Renaissance Men SA: PRESS RELEASE: Official Campaign of Stiaan Louw’s SLA2

Following the success of Atletiek, Stiaan Louw's new collection SLA2, a continuation of the Atletiek range, still examines the influence of sportswear in fashion design, but this time in a more urban setting and taking sports to the streets.

Stiaan Louw, is a designer who propagates South African design on the global stage. Having shown the world a less stereo-typical idea of South African men’s fashion in past campaigns, Stiaan has chosen to look closer to home for his inspiration and showcase work that is not typically African, but which influences can be seen on the streets of Cape Town.

The taxi driver, the car guard, the home boy walking on the side of the road in Elsies River, have all played a part in inspiring this collection. The undertones of this campaign elude to a more taboo subject matter, but tries to do so in a manner that is provocative and undeniably beautiful.

"Fashion has never pretended to be real life. As a medium of artistic expression, fashion is one that is commonly under a lot of scrutiny. Not everyone gets it and not everyone likes it. It is a playground for fantasy and desire. It is provocative and it is surreal."

Shot against a black background and using a colour palette out of Stiaan's norm, the essence of an urban night scene is given life by the brilliance of Neil Robert's photography and as the face of the campaign, model, Thane Williams delivers a convincing performance as "Homme Boy" and once again conveys the brand's level of world class men’s fashion. - Michael Beaumont Cooper

SLA2 "Homme Boy" Campaign Stills