Continuing from the success of photographer Dean Pedersen @deanventures and entrepreneurs Kabelo and Marcus of @KausKulture, New Balance South Africa introduces their third and final Tastemaker Sam Dube @Inkosazane_zulu_craft
Owner of Inkosazane, Sam Dube refers to herself as a tribal Zulu city girl whose love for Zulu culture and tradition has allowed her to explore her entrepreneurial spirit through the art of Zulu beading. Inspired by the works of her Mother and Grandmother, Sam has been taught to love and appreciate her Zulu culture and will continue to explore the tradition through creativity and design. Employing 30 ladies who now work for her on a full time basis, Sam works on designs that can send powerful messages in the placements of patterns and colours used.
When asked what she feels when she sees someone in one of her pieces this is what she had to say:
“When I see someone wearing one of my pieces I get excited. I get excited because I see someone wearing my message, a message that says I AM HERE.”
This creative platform pays tribute to New Balance’s unique model numbers. Focusing on “numbers speak louder than words.” The campaign fuses the digital and physical worlds by creating a fully integrated creative platform that goes from online engagement to in-store activation.
The campaign is a lifestyle expression of New Balance’s ‘Always in Beta’ ethos, which reflects the aspiring creative community that NB Lifestyle appeals to: a group of people who are constantly improving, creating and thinking about the next thing. Imbued throughout the campaign is the shared passion for creativity that New Balance’s audience of ‘sneakerheads’ and early adopters engage and connect with. Sneakerheads can own 40-plus pairs of sneakers – sometimes hundreds – and are highly critical if something isn’t authentic to the brand. That’s why using numbers, not names, has an inherent link to New Balance. Numbers, in this campaign, speak louder than words.
Their campaign centers on cultural influencers who demonstrate the value NB Lifestyle places on genuine passion for creativity and craftsmanship. Short documentary-style videos and imagery with these creative individuals will highlight the new Lifestyle range and be shared across the brand’s social platforms and at retail.
The new campaign not only marks a first for NB Lifestyle, but will serve to celebrate brand anniversaries in 2016. Several classic NB Lifestyle models, the 580, 999 and 995 will turn 20 and 30 respectively. New Balance will also celebrate the 110th year of the brand and 40th year of the ‘N’ logo.