With a focus on craftsmanship and texture, Cape Town-based designer Nicholas Coutts’ ensembles pay homage to traditional South African weaving techniques all the while incorporating innovative, modern silhouettes. A bright colour palette and lively prints radiate a youthful exuberance that reflects the vibrancy and cultural diversity of modern-day South Africa.
In Coutts’ new collection, Cape Flora Kingdom — captured in this exclusive photo story for SLEEK by Jarred Figgins — soft florals contrast against acidic brights and tactile woven fabrics to create a contemporary ode to the beauty of natural life in the region. Figgins elevates the connection to the South African landscape with his dynamic photographic compositions, noting that it was important to both himself and Coutts that they “use the inspiration of the Cape Flora (a floral region near the southern tip of South Africa) in the actual images.”
The diptych layouts contrast Coutts’ pieces with floral samples viewed under a microscope to create a unity between the concepts of origin and production. “To be able to look at an image of a model in a garment and drift over to a cell formation is something I find quite soothing,” the photographer SLEEK. Art feeds into the natural cycle and Coutts’ models pose in synergy with the organic matter. The collaboration marks the latest in a series of projects by Figgins, who has photographed a number of collections by emerging South African designers. Of his work with Coutts, he told us that, “I think it’s a pretty fresh idea and something quite unique to the local fashion scene here.”
Kredite
Designer: Nicholas Coutts
Photography and Art Direction: Jarred Figgins
Stylinf: Peter Georgiades
Haare und Make-up: Makaira Dullabh
Campaign Name: Cape Flora Kingdom