Inspired by the Joburg jol

Lately it has been particularly difficult to remember there are things I love about Joburg.

This may be due to the horrific decrepitude practiced upon us Joburg citizens by our municipal overlords (see my column on the back page of the LifeStyle section). It may also be due to the rain.

But then I collect myself; there really are things I love about this place — and nearly all of them are people.

Joburg’s rough edges and extremes cultivate unique and marvellous inhabitants who chose this city above any other. Joburg’s people thrive despite — or perhaps because of — the things that tire us out. Life here is its own creative tonic; the cracks really do let the light in. 

I renewed my vows to the city over lunch at Kanpai — at Keyes Art Mile in Rosebank — with glorious Joburg “it girl” Tinuke Eboka.

I have seen her gracing the streets and been wondering about her in that people-watching, abstracted way that lends itself to fantastical stories. She has an “absorb all the attention in the room” quality — tall, mysterious, worldly, self contained and ridiculously stylish.

Turns out she is a multidisciplinary powerhouse of an artist, DJ, content creator, designer and creative director. An embodiment of the everything that is pulsatingly alive and glorious in the city. 

She has opened for Black Coffee, played at Rocking The Daisies, SAFW and AFI. She has collaborated with Vogue, Coach, Rich Mnisi, Conde Nast, adidas and Telfar, and has just started her own streetwear line, akobe, which she says is inspired by Joburg’s nightlife, the downtown streets and the LGBTQ+ community. 

Sitting with Tinuke and some fantastic sushi at one of her regular haunts, I am starting to feel a little better about my life choices. Because, of all the places she has lived — she was born in Cape Town, lived in Pretoria, went to boarding school in KZN, did her undergraduate degree at UCT, studied Business of Fashion in Paris and London, and a master’s in Florence — she chooses Joburg, every time. 

It frustrates me when people try to separate everything out. Fashion and music have always been close to my heart ... I grew up in a very musical house.

“I had an amazing internship waiting for me after my master’s. And then the pandemic hit, which was devastating ... just before I was about to hand in my dissertation.

“And the [next] week, I was planning this whole trip through Europe. Next thing you know ... the prime minister says he is shutting down the country [Italy]. I had to move ... home to South Africa while trying to finish this dissertation. It was insane.

“So after about a year, they were like, sorry, babe, this internship is just not really happening. So in a way, I was kind of forced to move back, but in retrospect, I’m really glad.”

I too am glad. Her energy and approach to creativity is inspiring.

“So at some stage, you just have to buckle down and do your own thing. You can keep begging people to let you do this, let you do that, or you can create your own thing where you can then invite people to work on the things you want to work on.

“I feel having a brand is like a conduit to explore all my creative interests — mainly in fashion, but also as a means for me to synthesise all my interests.

“I've moved into a new studio space and friends are coming in and doing their own little test shoots and then we put my products in, and then we have cool young models. So just immediately, there is so much energy.

“We've got DJ decks there. Someone’s shooting, someone’s styling, someone’s on the roof smoking. It’s just this incredible energy.”

She is particularly proud of her commitment to local sourcing and production.

“One thing I can say I’m proud of with my brand — which I don't talk about enough — is that even though there are a million and one ways to make a hoodie, everything, from my fibre all the way to the finished product, is made in South Africa.

“I found the heaviest cotton fleece in South Africa, I want to know where they sourced the cotton from; those are the little things I think the consumer takes for granted.”

Her kinetic vision is galvanising.

“It frustrates me when people try to separate everything out. Fashion and music have always been close to my heart ... I grew up in a very musical house, very interested in music.

“It just feels like the same energy. Whether you're curating a set list, or coming up with a visual deck for a shoot, or you’re coming up with designs — you’re just taking a bunch of ideas and synthesising them into a cohesive vision, storytelling.

“It’s all the same process through different mediums. I really do think they go hand in hand.”