MEGGINS (LEGGINGS FOR MEN)... A YAY OR A NAY?

Jerry Purfz, a South African Fashion Designer, Stylist and Blogger takes an “African Look” at a rather taboo fashion trend for men... Meggings – that’s leggings for men.

Being trendy and fashionable is fun, add that esteem boost as well it equals SEXY. But what if your guy (ladies) rock up at your high-school-reunion party spotting meggings? Yes, “Leggings” for men. Would you still introduce him as your one and only? Quite a daunting thought isn’t it? Well I have heard the worst, my girlfriend didn’t hide her feelings about this either, she vowed to immediately disown me.

While I think of this as cutting edge fashion, I am equally not compromising my stance about this trend of course, I would not be caught wearing meggings. Not even if I was promised a night out with Paris Hilton.

So how and when do you wear them? Well visibly nowhere in South Africa but only in the army, except that they prefer to call them “long johns”.

HOW: Meggings can be worn with form-fitted short trousers, or shorts that come from above the knee to the mid-thigh. No ‘short shorts’ are allowed. You cannot wear capris, culottes, or long pants with leggings. Keep the colours simple, Wear basic colors – nothing bright or gauche, and keep patterns simple and clean – this means no flowers, hearts, or horizontal stripes.

WHEN: Men wear them year-round as a fun way to practice layering, mix up everyday proportions, and stay warm. Apparently meggings have been pouring into the streets of New York, Paris, London, and Tokyo since 2007. All kinds of meggings have been popular on the men's runways for seasons. Because whatever women fall in love with, men will inevitably fall in love with some years later, like SKINNY JEANS or SHORT SHORTS, to name a few.

Interestingly enough, there are rather mixed feelings amongst men about the trend. "I’m a 23 year old metrosexual male. I personally think leggings are a wonderful concept at that! I think females need to stop whining and feeling awkward about men who want to wear leggings! Gender is nothing more than a physical construct, says Adam Kassur. Ricky Green, a homosexual contest, “as a gay man, I’d NEVER date a man wearing Meggings! It’s totally gross!”

My word is, if you are a straight guy, feeling bold enough to rock those leopard printed meggings, why not?

Jerry Purfz.

The Lack Of Social Media Savvy In South African Designers!!!

David Tlale's Creations.

The Lack Of Social Media Savvy In South African Designers

I have posted a while ago on my Facebook profile [ www.facebook.com/jerrypurfz ] about the importance of social media savvying and how you could potentially turn your lame social updates into SALES. The article was fully constructed by a friend Kim Garst, a Social Media/Branding Strategist and Mentor to small business owners, from the US.

I am going to take this closer to home and put a spotlight on some of South Africa’s Top Designers whom I think could hike their sales and popularity through social media. David Tlale is an established South African Designer who is well known for his excellence in womens’ clothes, has recently ventured into menswear, charactarised by flamboyant colors with finer details such as embroidery, pleats and most recently mini-skirts for men. He’s a well-spoken man who could possibly sell a glass of water to a fish in the sea, although this is not reflected on either of his twitter or facebook accounts. His twitter records shows he has only 5tweets, last tweet dated 02/Feb/2012 with followers just over one and half thousand mark while he only follows only two users. For someone of his stature, his social media accounts should be nearing 

“ It's no secret that social media is the marketing wave of the future. Everyone from high schoolers right through to Fortune 500 executives uses social media to connect with friends, business partners, and - in some cases - potential clients”, Says Kim Garst.

Ephraim(Ephymol) and Jerry Purfz

Another South African with immense talent is a former model turned fashion designer, and a friend of mine Ephraim Modingoana, dubbed “ The Black Armani”. Unfortunately for Ephraim, he is not as vocally gifted as he is about creating clothes. Except for the fact that he stammers, he really is not a guy who can convience you of anything, not even when you desperate. Ephraim’s twitter account has only 20 followers while he follows just about 5o users. His last and only tweet is dated 05/August/2009. His facebook account only has about 750 listed friends/fans with scarce updates, especially about his core business. Quite shabby for someone who supply various chain stores abroad. Through my time of working with social media for businesses, I've noticed that a lot of people lack what I call "social media follow-through. social media is a big community, and word travels fast. If someone doesn't feel you treated them well during a negotiation process, they're likely to Tweet about it, or talk about it on Facebook, adds Kim.
The list is endless, Reginald Molamu of RJ Kay Creations, Thula Sindi and alike, I could go on for hours.
This really calls for emergency PR assistance, bigger corporate companies does this with no shame. It is imperative that this emerging local brands starts investing in their public outlook.

[By Jerry Purfz]

26/November/2011