THE NINE FOUR // CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA

WHO WE ARE

‘My friends and I are a group of creative people: artists, illustrators, designers, sneaker-shop owners, models and bloggers,’ says Ward. ‘We come from all over the city: Bishop Lavis, Tamboerskloof, the city centre and the southern suburbs.’

WHAT WE WEAR:

Black T-shirts and reversed caps, emblazoned with a white rabbit logo – which symbolises an animal that you can chase, but you can’t catch.

HOW WE CONNECT

The Nine Four is part of the Bridge The Gap movement.

FOLLOW US

On Instagram @theninefour

In 2014, Paul Ward founded The Nine Four – a name inspired by the year South Africa became free, and symbolising the freedom for mixed groups of people to run together, in any area. They’re a group aged 20-30 who are creative, listen to the same music, and party together. The crew run through the urban streets at night and afterwards, they hang out together at their base – a clubhouse called The Burrow, in the heart of Cape Town. Half of it is lockers and showers and the other half is a living room, with couches, table tennis and an X-box.

Sometimes, events are hosted at The Burrow – it’s a platform for DJS, cooks and the odd sneakerhead to collaborate. ‘Although running is the core, building a family that supports each other is vital – not just in running, but in all aspects of life,’ says Ward. ‘That’s why we’ve limited our number of members to 30.’