Spoofing with a South African twist

Continues Gomes, "We're all familiar with the cliché of the hunky guy on the horse, the sexy girl pouring liquid over her body, the sexy white female cop pulling the guy over to the side of the road and frisking him. We have given each of the clichés a tongue in cheek South African twist. The horse is replaced with an ostrich, the honey/treacle/ milk is replaced with Inkomazi and the cop now drives a SAP yellow cheese-wagon."

Tagged "Homegrown", the campaign will run in a series of four print executions that parody the clichés of overseas fashion advertising. Represented locally by boutique production house Groundglass, photographer Sacha Waldman shot the ads with FoxP2 creative directors Noel Cottrell, Justin Gomes and Andrew Whitehouse.

Waldman, who has shot global campaigns for Lee Jeans, Nike and Adidas as well as high-profile personalities like Eminem, Steven Spielberg, and David Bowie amongst others, brings a high-end glossy patina to the advertisements which have been knitted with a distinctive local metaphor.

"When Justin and I came up with the ads, we never in our wildest dreams believed that we'd get Sacha Waldman to shoot them," says Whitehouse. "I really rate him as one of the best photographers in the world."

Quirky parody

The cornerstone of the campaign is its quirky parody while underscoring the message that "being South African is terrific - with our own identity and sense of humour", according to Old Khaki marketing manager, Evan Torrance.

"Most South African fashion brands are trying to be 'international'. Few local fashion brands are celebrating South Africa's new-found cool," adds Cottrell.

Concludes Torrance, "Like our brand, we wanted our ad campaign to be a little sexy, refreshing and dynamic. The Old Khaki range is an expression of a lifestyle... We want Old Khaki to be associated with good times - relaxed and happy memories. There is something very unique about being South African and this campaign tries to capture something of that sentiment."

Old Khaki launched last year as a stand-alone label in the Cape Union Mart stable. With five stores currently open, Old Khaki is adding two more in the next two months.