OMESHNIE NAIDOO
Iconic South African menswear designer, Andre Martin, will launch his highly anticipated kids’ collection at the Durban Fashion Fair at Suncoast on Wednesday night.
The street wear brand, LIFE by Andre Martin, first made an appearance at the Young Designers Emporium at the turn of the millennium. Under the mentorship of YDE originator Paul Simon, Martin ventured into business and opened his first stores.
Today he has a national profile in what can be a volatile, cut-throat and copycat market. The brand has managed to thrive by staying niche and exclusive while catering to a very specific and loyal clientele.
Local manufacture has surely helped protect the brand from being ruined by knock-offs as has been the case with so many promising South African labels.
A marketer at heart, Martin will tell you the power of the brand is such that customers won’t shop for it anywhere else but at his stores.
Consisting mainly of well-constructed and good quality jeans, jackets and shirts, the LIFE brand is bright bold and edgy.
The kids’ capsule collection, called Born Brave, has been on the cards since Martin became a dad. His son, Cole, is at the centre of the campaign and models the clothes in this shoot.
Martin says, “We want kids to be comfortable in our clothing from the get-go, so that they grow up enjoying life and what we offer.”
“LIFE Kids encapsulates the same bold voice as our core menswear range, and embodies the same powerful unapologetic snapshot of individuals that refuse to be ordinary and simply fit in, it also doesn’t take itself too seriously, because kids should never have to do that either. Rather there is a focus on honesty and accessibility in each piece and because of this we believe the range will express the individuality of its wearers.”
The collection is aimed at boys one to 14 years old.
Martin says he hopes to grow the collection over the next three months
“Drawing its inspiration from the early 90s sports wear and street wear, it will feature iconic pieces like the bomber jacket and utility denim jeans, which are huge trends this season. In addition, all of this will be underpinned and influenced by two sub-cultures, namely music and motorsport.”