Fashionable anti-fashion:
the brave, irreverent edge
In among the glamazons, wearing towering heels, carefully crafted and coordinated outfits, there were a handful of young folk, who defy this stifling elegance for a more irreverent take on fashion.
They are the Smarteez, a group of individuals in the truest sense of the word, the majority of whom hail from the harbinger of cool -- Soweto.
"We express the random world we live in with our random attire," says Floyd Avenue, one of the regular Smarteez at the gig.
Dressed in a blue-checked shirt, with denim shorts embellished with top stitching that he has added himself, a multicoloured neckerchief and what can only be described as Steve Urkel glasses, Floyd Avenue looks unutterably funky.
"We get criticism when we are divided," said fellow Smartee, Retro, "But together we are stronger."
Retro is one of the few converts who comes from Pretoria.
Smarteez never wear the same look twice, they find or make clothes and don't buy international labels unless they are sneakers, said Floyd Avenue.
The result is a dazzling array of colour, fabric and style that is an identity all its own and yet defies any kind of label.
The Smarteez have been documented by photographer Lolo Veleko and been featured in Elle magazine's September issue.
According to Elle the pictures taken by Veleko were used in her recent exhibition in Japan, where they were spotted and snapped up by Japanese designer Kenzo.
