Written by Alexia Roussos on September 25, 2018
Bhumehl is the fashion brand of 20-year old Gabriel from the Vaal. Currently studying at the CAPA Academy of Performing Arts in Cape Town, Gabriel works part-time as a fashion designer, stylist and photographer. Gabriel has always been a creative person and has used his creativity to help process his life and the issues he experiences. A particularly dark period at the age of 17 inspired him to establish his fashion brand, and he’s been working on it ever since.
The BHUMEHL Autumn/Winter 18 collection, After Effects, looks at the after effects of a broken heart, explored through a metaphorical lens. Gabriel was inspired by the emotional pain that comes with a toxic relationship – both when in the relationship, as well as during the break-up. The collection is broken into two themes: colour, which looks at red and black, and construction/deconstruction. Red symbolises the process of love, infatuation and lust, and the intensity of those feelings. Black symbolises the darker side of a toxic relationship – the burden of love, and the heaviness and ugliness that comes with unhealthy love.
Gabriel describes the second theme, construction/deconstruction: “I played with the shape of the garments, exploring ways to manipulate the structure & incorporating those adjectives I got from the colours. Baggy high-waist red pants that drape to the the floor, oversized blazer, sexy/lustfull backless blazer clipped with a chain…etc.” Models: Farnel & Bianca Schulz Creative Assistant: Thimna Stokisi TeePhotography: Gabriel