Couture from the kraal
Fashion designer Gert-Johan Coetzee went back to his roots — a farm in the North West — to show some of his latest creations. Leonie Wagner went along to find out how a plattelandse plaasseun became one of the country’s most sought-after dressmakers
Blue beads lie scattered on the Nguni carpet. Also strewn on the concrete floor are black and grey garment bags with outfits. There’s an array of blue tulle, feathers, cow prints, beaded skirts and corsets, each bag revealing a creation more ostentatious than the previous one. We’re at fashion designer Gert-Johan Coetzee’s family farm near Koster, in the North West. A few hundred metres away, a herd of cows has been brought in for this photo shoot. The cows are more than just extras, they’re an integral part of the day. They are, in fact, what inspired the designer’s latest collection.
From his accent you’ll never guess Coetzee is from the small Afrikaans farming town, until he says “ag shame”, a phrase he uses often.
“The cow has been significant to South Africans throughout history. In certain cultures the cow is seen as a bridge between the spiritual and the physical,” he says.
“During this pandemic, I have come to realise how important it is to remember who we are, and where we came from, to shed our armour and become our true selves again, to make the world a better place.”
Coetzee is easily distracted. Where words fail him, his husband, Vicky Visagie, whom he calls Liefie, completes his sentences. Visagie does all the driving and jokes about how his husband doesn’t have the concentration span required to drive long distances.
Also prominent in Coetzee’s 10-piece collection, which he will showat a private soiree this week, is the shade of blue. It’s the same shade on his freshly manicured nails.
While the cowskin pays homage to his farm upbringing, the blue is a symbol of tranquillity and the peace he believes we all strive for. It’s a peace he admits to only truly discovering during lockdown. Coetzee says his life before Covid was consumed by work, his diary always full with back-to-back bookings and meetings every 15 minutes.
Lockdown gave him the opportunity to reflect on where the fashion industry was, and where it was headed.
In looking ahead, Coetzee decided to go back to where it all began. These reflections took him to his first family house on the farm near Koster. It’s where he decided to photograph six of the outfits from his avant-garde collection this week.
In between takes, Coetzee stands in the ruins of what was once his bedroom. The farmhouse burnt down in seven minutes about three years ago, leaving behind only the flatlet, which is where he dresses the model.
“I remember driving around with my dad, sitting at the back of the bakkie, going to check up on all the animals on the farm and to feed them. That is such a special bond between a parent and a child. When we were in the hard
The passion feeds itself, it just never goes away. What fuels my passion is seeing someone in the clothes