‘BeVryDing’ is a pictorial series featuring the 2017 Spring/Summer fashion range of designer, Dalton Smit. His range explored the social conservatism of the Afrikaner culture in South Africa by challenging its traditional views on gender roles and sexuality.
Traditional Afrikaner wear, such as; rugby shorts and khaki uniforms, have been reworked in a pastel colour pallet and combined with crochet work, doilies and mohair fibres to push the boundaries of personal identity. The range hopes to promote modernity and progressiveness in contemporary Afrikaner society and ‘free’ it from its negative stereotypes.
The Afrikaans word; ‘bevryding’ is defined as ‘liberation’. Additionally, each syllable has been capitalized to emphasize the following sub-text; ‘Be’ (to be), ‘Vry’ (Free) and ‘Ding’ (‘thing’ referring to a non-specific gender or sexuality).
Ampersand oversaw all art direction, photography, videography and graphic design.