GQ South Africa

FOR A LONG TIME, and, to a certain extent, even now, I’ve seen myself as an underdog, and not in a negative way but as someone who puts in the work, practises and grinds quietly – and when the moment arises for me to show up, I deliver and shine. People praise me, give me accolades and ask me how I did it. But I know I’ve worked hard while the light has shone on others. I love that. When you’re an underdog, you get a chance to perfect your craft in peace, and people only make noise when you show up and own a space simply by being good at what you do. Our covers stars, rugby champion Makazole Mapimpi and soccer king Mo Salah, are my favourite sort of…

TONY MPOFU AT HAUS OF STRAUSS In an economy where jobs are few, entrepreneurship becomes crucial, as do skills development and education. And when we marry those initiatives to a process that drives things such as upcycling or waste reduction and furthers skills transference or other empowerment initiatives, we create opportunities for sustainable change and development. At the beginning of the year, Levi’s Haus of Strauss launched a tailoring workshop as part of a broader initiative to upskill and empower people while educating them about the issue of waste in the industry. Levi’s partnered with two talented, emerging tailors, one of whom was Tony Mpofu. He participated in a week-long guided educational process, which took him through the ins and outs of creating upcycled garments, facilitated by Levi’s in-house master tailor Sir William. We…

Sometimes it feels like we’re in some sort of video game. Welcome to the super-volatile and seemingly made-up world of non-fungible tokens. IF YOU THINK NFTS ARE A FAD, A JOKE OR SOME WEIRD GLITCH IN THE MATRIX, you wouldn’t be far off. But they’re also becoming serious business and threatening the capitalist ecosystem. In some ways, they should be celebrated for their disruptive nature and the fact they’re forcing us to question our reality, how we attach value to things, who ultimately has the right to allocate value in our world, what those “things” even are and how much stake in the “real world” a thing even has for us to consider it authentic. Non-fungible means “can’t be replaced”. It’s like a certificate of authenticity that lives in a blockchain universe.…

DO 01 Go for a slim (not skinny) cut 02 Go for the tailored look 03 Go for clean lines and a clean design 04 Go for a zip-up top instead of a hoodie. If you’re going for a hoodie, layer it over a white-collared shirt and under a zip-up, so it still resembles suiting 05 Layer over a white or cream tee or crewneck sweater, or even a shirt 06 Work in darker colours like navy 07 Get a tote bag to accompany your look DON’T 01 Go for a baggy or oversized fit 02 Go for heavily branded, striped or sloganed designs 03 Over-accessorise 04 Let pants sag around your ass 05 Go for bright, flashy colours 06 Printed tees 07 Stuff your pockets with bulky items 08 Wear it with colourful or printed socks 09 Slow down your roll 10 Wear a backpack or cross-body…

STARTING A SKINCARE ROUTINE is just the start. Many people walk through their daily and weekly lives applying products they bought years ago or treating all four seasons as equal when it comes to a skincare strategy. Those are just two of the most common skincare mistakes people make – we’ve got more below. Perhaps a few ring true for you? It’s not too late to correct the course and improve your skin in the short-and long-term. 01 APPLYING COMEDOGENIC INGREDIENTS (ESPECIALLY IF YOU’RE ACNE PRONE) This is just a fancy word for “clogs your pores”. If you’re prone to breakouts or especially oily skinned, it’s one thing to look for oil-free products. Take your ingredient omissions one step further, and look for non-comedogenic (non-pore-clogging) formulas. Unfortunately, most brands won’t market their…

BELIEVED TO BE THE YOUNGEST Black woman to launch a tech fund and the youngest person to launch a tech fund in sub-Saharan Africa, Nigerian-American entrepreneur Maya Horgan Famodu is a visionary with no plans on slowing down. Horgan Famodu is the founder of venture capital firm Ingressive Capital, a $10 million (around R146 million) fund that has backed numerous promising start-ups in sub-Saharan Africa. ‘I’ve been building businesses in Nigeria for almost a decade. We were here before it was cool to be in tech in Africa. We did a lot of ecosystem development to put Africa, specifically Nigeria, on the map as a recipient of technology.’ Part of Horgan Famodu’s determination to make it into the African VC industry was to do with her upbringing. ‘My entire family has dedicated…