The Comeback Kids

During my hiatus, I’ve been looking and observing fashion trends. I am in awe.  We live in exciting times. Every trend I’ve ever wanted to explore as a kid but didn’t get the chance to (because mom had the last word with her money), is coming back. From fanny packs, to track suit 2 pieces, and those “Spice Girl” sneakers. Brands are looking at old skool albums and bringing back everything as it is. In fact, when it comes to sneakers, the “uglier” looking, the more in trendier you are. The most exciting part for me is seeing that label I used to wear as a kid make a comeback, in a big way. Here are some of the labels and their comeback story.

Fila

This brand started in Germany but it is now owned by Koreans. This year, 2018, we saw them make their social media presence felt and seen. Influencers have jumped onto the Fila comeback and shoot difference campaigns with the not so subtle Fila label on their tracksuits, t-shirts, socks and sneakers. This comeback took me back to a matching t-shirts me and my sister had. She had the red version and I had the green version. This was obviously one of those Xmas outfits we bought weeks before Xmas and looked at every day until the big day. I remember wearing the t-shirt until it became a crop top, that’s how much I loved my Fila t-shirt. My mom begged me to let go and I eventually gave in. We were way ahead of my times, lol. But Fila is back, unapologetically so.

Kappa

The beautiful thing about street culture is that the cool kids don’t wait for a Kanye West to make something trendy before they jump on. In fact, where the millennial’s are heavily influenced by celebrities, the 2000’s influence each other. I went to the park the other day on a Saturday and I spotted 4 or 5 2000’s kiddo’s wearing Kappa tracksuits. They all wore it in classic manner; the Kappa two piece, a white t-shirt and sneakers; sneakers that look like (old) running shoes.. The most popular colour was the red and the army green, the design looked exactly how it was on our parent’s photos. Nothing changed. Both girls and boys were on this wave and it was beautiful to see.

Head Honcho

There was once upon a time in my life when I was overly obsessed with Head Honcho. I attended (almost) all their events and had designs I thought would work for their female market. I was so excited when I saw they were back. Their re-branding is currently underway with their Spring/Summer 2018 collection. They redesigned their logo and look; it looks and feels fresh. The Head Honcho brand was heavily endorsed by celebrities years ago, almost every hip hop artist and DJ was an ambassador of the brand. AKA, DJ Speedsta, DJ Fanatic, even Khanyi Mbau was once upon a time a Head Honcho ambassador. This time around, I hope their comeback will happen without the celebrity craze. Using “ordinary people” to promote a brand works better.

There are so many old skool trends and labels making a comeback but those stood out for me. The beauty is that street culture is bringing back these labels, not celebrities. The future of fashion is exciting because we have so much to borrow from the past. Moreover, the 2000’s are not even remixing anything because why fix what’s not broken?

Before I go… There’s one more comeback to anticipate

Loxion Kulcha

The epitome of old school will always be cool is a brand called Loxion Kulca. I love how they are also making a comeback and attempting to catch up with the new skool kids, in terms of design and social media. They got a lot of attention (unfortunately) during the passing of Linda Mkhize, aka Pro (Kid). There was not a single old photo of Pro not wearing Loxion Kulca, in fact I’m shocked he doesn’t co-own the label because he embodied it from conception till it’s hiatus. They had a line of t-shirts and sneakers and every designer wanted to be associated with them at some stage.

I remember working backstage at fashion week and they collaborated with quiet a number of designers. They disappeared for a while and only hard-core fans still supported them, with the influence of Pro and other “township” artists. I look forward to the comeback of Loxion Kulca. I look forward to them giving the likes of Fila and Kappa a run for their money. I mean, can you imagine a yellow Loxion Kulca tracksuit, with their updated logo on your left chest, or the whole back. That coupled with old skool Loxion Kulca sneakers and a fanny pack. It would be an even bigger victory if we all jumped on and did campaigns with Loxion Kulcha.

They have a new collection available at Webbers Fashion and they’ll be showcasing on SAFW’s 21yrs_exhibition . I can’t wait to see their latest collection

Who have you seen make a  comeback this season?