Editorial: Ssebaggala — REFORM THE FUNK

London up-and-coming designer Semple and Muse Ssebaggala introduce this night-themed dystopic fashion editorial.

Leather

One of the most endurant fabrics, there was no doubt that I would be using this fabric above any other and Semple was part of the process and definitely endorsed the idea. This timeless, durable fabric - leather is a very elegant material. In its natural colour or dyed, leather will always add a certain degree of quality to any design. Everything looks more powerful in leather given its durability and the correspondence with cowboys and other stylish, enigmatic characters.

Why Red and Black?

‘Creating a red version of the motorcycle outfit was fun to me as I could really see that black and red was Ssebaggala‘s colour and I love helping people to express their most authentic self wherever possible.’ - Tijestelle Semple.

RED – one of the most potent colours on the spectrum. Red represents power for me, one of the only colours that can give off the feeling of danger, control and prestige… “roll out the red carpet". But red does not just represent strength and prestige it also embodies passion and desire. Perhaps not surprisingly, red is also linked to passion, love, and desire. These associations correspond with the nigh time theme that I was trying to capture – night is when the most scandalous events occur and people wearing red are seen as more attractive by the opposite sex. More importantly, red goes very well with dark skin and dark tones of colour.

BLACK – Black ties, black cars – poise, attractiveness and elegance. The colour oozes sophistication. That’s why so many people choose to wear black clothing when attending a fancy event. The whole concept behind the shoot also paralleled the colour scheme, all models involved in the conception of this creation were either all wearing leather or have dark skin complexions and were shot in the night-time – the idea was and has always been to capture the dark skin narrative using darker tones and very dark/ night-time lighting, hence the given theme of the whole shoot was ‘Night-time Leather – Dark Skin Dystopia’.

Why ‘Ssebaggala’?

The brand naming was never in doubt, not only is Ssebaggala my given name, but in Luganda Ssebaggala means ‘to close off, to finish or to end something’, in other words something or someone that’s one of a kind. The custom-made jacket is a one of one creation and the name ‘Ssebaggala’ runs across and behind the upper torso like a winner’s sash ribbon – resembling a title because in African culture we wear our name’s with pride.

Semple

Semple is now a conceptual Department store, offering in house-brand products (under the name Semple Originals), sewing services including custom made pieces (under the name Riónce Made) and much more!

The Riónce Made department have been working on some custom paint splatter pieces, custom made tracksuits of recent, and we’ve got a new Semple Originals collection entitled ‘Reset 2021’ due June 2021 which I’m really excited about launching.

The dream is for each Semple Department to flourish and for the Semple team to expand so we can work more effectively and continue help to help people to self develop and heighten their alignment to self. Every part of Semple is a crucial component in steering important messages throughout the world, with the (summarised) goal of true happiness and daily fulfilment for all.

Destroy fear remain true.