NWU student nominated as one of ten best dressers in SA

Mbulelo Mbiphi aka “OldJohnMayoyo”, a 21-year-old student from North-West University’s Mahikeng campus, has made it to GQ magazine in South Africa’s list of top ten best dressers on Instagram.

If he manages to draw enough votes by Friday OldJohn, as he is known, will proceed to be among the top five trendy dressers on the male magazine’s list.

The final-year public administration student attributes his quirky fashion sense to the “cool old uncles” he watched as a young boy growing up in Khuma, a township near Stilfontein and Klerksdorp in North-West province, where he was also born.

He gets his clothes from thrift stories in Potchefstroom and Klerksdorp, but buy most of the pieces from people who sell them on the street – his way of respecting street culture.

OldJohn says his style is inspired by different eras, he does not allow himself to be boxed in by one particular time period.

“I love time traveling in clothes and each and every outfit has its own narrative, but in most cases each and every outfit is a depiction of how I feel about myself and my surroundings,” he said.

Old John is also the co-founder of The Unknownz, a collaborative venture that include other stylists, fashion models and photographers (see photos).

But he was not always recognized as a fashion and style trendsetter. Initially, as he started to experiment with outfits, those around him made fun of his unusual dress sense. But as his followers picked up on his ‘Insta’ the jokes subsided as his knack for combining colors and different pieces attracted attention from further afield.

No wonder that the young upcoming fashion stylist got the recognition for his fashion sense on Instagram by GQ magazine, and as the competition progressed he subsequently moved into the top ten slot.

To vote you can visit GQ South Africa on Instagram, which is hosting the event in association with Lexus and Mall of Africa, and click on the link before 17 September, which is Friday.