IN TOUCH Photographic Series: Felipe Mazibuko

‘IN TOUCH’ is an intimate photographic essay around our growing need for human affection & connection. For being in touch with our people, including ourselves. It portrays human contact as the new luxury good of the era. South Africans with different backgrounds and relationships were invited to the studio and expressed the essence of the connection with their dearest and nearest. 

Marvin: What does Felipe love most about the man in the mirror?

Felipe: He loves that he doesn’t have to rely on the mirror to exude his beauty. His beauty is based on being an empath and on being compassionate towards everything and everyone around him. He is mindful of his presence without being arrogant. His looks are iconic and strong but at the same time chic and timeless. I wish I had met him a long time ago. 

Marvin: What has changed about this man in 2020?

Felipe: Change has been inevitable in 2020. Not only because of Covid-19, but change was brought on by growth as a fellow citizen of the world. A citizen that consistently and consciously wants to be part of change in what we consume as humans from media, food and fashion.
Sustainability and being mindful of one’s footprint is key.

Marvin: Where does the man in the mirror see himself in the future?

Felipe: I see myself being part of diversity in ethnicities, backgrounds, sexual preferences and creative industries at large.

Marvin: Are you an affectionate person? How important is affection and connection to you?

Felipe: Connection for me leads to affection. I have to connect with the person’s good qualities and traits for me to be affectionate in building some kinda human equilibrium.

Marvin: What does Felipe see when he looks in the mirror?

Felipe: I hardly look in the mirror as I am still self-conscious from the damage caused by being teased and stared at in my childhood. However, I have based my existence from the sixth sense and intuition.

Marvin: What has self-love taught Felipe?

Felipe: Self-love taught me that the best armour is transparency and brutal honesty. Self-love is like creativity; it’s a sense of freedom, the way you look forward. It’s the way you look back. It’s about repositioning and reframing it in a new way.

Marvin: What does the heart on your chest represent?

Felipe: The heart on my chest is a ‘heart on fire’. The tattoo was done almost 20 years ago in Thailand while on a styling shoot for True Love magazine.

The heart is all about the passion and love I have for my gift within the creative industry. Today it still represents the passion I have in helping and nurturing young talent within the same industry I so dearly and deeply love.

Team credits

Concept, Photography & Retouching: Mariska van den Brink (MRSK Visuals/ @mrskvisuals)

Art Direction & Styling: Vallery Groenewald (Savage Design)

MUA, Hair & SFX: Lyn Kennedy 

Fashion: ALC Man (Amanda Laird Cherry)

Story: Felipe Mazibuko