Levi’s Haus of Strauss Africa Hosts an Upcycling Workshop for Emerging Tailors
On Saturday, 29 January, Levi’s® Haus of Strauss Africa hosted a showcase event to celebrate the work of two talented emerging tailors, after they participated in a week-long guided educational process that took them through the ins and outs of creating upcycled garments. 22-year-old Laylah Sallie and 23-year-old Tony Mpofu were given the opportunity to participate in an upcycling workshop when Haus of Strauss Africa put out a call for applications in December 2021 on the Levi’s® Haus Africa Instagram page. After receiving applications from numerous aspiring tailors, Haus of Strauss selected Laylah and Tony to take part in the workshop, as both candidates proved to have a keen interest in producing and constructing their own garments – the workshop was the perfect hub to develop their passion for ideation and execution.
The showcase event was certainly a night to remember for both Tony and Laylah, but was equally as intriguing for Johannesburg’s fashion tastemakers, industry experts and members of the Haus of Strauss Africa network who were in attendance. After Laylah and Tony’s designs were revealed to guests, Haus of Strauss led a discussion with the tailors about their final looks, delving into their various interpretations of self-expression.
During the workshop, the tailors were each tasked with creating a look that was then showcased at the event. Highlights of the workshop included a creative direction session with fashion stylist and style curator, Amy Zama; garment construction with fashion designers, Sonia Tona and Xavier Sadan; and a creative session with Levi’s® UK Tailors. Willam, the in-house Master Tailor at Haus Africa played an integral role during the week, being the tailors’ guide throughout the workshop process .
Laylah – who created a bleached denim balloon sleeve top, side slit skirt and two bags – says, “We produced really good garments. Our creativity really thrived this week and we were able to produce things that were very special to us. Using the up-cycled jeans was a really good thing for me to see how strong the fabric was. Mine was bleached and embroidered… It went through the most and it still created such a strong garment.”
Laylah – who created a bleached denim balloon sleeve top, side slit skirt and two bags – says, “We produced really good garments. Our creativity really thrived this week and we were able to produce things that were very special to us. Using the up-cycled jeans was a really good thing for me to see how strong the fabric was. Mine was bleached and embroidered… It went through the most and it still created such a strong garment.”
“When I got here I wasn’t really sure what I was gonna produce. As time progressed I got to understand that I need to do certain things with certain materials and how they actually work together. The end product looks fire! I’m very confident about what I did!”, says Tony – who created a pair of jeans, a denim jacket, a tote bag and a bucket hat from patchwork denim textiles.
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