Local creative visionary, and Sony Xperia influencer, Tuelo Nguyuza – owner and lead designer for TNCollectiv , releases a behind-the-scenes video for his latest bridal collection, ‘Collective Culture’, captured on a Sony Xperia XZ2.
The collection – inspired by the diversity of South African cultures, used the fabrics, prints and artistic detail from indigenous South African traditions. Tuelo’s ‘Collective Culture’ concept came from the fact that so many local brides love the idea of a ‘white wedding’ yet their cultural roots run deep, so the traditional African weddings also tend to ensue. “My ’Collective Culture’ collection combines both the traditional, African gown as well as the more popular Western type wedding dress that is designed and made by someone who too, embodies the customs of their culture, as opposed to an International designer who simply takes inspiration from our beautiful and creative cultural diversity” says Tuelo.
Like the pleating detail on the Sepedi ensemble called ‘Ele’ – essentially a ‘box dress’ with a wrap around fabric detail on the waist, Tuelo has interpreted this piece into a gown using similar Sepedi trimmings in the detail, modelled by the gorgeous Gail Mabalane who, according to Tuelo, was a natural choice for us as she has been our brand ambassador for the past 3 years and embodies what the TNCollectiv woman is; sophisticated and graceful.
The entire behind-the-scenes shoot was captured using Xperia’s 4K HDR recording capabilities and the HD super slow-motion feature of the Xperia XZ2. “I love what this phone can do for me – I didn’t need any additional professional photographers to capture the essence of the message I wanted my brides to receive through this bridal showcase,” concluded Tuelo