THE NEW FASHION CAPITALS: PART 2 - JOHANNESBURG / BALT

A while ago I promised to take you on a journey and after a rather long layover in Helsinki, we’re finally going to our next whimsical destination, the next underrated fashion hub that you need to know about. Let me take you to Johannesburg or to be more accurate, let Thithi take us there. She’s the stylish girl behind the amazing blog teeteeiswithme.com and she’s gonna be our guide.

Unlike Helsinki, I’ve never actually been to Johannesburg. At least I haven’t been there yet. But since I’ve always
wanted to visit South Africa it just came to me naturally that this is the next place to write about in these series of posts. What makes Johannesburg stand out against other major SA cities like Cape Town or Durban or even Pretoria is the fact that it’s vibe has a lot more hip hop in it, says Thithi, “What I have observed when it comes to Johannesburg is that the style is a little bit more hip hop and feels a lot more like New York, than a European city - which is what Cape Town’s street style looks and feels like. In Johannesburg, the style strongly resonates more with hip hop signifiers and has a more “street” element to it.’" I’ll take street over glam any day of the week!

Thithi says that living in Johannesburg is like living in a hip hop video. And while we’re not Beyonce, we might as well go to Johannesburg and feel like we are. „Everyone in this city is always hustling, everyone always looks good and the city is fast and visually interesting in a surprising way.” She adds that the city is at it’s best after darkness falls. „All the buildings that don’t look too amazing during the day with their broken windows become part of a beautifully lit city scape. I like hanging out in the inner city, so around places like Braamfontein, Maboneng and Newtown.” And since the locals only really start doing anything after hours from Thursday evening Thithi recommends spending some time in the city over the weekend and visit places like Great Dane and Kitcheners in Braamfontein, going to THE WKND SOCIAL, grabbing some great coffee at Father Coffee, and checking out the local markets. Also, taking a drive to Soweto to check out Thesis Concept Store and doing some super touristy things like going to Vilakazi Street and Chaf Pozi.

I admire Thithi’s exquisite personal style and she admits that it’s become increasingly more simplistic and about being comfortable. „My starting point - even when it comes to heels and dresses - is comfort. I like menswear, classic staples with a twist and believe that the simpler the better. I never want to look to girly, so even the heels I buy need to have some sort of masculine or hard/ edgy element to them.” I strongly agree with her point of view, for me comfort also always comes first! Some of her favorite local designers include Oath my Rich Mnisi, Black Coffee, MaXhosa by Laduma and Missshape. All I can say is that Johannesburgers are a really talented bunch and worth checking out! I was eager to find out Thithi’s view on fashion and was happy to hear we share similar thoughts. „Fashion to me is something quite simple because it represents who I am in that moment in my life or who I want to be. I think we spend too much time listening to what other people say is in fashion or is fashion and sometimes we over think it and all end up looking like the same thing or the same person. ” I think a lot of people can learn a thing or two from her.