Before you learn how to fly, you first have to learn how to fall. Paul Simon documents that mood and journey in his 1973 song Learn How to Fall.
“You got to drift in the breeze before you set your sails,” the US singer belts out. This issue marks my 10-year work anniversary, a period characterised by remarkable storytelling and profound personal growth. Having to crawl before learning to walk has been the biggest lesson.
When taking a trip down memory lane, my mother enjoys reminding me of my delayed motor skills; apparently, as a toddler I walked a little later than my peers. Mama, today I confidently take my first step, more confident and less clumsy.
“You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step,” Martin Luther King Jr. famously said. So, what does this mature and rhythmic gait look like? Allow me to brag for a second! An exclusive tête-à-tête in April with Italian fashion mogul Renzo Rosso, founder of Diesel and president of OTB — the parent group of Diesel, Jil Sander, Marni, Maison Margiela, and Viktor & Rolf — in his luxury suite at The Silo Hotel in Cape Town certainly ranks high.
Our chat put the spotlight on the brilliance of fashion superlatives Martin Margiela, John Galliano, David LaChapelle, and Glenn Martens.
A month later, I was on a virtual call, having a heart-to-heart with creative geniuses Lisi Herrebrugh and Rushemy Botter, the duo behind Dutch label Botter (read about it on the next page). Throughout the video call, I was low-key screaming, kicking, and punching the air. But I stayed cool as a cucumber and kept my poker face on.
Afterwards, I chuckled when I reflected on how far I’ve come. My first celebrity interview in April 2015, with Simphiwe Dana at Tashas in Rosebank, was a colossal disaster. Star-struck, overwhelmed by nerves, and shaking like a leaf, I accidentally spilt tea all over her Kisua jacket.
She was visibly upset. I wanted to dig a hole and bury yourself. While it was no laughing matter at the time, I eventually afforded myself grace and she would tease me about it in future interactions. That was the first lesson — life goes on; don’t be defined by your mistakes.
Another lesson has been learning to stop taking things personally. Don’t get me wrong, at different stages in the past decade I have had moments when I’ve felt overlooked and slighted. It can be a hard pill to swallow when you are younger, but it should never deter your progress. It also should never be a reflection on your passion and commitment. Sometimes life sucks and not everything happens for a reason.
The past 10 years have gone by fast, with the days feeling longer but the years seeming shorter. I remember strutting into the newsroom like it was yesterday. I recall splurging on a rose-gold iPhone 6s with my first salary. I wanted an Apple Watch the year it launched in 2015, and I still don’t own one. I did, however, buy a selfie stick.
Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars passed the vibe check. Adele’s retro-style Hello video directed by Canadian auteur Xavier Dolan was very cinematic. “Ghetto-fabulous” fashion experienced a resurgence thanks to Cookie Lyon’s (Taraji P Henson) wardrobe in then-new series Empire.
Swedish retailer H&M opened its first store in SA, on the verge of a hot collaboration with Balmain. Rihanna certified herself queen of the Met Gala in a canary-yellow fur-trimmed Guo Pei coat that was goated by memes. Jon Snow’s (Kit Harington) death in Game of Thrones had TV viewers devastated. And never forget that Steve Harvey accidentally crowned the wrong Miss Universe.
How will I remember 2025 a decade from now? As the year Beyonce finally won Album of the Year at the Grammys for Cowboy Carter.
We will laugh about “naked dressing” being banned at the Cannes Film Festival. Tyla, who was the cover star of the Youth issue in 2023, will be 33 years old. We will celebrate Mzansi fashion making a splash at the Met Gala with Precious Moloi-Motsepe wearing David Tlale, while Aurora James and Ivy Getty donned Thebe Magugu.
Above all, it will be the year fashion trio Ponahalo Mojapelo, Nkuley Masemola, and Mordecai Ngubane ushered in the non-binary era on the cover of SMag’s Youth issue in honour of International Pride Month.
Then the second season of Shaka iLembe returned, with new cast members Zamani Mbatha and Luyanda Zuma gracing our pages. Plus, we’ve christened a new leading lady — Shalate Sekhabi from House of Zwide and Go!.
