African Fashion Through a Lens With Simba Takaedza
- Kgomotso Masebuko
- Mar 25
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 26
Lights, camera, fashion—this is the world Simba Takaedza knows best. At just 26, he’s making waves in the fashion and photography industry, all sparked by a childhood discovery—a forgotten camera tucked away in his parents' dining room cabinet.
Growing up, Simba was always exposed to photography, with his mom constantly documenting his life from the moment he was born to his brother taking up the lens and later passing it to him and his twin brother, Wesley. Film pictures were everywhere within the four walls of their life. But it was only after Simba started modelling in 2015 that he realised that photography was something he wanted to pursue.
“I think after modelling that’s when we were like, okay now, let's take those careers seriously and professionalism,” Simba said.
The Botswana born photographer started harnessing his dream when his family uprooted and moved to South Africa, Johannesburg. Coming into the big city Simba did not know where to start, so he started drippling and dappling in a few projects with his twin brother, as he slowly started getting used to the industry.
Having been in three countries, Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa, each with its potent cultural uniqueness, Simba started picking up small details and aesthetics about each country which contributed to his craft.
“I'm basically a nomad and I'm just taking up all the experiences of things I’ve went through and the places I've seen and just trying to bring that out into my work,” he exclaimed. Simba also noted that Johannesburg played a huge role in unlocking his mind and creativity.
With the novelty of being exposed to photography at a young age and having spent time in three countries, Simba’s photography, without a doubt, possesses a sort of nostalgic softness to it. The way he captures pictures has a sense of emotion that makes you feel like you are looking into a mirror and reflecting on your own personal life.
“I'm really trying to bring that out in the work, like a sense of belonging, a sense of humanity, you know, and not trying to sway away or like try too hard. I think for the most part, I just want the viewer to feel something when they look at the image,” he expressed.
One of Simba’s favourite fashion photographers, whom he still references till this day, is Nigerian photographer, Samuel Fosso whose work dates back to the 70s.
Looking at Simba’s work you can clearly see how his aesthetics are heavily inspired by Samuel’s work.
Speaking about a recent project where he collaborated with the South African brand Boyde, Simba took us through the processes and intricacies of shooting a film for a fashion brand.
Boyde—which shot their latest collection, Deterritorialization, back in August—shot their film in the first ever parliament building.
The concept behind the film being shot in a building where South African colonisers would often meet to determine the future of the country, was a ‘movement’ Simba wanted to take part in. Having had the opportunity to film this with his brother, Simba wanted to evoke a sense of emotion and power through the film, while using Apartheid as a reference of the past left behind.
“I think when the photographer, Tatenda Chidora, found the location, it just made sense, like, choosing a place where our colonizers used to have meetings and stuff. And I think it was just a powerful thing to shoot in a place like that,” he added.
Speaking about fashion, Simba is particularly in awe of how the African fashion industry is taking the world by its threads—and not being apologetic about it.
“I think right now we're in a time where no one [in the African fashion industry] is seeking [Western] validation anymore.”
“Everyone wants to be African, and I think that just proved to people that you don't have to ask for space. You can literally just take it up. I think creatives right now possess that kind of mentality,” he continued.
Simba also noted that now he feels like people are moving beyond traditional representation and ‘tapping’ more into authentically doing what they want to do, at the highest possible level. He strongly believes that African fashion on a global scale is about bringing together storytelling and luxury. As he referenced the likes of Thebe Magugu, Lukhanyo Mdingi, and Boyde.
“I was looking at Princess Gyasi’s collaboration with Balmain and they took his imagery and put it on clothes, and I think no one has done that in the western world but now they're just pushing the boundaries by challenging the beauty standards, like now you see features of dark skin Africans [in magazines].”
Though Simba has worked with amazing brands and people, he finds that he most enjoys photography when he is working on personal projects and has creative control.
His favourite project was when he shot the Vulombe film with PR$DNT Honey, having spent two years working on the film. The Botswana born photographer is glad that they waited and didn’t rush into it and mostly appreciates how this film helped him grow in his craft.
“At the end of the day beyond the art and stuff we [are] humans, I think we [are] all just trying to pick up something and learn something, you know, to better ourselves,’’ he said.
Simba and his twin brother founded the film and photography service called Twofold, where they use their skills to tell African, nostalgic and unique stories through fashion and photography.
As the world is gradually adjusting to the world, Simba has been brewing something under its surface. The photographer says stepping into this new year, he wants to focus more on film directing and film making, hinting that he's working on his personal series called Choice the Blessing which will be about the relationship between twins.
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