makes their venture so different is its celebrity partnerships — superstar Jamie Fox is a US co-owner — and economical pricing.
“We’re disrupting the sunglasses market — there’s really no reason to pay R3 000 or R4 000 for a pair of sunglasses.”
Someone known for shaking up people’s wardrobes when the current crop of “influencers” were still in nappies is stylist Felipe Mazibuko, who is wearing chic threads by Durban label ALC and tells me he is writing a book on the history of fashion in South Africa.
This being the first Thursday of the month, the area outside the store is teeming with arty folk taking in the carnival atmosphere.
In the midst of it all I spot that businesswoman with a fondness for short skirts, Judi Nwokedi, who is more modestly covered for a change.
Judi, there to watch her son Chenoa perform, announces: “Red is the new black. Not to be confused with the EFF . . . ” as she points to her scarf and gloves.
Right!
Food-wise there wasn’t much on offer besides crisps and biltong on platters (unless you felt like lining up in front of a food truck) and drinks-wise we sipped on that trendiest of cocktails, a G&T.