Future Fantastic Trio
UP and coming designers JKW are something out of the ordinary.
Futuristic is how they define themselves. These three youngsters wouldn t let quitting
’ their studies due to finances stop them from dreaming outside of the box.
The three creative friends: Jademoney Alves (20), Kevin Pop (21) and Wassim Gilbert (23) grew up in the south of Jozi and started their fashion label in March last year. We attended the SA “fashion week last year as well as this year and were shocked to the core because we saw nothing new. It s all so
’ boring and conventional. We knew right away that we “were onto something big because we do fashion that screams unique and different and out of this world. We are able to do so much “with very little. We reconstruct ordinary things like curtains and umbrellas and stockings into wearable garments,” says Gilbert who is also a make-up artist by profession.
Pop, the head designer behind the brand, says he was studying at fashion school Lisof but had to drop out last year because his parents could not afford the exorbitant fees.
That is when he teamed up with Gilbert who is also a makeup artist. We decided to rope in Jade “because she has an incredible sense of style,” says Pop. The power of three is what
– they call themselves. Individually we have great “ideas, but together we gel like glue. It s a threesome without
’ negative consequences, a relationship that was meant to be,” says bubbly Jademoney.
Today, Jademoney who is also a rapper, is wearing a self-made crop turtle neck top, thigh high socks and little boy shorts, all made from pantihose. Very risque but quite innovative.
– The idea for this top came “about one day when I was looking for a see-through top which I didn t have.
’ I just decided to cut some “stockings and luckily it worked. We have since created a few items using this material,” says Jademoney with her John Lennon-inspired sunnies.
They also designed a daringly sexy hosiery look for singer Mariechan Luiters, who they often dress.
She sported the bodyhugging sheer top and cape to the Ciroc launch at the Beechwood Gardens recently.
And Shekhinah Donnell asked the threesome to create her look for the MAMAS on Saturday a
– jacket re-constructed from an umbrella.
They also style music videos for many African artists. When we started out on this “adventure, we didn t have the
’ money to put a collection together. So we basically had to use “anything that we could, from plastics to cotton wool. But the magic that was born “from it was nothing short of amazing. We called the first collection Sloth. It has your jackets, capes, tops but it s
– ’ suitable for any gender and age. We never want to be boxed or predictable, says Gilbert.
” Having showed at local fashion shows in Eldorado Park, the three are working on a bigger and better collection which
“” they hope will catch the world s
’ attention.