Her passion for developing a visual language that resonates with what she sees in the world is what drives art director, stylist and photographer Gabrielle Kannemeyer.
It’s this passion that convinced adidas Originals South Africa to commission this local talent to conceptualise and shoot the lookbook for the second drop of their Prophere collection.
After majoring in photography at Michaelis, Kannemeyer worked as an intern at a magazine.
While interning, she landed her first job as online fashion editor at a local e-commerce company. There she continued to style and create images, to realise the things floating in her mind.
“I’ve had an amazing relationship with adidas for the longest time now, since the beginning of my career, actually. People within the brand have been so supportive and I’m thankful to have shared a lot of the journey with them.
“I admire how the brand has invested in providing a platform for the youth of South Africa, and has been a space that encourages and supports diversity and representation” Kannemeyer says of her relationship with the adidas brand.
Kannemeyer tell us more about the creative process behind the Prophere collection lookbook.
What was your vision for this shoot and how did you choose your models and creators?
I wanted to capture people who I’m lucky enough to regard as friends and collaborators (some old, some new) in a town I grew up in for some time, a place that was always quite isolating.
We took photos from Killarney Gardens to Somerset West, where we disrupted suburbia with flames and colourful smoke for a few hours, and very physically made the spaces we navigated through, our turf.
The creators are all young, multidisciplinary artists who are making moves in the worlds they create in.
The cast’s resume is diverse: talented musicians like Da Da Shiva, Luh’ra and producer Siya Andi Biyela; performance artist Chester Martinez; and actress Tatenda Wekwatenzi really resonated with the fierceness of the Prophere messaging and silhouette.
Disruptive in design and innovative in construction, Prophere is impossible to ignore. How did you go about styling this new standard in streetwear?
I kept it simple and took styling notes from what everyone wore on the morning of the shoot, and how they usually dress.
I didn’t want there to be a large departure from how they already dressed - the styling needed to be as authentic as possible.
Their own personal style is completely unique and uncompromising.