LEGAE

“Heartthrob” 90s inspired shoot with @looneybindiaries at @small.world.spaces shot by me with the incredible guidance of @paulshiakallis 🙏🏾

“Colour Me Fine”, 2026 I do not endorse Eurocentric hair styles, but my cousin Thabi had just had her hair done and I had just watched “Waiting to Exhale” for the first time. Something had to be done! Photography: @gae.click aka me Muse: @thabimoks

99 hours of pleating, smocking, embroidery and sewing plus, what, 2 months of agonising over my AfroFuturist Bridgerton experiment and here we are. I was really excited about the Bridgerton as sci-fi and Afrofuturism discourse for an avenue to explore fantasy world building as a tool for historical reconstruction and what Saidiya Hartman calls “critical fabulation,” the process of combining archival evidence with speculation. Because so many of my own enquiries into African fashion have been met by absence—absence in imagery, absence in self-authorship, absence in material, I wanted to try looking through a combination of imagination and restraint. Considering how much I don’t know, why not start making it up 🤪 Using what we know of the world of Bridgerton, where suddenly Britain and (presumably) Germany were no longer imperialist forces (2 main European aggressors against Northern Sotho speakers), I wanted to look at the Northern Sotho gempe roko as if it were a garment which arrived through diplomacy and not colonisation. I looked to surface embellishment in Sotho traditions, like beading with chain and found objects, smocking as well as the application of lace and striping through embroidery. Most of these aren’t necessarily ‘indigenous’ in origin but I think remain a part of contemporary culture because they harken back to historical tastes. The organza and lace overlayer is meant to speak to regional preferences for unstitched, draped cloth and works as a modular bodices dress where you can drape the train/tails different ways. If you’ve ever seen any Sotho clothing, you’ll know there’s a lot of colour that I wanted to remove this to draw more attention to other aspects. Mostly I feel like I’ve ended up with a wedding dress for a porcelain doll. Anyway, it’s an experiment and I learnt a lot in almost 100 hours. Like, I should get a smocking machine, nothing goof happens after 2 AM and that these are all things I knew 3 years ago. Thanks to @gae.click for beautifully capturing this with me and making the project worthwhile 💕 Last 2 frames: Pedi doll from Museum Africa and illustrations of Pedi women by Barbara Tyrell

Androgynous Whimsy Pt.4 In a world that is seeing a significant rise in fascism it is important that we show a counter culture. A culture that is free, vibrant, different, fruitful and full of colour. It is important that we show queer joy without the restrictions of western world. It is important that we tap into our inner child in order to find hope and strength to defeat the oligarchy. We have to hold space for one another and accept each other’s differences. Androgynous Whimsy explores the duality of feminine energy and masculine energy with a group of people in a setting where they are free from the constraints of fascism. I wanted to show queers just being and existing in a fruitful land that feeds them. While also embracing the power and the lineage that came before them with their traditional attire. These images counter the very conformist, black-and-white, capitalistic, almost dystopian world that we are living in today. Creative Direction: @looneybindiaries Photography: @gae.click Styling: @gae.click Make-up: @gae.click Muses: @queerbass , thontsi, and @a.fly.enby

Androgynous Whimsy Pt.3 In a world that is seeing a significant rise in fascism it is important that we show a counter culture. A culture that is free, vibrant, different, fruitful and full of colour. It is important that we show queer joy without the restrictions of western world. It is important that we tap into our inner child in order to find hope and strength to defeat the oligarchy. We have to hold space for one another and accept each other’s differences. Androgynous Whimsy explores the duality of feminine energy and masculine energy with a group of people in a setting where they are free from the constraints of fascism. I wanted to show queers just being and existing in a fruitful land that feeds them. While also embracing the power and the lineage that came before them with their traditional attire. These images counter the very conformist, black-and-white, capitalistic, almost dystopian world that we are living in today. Creative Direction: @looneybindiaries Photography: @gae.click Styling: @gae.click Make-up: @gae.click Muses: @queerbass , thontsi, and @a.fly.enby

Androgynous Whimsy Pt.2 In a world that is seeing a significant rise in fascism it is important that we show a counter culture. A culture that is free, vibrant, different, fruitful and full of colour. It is important that we show queer joy without the restrictions of western world. It is important that we tap into our inner child in order to find hope and strength to defeat the oligarchy. We have to hold space for one another and accept each other’s differences. Androgynous Whimsy explores the duality of feminine energy and masculine energy with a group of people in a setting where they are free from the constraints of fascism. I wanted to show queers just being and existing in a fruitful land that feeds them. While also embracing the power and the lineage that came before them with their traditional attire. These images counter the very conformist, black-and-white, capitalistic, almost dystopian world that we are living in today. Creative Direction: @looneybindiaries Photography: @gae.click Styling: @gae.click Make-up: @gae.click Muses: @queerbass , @thontsi , and Likhanye

Androgynous Whimsy Pt.1 In a world that is seeing a significant rise in fascism it is important that we show a counter culture. A culture that is free, vibrant, different, fruitful and full of colour. It is important that we show queer joy without the restrictions of western world. It is important that we tap into our inner child in order to find hope and strength to defeat the oligarchy. We have to hold space for one another and accept each other’s differences. Androgynous Whimsy explores the duality of feminine energy and masculine energy with a group of people in a setting where they are free from the constraints of fascism. I wanted to show queers just being and existing in a fruitful land that feeds them. While also embracing the power and the lineage that came before them with their traditional attire. These images counter the very conformist, black-and-white, capitalistic, almost dystopian world that we are living in today. Creative Direction: @looneybindiaries Photography: @gae.click Styling: @gae.click Make-up: @gae.click Muses: @queerbass , thontsi, and @a.fly.enby

@masai_sepuru at ‘The Writing on the Wall’ poetry showcase circa 2022. Shot by @aspiring_unic0rn , on an iPhone 13. Open to bookings ✨

Di Trupa tsa Makapanstad, 2025

A Love Letter to Queerness: ANQOBILE & MIHLE Participants: @anqodube__ & @mihle.sopam Photographer: @aspiring_unic0rn

A Love Letter to Queerness: KEA Participant: @keabetse_maake Photographer: @aspiring_unic0rn Lighting assist: @looneybindiaries

A Love Letter to Queerness: CEBO Participant: @cigaretttesandtofu Photographer: @aspiring_unic0rn Lighting assist: @_idahum