- Media personality Zingah tells us why crop tops have been his signature look lately.
- The musician and podcaster would like to tap into the fashion and modeling business.
- He has received both positive and negative remarks about his new style.
Men wearing crop tops is a norm in the fashion industry but might seem a bit obscure for South Africans who don't follow fashion trends. That does not seem to concern musician and podcaster, Sithembiso 'Zingah' Simelane, who has recently taken to his social media pages to share some crop top fits and other bold fashion styles.
"There's definitely an evolution in what I'm willing to do with my style lately," says Zingah, as he highlights how he has been changing his aesthetic and trying a riskier approach.
Zingah's latest aesthetic is carefully curated by his manager, Wendy Ntinezo, who is a former stylist and owner of the clothing brand Black Merge.
"She actually [suggested] that we take some risks with my wardrobe which I wasn't too much of a fan of at first but it looks like I'm having a bit of fun now."
"I won't lie and say I was excited to put on a crop [top]," he said, describing how he first felt when his manager advised him to try it.
"I grew up a rapper so hip hop and its hardheaded thuggish influence definitely made that hard for me," Zingah stated, highlighting how he had negative connotations in the past of men wearing crop tops. Yearning to establish himself as a fashionista and model, he had to take the risk and he believes the risk has paid off. He has managed to attract a new fashion-based audience.
"It was definitely extremely nerve-wracking," he describes his first time wearing a crop top in public. The positive response from the public has been a positive.
He also believes that he has a model alter ego that compliments his style and that makes him a bit more confident. "When I'm out there dressed like that I think I just look like some sort of professional model."
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Zingah is no stranger to online trolls. Every time he tries something new there are people who blatantly critique him. This was evident when he tried out podcasting and TikTok content. "I somewhat expected that type of reaction from them but what encourages me is the other more positive reaction."
"In my existence on this earth I've proven to be influential," he alluded, highlighting that he does not wish to coerce people into liking his new look and he does not have any intentions of influencing anyone but he believes that what he does tends to naturally rub off onto his followers.
Zingah concluded by sharing some words of encouragement for those who are afraid of taking risks and exploring new things. He said people should have "freedom of expression, freedom of trying and freedom of freeing themselves."
