US rapper Mos Def is not letting his immigration woes stifle his flair for fashion - and ironically it is his international travels positioning him on the local style map.
Mos Def, who now goes by the name Yasiin Bey, was dealing with legal problems last month when he was appointed creative director of the Cape Town and New York-based fashion label Unknown Union.
Label founder Jason Storey, originally from the US, told Weekend Argus Mos Def was hands-on with design. And his legal trouble wasn’t having any effect.
“It certainly hasn’t in any way dampened his enthusiasm for the brand and promoting the continent.”
Storey said Mos Def was a perfect fit for Urban Union, which has a shop at the V&A Waterfront and another at Newtown Junction in Johannesburg.
“I think Yasiin brings to the company a cosmopolitan and international perspective on design, having travelled internationally.”
On Tuesday Mos Def appeared in the Bellville Magistrate’s Court in a matter relating to his attempt to leave the country in January using a so-called world passport.
The document is accessible on the internet, but is not viewed as an official travel document by South African authorities.
Mos Def was accused of trying to leave the country fraudulently. The matter was postponed to later this month. Pending the outcome, he may not leave South Africa.
Storey said Mos Def’s personal style was testament to his unusual taste in clothing.
Websites have billed Mos Def to perform in Los Angeles in April and Sweden and Denmark in May, but it’s not clear whether he will be able to leave the country to make the shows.
Sunday Argus