For the spinners who gather at Kwa Magesh in Brakpan, the culture they live briefly found itself on a runway. Last week, at Heat on the Street, one of the major spinning events on the calendar, the Engen Xtreme Kouture fashion collection was unveiled. It is a set of garments built to represent the mechanics, drivers, and other identities that make up South Africa’s motoring community.
The clothes themselves carry a story about waste and worth. They were made by repurposing Engen Xtreme lubricant materials, including bottle caps and bottles, along with recycled corporate wear. Behind them stands Carlo Gibson, a Chicago-based South African artist, fashion designer, and activist, whose stylistic approach prioritises sustainability, upcycling, and finding value in what others have thrown away.
Gibson, the creative force behind the project, spoke with CarTalk’s Jacob Moshokoa about how it came together. His view is that the garage already has its own style, and that the collaboration is simply a way of showing it while leaning into the culture of spinning. In steering his design direction, he drew on what he described as the rebellious, creative, and disciplined nature of the spinners themselves.
What the people behind the collection want, according to Gibson, is for it to outlive a single moment in the spotlight. The purpose is the exact opposite of a once-off appearance, he said, stressing the need for longevity in clothing and a shift in how the conversation around sustainability unfolds.
“Clothing can last a few years and not just a few months,” he said.
“If people are buying fewer clothes and using them for longer, then this is one way that people can be more sustainable.”
Meanwhile, there are signs that the garments may already have a life beyond the runway. Gibson hopes the collection becomes a platform for creative collaboration, and filmmakers, dance groups, and other artists have already shown interest in using the clothing for various projects. Engen, for its part, plans to build on the collaboration by creating a range of streetwear for the motoring community.
For a community usually celebrated at events like Heat on the Street rather than in fashion circles, the collection offered something different: a recognition that the style of the garage, and the people who keep it running, was always there to be seen. Whether the garments endure as long as Gibson hopes may depend on how the motoring community takes to wearing them.