BULLDOG Gin — a gin born out of an entrepreneurial ambition to create with a difference — released a set of short films in 2021, through their Begin Bold campaign.
The content chronicled entrepreneurial creatives in South Africa, including designer Wanda Lephoto. In his film, Wanda shared his experience of following his inner drive and beginning a passionate journey that would go on to define who he is and what he believes in.
In his film, Wanda shared his experience of following his inner drive and beginning a passionate journey that would go on to define who he is and what he believes in.
This February, Wanda Lephoto showcased a new collection at Milan Fashion Week with the support of BULLDOG Gin. Wanda debuted his Fall/Winter 2022 collection — titled GAZE — in the picturesque halls of Salone degli Affreschi of the Società Umanitaria.
Fashion is a nonverbal way of communication which conveys a lot about a person’s personality, background and even beliefs. It is an evolution of ideas and a vast landscape of languages that need not be spoken by everyone to be understood.
It connects those of us from different places, countries and borders together. It encourages people to feel confident and bold — enough to challenge themselves and share their talents, passions and creations with the world.
Speaking of the experience, Wanda states:
Now that I’ve done it, I know that I can do more. This means the world to me. I think it’s amazing that I was able to do my first international fashion week at the height of world fashion, in Italy, where craftsmanship and quality is appreciated.
So, to be able to come here and do a runway show that was received in the way it was received shows that in my steps of beginning bold, I made the right choice; I made the right call; I did the right thing by following my dreams, following my passion, following my gut and following my truth and purpose into achieving what I think I just achieved.
Wanda’s work has, in the past, brought forward a lot of questions and investigations surrounding connection, home and hope. All of this coincides with looking at our past and reimagining a way forward. There are places to go to, places to explore and spaces to contribute to.
In an earlier article about the designer, Editor Lindi Mngxitama notes that, “Lephoto no doubt offers much to our aesthetic senses and pleasures, however, I am also deeply interested in what it conjures, disrupts or incites in how we think about belonging, hope, fear and affairs of home.”
What are the possibilities when we take home, travel with it and intentionally place it in new territories? Outside of the involuntary displacement we have been subjected to, what are the possibilities when we are encouraged and supported to travel the world with our art and take our homes with us?
In the upcoming weeks, Wanda will be releasing a Milan tour t-shirt in collaboration with BULLDOG Gin. Wanda Lephoto and BULLDOG Gin also plan to host an exhibition and fashion installation to celebrate the new collection, present Lephoto’s Milan Fashion Week experience and showcase his journey as a designer.
