Eponymous South African design label, Ulfah Davids has an interesting perspective when it comes to expressing her design tastes. Influenced by multivariate, sometimes paradoxical cultures like minimalism and extravagant hip-hop street culture, she melds these elements together to find a blended point of view that is all hers. The resulting debut collection is equal parts extravagant and muted. Davids explains the inspirations behind the collection as thus:
The inspiration behind this concept’s design intentions are based on the hip hop subculture of the 90s, graffiti, Minimalism and Synthetic Cubism. Influences are drawn from street style, late 80s/90s windbreakers and ski jackets because of the bright colours and the over-sized aesthetic. The abstract art is a substitute for graffiti in this collection; this is to integrate appreciation for Synthetic Cubism while emphasising the reference to graffiti, by the use of the bold abstract prints.
The editorial for the collection was shot by photography collective The Seppis, a collaboration that was spawned after the duo saw Ulfah David’s graduate show. Using her all white palette as canvas for abstract paint splatter, Davids takes classic urban street wear silhouettes and reworks them, using pleat detailing, puffed sleeves and zip closures.
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