Top image: Courtesy of Kristin-Lee Moolman/Eytys

Eytys has been running for a modest three years; in that time they’ve amassed a cult-following with over 200 stores around the globe. Founders Max Schiller and Jonathan Hirschfeld encourage a collaborative environment where campaigns and projects are energised through diverse visions and creative minds.

Eytys’ SS16 campaign – which will be released as a book in Spring – upholds those principles by partnering up with local, artistic innovators in South Africa and shooting the campaign on the streets of central Johannesburg. And there’s the hook, authenticity and community involvement. Shot by South African photographer and filmmaker Kristin-Lee Moolman and styled by artist-turned-stylist Gabrielle Kannemyer, the story takes place in the streets of central ’Jo’burg’ where a nascent creative scene is growing, creating waves on a wider level. The story features the Eytys SS’16 collection styled alongside collections by rising local designers such as Thebe Magugu, Rich Mnisi and Boyz’n’Bucks. (In the past Eytys have shot in Israel and the Ukraine similarly imbuing the country’s spirit)

The campaign boasts the new ‘Doja’ shoe, the latest addition to the label’s impressive line-up. With slightly exaggerated proportions, an elevated toe cap and thicker soles, the Doja (unisex, of course) builds on the strong aesthetic that runs across their product range. For Schiller and Hischfeld it isn’t about constantly adding new products, their approach is centred around focusing on perfecting styles and then only adding new styles when they think it suits the timing and the customer. It’s a refreshing ‘less is more’ ethos within such a demanding environment, and one that inevitably results in more thoughtful design.

Moolman and Kannemyer create a story of duality: rawness and playfulness coexist with an undercurrent of subtle tropes from contemporary youth culture and South Africa’s opposing political, social and economic forces.

You can find more information at www.eytys.com.