Who's the Head Honcho?

Another one of my favourite stores in Cape Town was 70's Eighties, or "The Sunglass Shop" as it is fondly known to my friends. It really is the go-to place for the coolest sunnies. Another cool thing about it is that the owners of the store have a label- Head Honcho, which I think should be the next big thing in SA street style. If you want to add some street cool to your wardrobe, this is one to check out.

I got to interview them too, and I just love these guys' vibe. They know their stuff, which's cool because we like the fellas with street style & street smarts. In my opinion, streetwear is sometimes very inaccessible to people who are not into hip-hop, and this interview gives the brand some context. They get extra points for how they referenced Jay-Z! You can get their merchandise at the Shesha Stores & The Street. The full list of stockists is on their website http://www.headhoncho.co.za/. I think they're hot and fresh to death. Check out the interview & the pics:

What is the concept & inspiration for the new collection?

The theme for our Spring/Summer range is “Stay Fresh. Get Money”. Head Honcho is an aspirational brand and our goal is to encourage our peeps to “Live Progressively”. At the same time we’re a very playful and colourful brand, so we’ve used a lot of bold colours that were quite popular in the 80’s era of hip hop.

Through this new collection, we’re encouraging people not to be afraid to express themselves and the ideals that they live by.

What are your personal favourite pieces from your new collection & how would you put them together?

My favourite item right now is the purple “The Honcho” crewneck, which features a playful hand-drawn font with a subtext that says “Making moves. Stacking paper”.

I’d complement that top with our grey leather “H H” fitted cap. To round it off, I’d rock a pair of dark blue jeans and black high-top Creative Recreations with a purple lining.

What are your favourite SA designers? And international designers?

Locally, there aren’t any streetwear designers that really knock my socks off, but I’ve always been a great admirer of Stoned Cherrie’s Nkhensani Manganyi. I’ve followed the brand closely since inception and I’ve seen how the collections have improved and how she’s carefully positioned her brand for bigger things. They showed at New York Fashion Week this year, which is a big deal!

Internationally, I admire G-Star for their craftsmanship and attention to detail. Stussy for being the pioneer of this streetwear game; The Hundreds for building a cult brand that is centred around LA lifestyle; Nigo of A Bathing Ape for using his child-like imagination to create a streetwear behemoth like no other; and Marc Jacobs for acknowledging the power of hip hop by collaborating with Kanye West and Pharrell Williams.

What sort of person do you see wearing Head Honcho?

The sort of person that wears Head Honcho has to be confident, charismatic and comfortable in his/her own skin. It should be someone that truly believes the messages that we communicate through our clothing. The ideal Head Honcho customer is one who “Lives Progressively” and shuns mediocrity in every aspect of his/her life and career.

What is great about the SA market compared to international markets?

The fact that we’re six months behind on the fashion calendar, lol! Nuh seriously, I love the fact that our market is not as saturated. They’re various gaps in the market for brands that are well-designed and well-positioned.

An amazing asset that we can always tap into is our rich cultural heritage. We don’t have to cross oceans to get inspiration. Our streets, towns and people are overflowing with creative resources that we can use to our advantage.

On the flipside, there are still a lot of challenges facing independent designers. High cost of production, lack of access to capital and our people’s inferiority complex, et al, are a continuous impediment to rapid growth in this sector.

How can it be improved?

Firstly, it should be relatively easy for a talented designer to have access to capital. Surveys have shown time and again that our peers in Europe, USA and even those in developing countries like ours, have easier access to funding. Sufficient capital allows one to execute business strategies with a firm grip on the steering wheel.

I also think brand owners need to start marketing their brands better. A lot of them have a lacklustre attitude towards marketing and branding. In this new media world we live in it’s important for brands to tap into the benefits of social media and networking. South Africans are really brand-savvy so if you’re going to be selling them a product you better know what you’re doing.

What's your favourite fashion era?

I loved the 80’s hip hop influenced fashion era. Guys like Run DMC, LL Cool J and Big Daddy Kane were the Kanye Wests and Pharrells of their era. Those tight-fit jeans that Run and DMC used to rock were ill….. if you rocked those with a pair of adidas shell toes and a matching Kangol, your look was complete……. All you need therafter was a boombox hanging on your shoulder bumping the hottest new joints.

Who's your fashion icon?

Although I’ve never really been into the heavy, baggy look I would have to say Jay-Z. No one in the history of music has had such an influence on the style and fashion sense of his generation.

Everytime Jigga shouted on Evisu, Christal, Iceberg, Burberry, Audemars Piguet, Salvatore Ferragamo, Hermes Birkin bags, Ralph Lauren Purple Label or his own Rocawear or S.Carter sneakers, the stock of those brands went sky-high. In 2003, after throwback jersey became a hip hop staple, he instructed everyone to “Change Clothes” on the Black Album and everyone and their mama started rocking dress shirts with cuff links.

James Dean, Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, Ralph Lauren, Sean “Diddy” Combs and the fictional character Gordon Gekko (played by Michael Douglas in Wall Street) come pretty close too in my books.

Best movie moment?

In the classic Wall Street flick, Michael Douglas’s sharp-looking, red suspender-wearing character chastises Charlie Sheen’s character for his lack of style and instructs him to go and see Morty Sills, the tailor to the rich and powerful (The tailor’s character was not fictional. Google him. Apparently his cuts were amazing). “Tell him I sent you”, are his parting words. Classic ish!


Soundtrack to Summer?

Santogold’s self-titled album, Kid Cudi’s “Man on the Moon”, Jay-Z’s “Blueprint 3”. Throw in some M.I.A., Drake and some dope local hip hop, and we’re ready to go!

Ill Skillz in Head Honcho. For more on Ill Skillz, check out the interview on the Head Honcho website:

Honcho on the street. Something for the ladies:

That's what I'm saying! Enjoy & Stay fabulous xxx