Photo: Tim Hulme

The move ensured Roselt the chance of working with avant-garde stylist Nicola Formichetti, the Creative Director for Mugler and Lady Gaga. Igniting his fashion career is a vital step in moving up the industry ladder – and, so far, it seems this young Joburg-based creative seems to be climbing in style. Roselt‘s latest work sees him filming a raunchy fashion shoot on an iPhone. Kurt Mullins caught up with Conrad for some insight.

Where and how do you find inspiration for your work?

I wouldn’t necessarily say that I need inspiration for all my work, it’s sometimes just a thought process or idea that I have but I do find inspiration in music, interesting people and online.

Your style seen in your new fashion video – Camcorded –  is reminiscent of the Noir medium.

I wanted to do something dark and sexy, I wanted the film to be effortless and I basically let the clothes and styling set the mood for the film.

When it comes to fashion capitals – New York, Milan, Paris, Tokyo and London are undoubtedly high on the list. What drew you to the Big Apple instead all of the others?

In New York is Nicola Formichetti’s studio, which is where I worked, and it is also the media capital of the world. NYC is the one place with endless possibilities and opportunities. I’m also happy that I went to NY because I got to attend the New York Fashion week.

The Fashion film I did was a personal project and to expand my portfolio and explore new media like fashion film. the whole video was shot with a handheld camera.

Photo : Tim Hulme

Photo : Tim Hulme

Carrying the awareness of both the local and the American fashion scenes, what would you say is the one aspect that sets South Africa apart?

I think that South Africans have so much ambition and have to work much harder to get somewhere because the industry is so small and opportunities run low. Because SA has such a small fashion scene, it is necessary to cater to everyone and that I think holds us back.

What have you learnt and taken from working with a name force as Nicola Formichetti?

I’ve learnt that you need to listen to your own voice and stay true to your signature/style. Also to eat, sleep and drink – in whatever industry you’re in – in order to be successful.

Photo : Tim Hulme

Photo : Tim Hulme

Photo : Tim Hulme

Who would you consider working with next?

Locally I am still on the lookout for someone interesting and original but I would really love to style Iggy Azalea.

Fashion has recently been circling around trends like ‘New Prep’ and also ’Urban Jungle’ – what are some trends that you would like to be see for our 2012 Spring/Summer?

I love the new kind of trashy chic look that is going around, finding inspiration in African American woman and Latina culture in the Bronx / Brooklyn. Steven Meisel did a shoot called Haute Mess for Vogue Italia that explains it all.

The South African fashion industry boasts a few big names in contrast to its size, any tips for the young and upcoming?

Put yourself out there, do something no-one else is doing. Digital is the way to go and never stop doing what you love.

Photo : Tim Hulme

I would like to work with emerging young designers and push the boundaries of what south africa see/perceive as Fashion and to start up my own label in the near future.

Words:  Kurt Mullins

Images : Tim Hulme

This documentary looks at online connectivity around the world. It dips into the memories of prominent people within the industry to highlight the challenges they faced before the public was sold on the notion of technological connectivity. Insightful interviews from Caterina Fake, founder of Flickr; Eric Wahlforss, co-founder of SoundCloud; and Ola Ahlvarsson, CEO of Keynote Media, give us an inside view on connectivity. The documentary also gets their opinions on where the connected world is going. (Length: 20:56)
 
 
 
 

TILT – Panic Room

TILT – PANIC ROOM from BIG ADDICT on Vimeo.

A unique piece on the creative power of street art in general and tagging in particular. ‘Panic Room’ began when the Au Vieux Panier hotel asked the graffiti artistTilt to design a room for them. He responded by saying that he wasn’t interested in merely decorating a room but rather in creating something that looked more like an installation piece. Tilt thought about how a specific composition could communicate the notion of chaos and saw the entire room as a massive blank canvas. His approach was to manipulate the empty white part of the room to play up the feeling of chaos in the other. This footage shows him and a friend, a hip-hop singer with an old-school tagging style, working on the room. It took them one week to complete the project. (Length: 07:45)
 
 
 
 
Petite Noir – ‘Till We Ghosts’

Petite Noir – Till We Ghosts from Petite Noir on Vimeo.

It’s rare for artists to cut through the humdrum of contemporary music. And rarer are artists like Petite Noir who can be different while appealing to a wider audience. They’ve said that they’re trying to pioneer a genre called ‘new wave with a hint of an African Aesthetic feel to it’. It is a chunky mouthful of a label but it accurately sums up their sound. What sets them apart from everything else on the airwaves right now is their distinctly pan-African sound: their rhythm, their guitar melodies and certainly Yannick Ilunga’s voice.

 
 
 
 
Camcorded – A Fashion Film

Conrad Roselt’s short black and white fashion video is filmed with a camcorder and plays with yours emotions. With the help of volunteers and friends, and set in diverse everyday locations, this is a personal project that Conrad has created for his portfolio. Take two minutes out to watch a sexy and unique take on interactive fashion. (Length 02:18)
 
 
 
 
All Hail The Beat | Nelson George

All Hail The Beat | Nelson George from Focus Forward Films on Vimeo.

Even though stores haven’t carried the TR-808 since 1984, this drum machine has earned its place as one of the most iconic instruments in music history. All Hail the Beat sums up the Roland TR-808’s legacy in slightly less than three minutes. The device will be familiar to many music fans as the source of the percussion in Marvin Gaye’s ‘Sexual Healing’. It was also a great creative catalyst within the music business because its cheap price made it affordable to struggling artist around the world.
 
 
 
 

What’s Your Story? The faces behind ‘Brave’

The music video of ‘BRAVE’ – the latest song from Lark feat. Haezer – is a frantic animated journey into a surreal future. Forest elements and artificial transformation of our robotic impersonators create the fabric of a new and uncharted universe. This is a behind-the-scene exclusive interview with Tevan Baitz, Topher Henny and Wynand Lens, the creators of this anime-inspired music video.
 
 
 
 

‘This’ Music Video – Modeselektor ft. Thom Yorke

Gernot Bronsert and Sebastian Szary are the Berlin electronic dance duo known as Modeselektor. They have been making music together since 1992 and, with the release of three albums, have been an unstoppable force ever since. Their latest album Monkey Town features a long-time fan of theirs: Thom Yorke. This music video for the track ‘This’ features a girl handling a marionette doll in a derelict toy room and is as eerie as it is unpredictable. (Length 04:17)