Miller Genuine Draft is excited to once again be bringing the design heat with the Miller Design Lab, a creative collaboration between streetwear fashion guru Jeff Staple and top local talent.
In this edition, we chop it down with Beau Beau, a trans-seasonal streetwear label.
Beau Beau (pronounced ‘Boo Boo’) is the love child of two Beau’s split between Johannesburg and Cape Town. The trans-seasonal streetwear label creates clothing you can feel both comfy and dressed up in. Featuring statement pieces, strong basics and striking silhouettes, the focus is on premium fabrics cut with careful detail.
Please name all the designers involved in your process
Paige Sher and Jana Hamman and a very necessary special mention to our beau Daniel Sher, husband, friend, negotiator, production supporter, tea maker, back rubber and stress reliever. Also on a production and manufacturing level, the pattern makers, seamstresses, embroiderers and cap manufacturers that helped us create these garments and stick to our (sometimes crazy) deadlines without sacrificing quality.
“We wanted to create a collection that had both minimalist and maximalist elements in a single item.”
Describe the collaboration process between yourself & Miller…
Despite a few basics that were set in stone (colours mainly), Miller was quite accommodating and supportive in terms of letting us and all the brands involved interpret the brief in the way that made sense to that particular brand and its DNA. We really enjoyed and appreciated the fact that it wasn’t overly prescriptive and that as a small brand, we were still able to stand out while collaborating with a global company.
What excited you most about this brief?
The resources and opportunity for a small brand like ours to play and create a collection of this size, challenge ourselves, and show (even just to ourselves) what we can do conceptually, in production, and as a team of friends split between two cities.
Tell us how you approached the customisation component of this brief?
Our customisation component is three-fold:
1. A collection that expands the minimal to the maximal – a single wardrobe that could answer to every possible nightlife event, no matter how casual or how fancy.
2. Customisation in single items (a fully reversible hooded trench coat).
3. Customised separates that could be added to your garment as patches or to your outfit, like a face mask in our custom print.
Tell us more about the final output, what sort of wearer did you have in mind when creating it?
We currently have two very different sides to this brand: a permanent collection of gender neutral minimalistic basics that are comfortable and adaptable and then our bespoke collection, which includes playful, bold (sometimes over-the-top) statement pieces that we have fun with as designers. This brand speaks to both its creators and answers to both sides of their personalities, and we wanted to create a collection that for once had both minimalist and maximalist elements in a single item.
How has the local nightlife scene influenced and inspired this brief?
Whether we’re talking about Joburg or Cape Town, the nightlife in these cities (and in one’s 20s especially) has always been WILD. We party like it’s our last night on earth. A single night out can vary greatly from just a glass of wine at an exhibition opening, to a fancy meal, to seeing the sunrise after bringing the house down in a nightclub. We wanted people to be dressed for all of it, (even the current stay at home nightlife).
Briefly describe your final design …
We decided to create a collection that could be mixed and matched depending on the occasion and mood, or even how the wearer decides to style these separate garments. We made a custom floral print (a nod to the nature that we currently miss so much) that could add a small detail or make a huge impression on different garments. There is no limit to the way all these garments can be worn, and even though Beau Beau has it’s unique aesthetic, we’re hoping that a collaboration with Miller, Jeff Staple and the Staple team has created a collection where there is something for everyone.
SHOP BEAU BEAU x MILLER DESIGN LAB COLLECTION ON millerdesignlab.co.za
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