FASHION

Kehinde Wiley is a prominent New York portrait painter who’s been compared to the likes of Titian and Gainsborough, joining the ranks of western art history’s most prominent figures. In celebration of PUMA’s longstanding corroboration of African football, the ‘sportslifestyle’ brand commissioned Kehinde to create four massive portraits depicting three African football greats – Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o, Ghana’s John Mensah and Côte d'Ivoire’s Emmanuel Eboué – entitled Legends of Unity. The son of a Nigerian man, Kehinde travelled to Africa to explore his own roots while coming to terms with the incredibly unifying spirit of African football. At the culmination of their global tour through Paris, London, New York, Beijing and Milan, the portraits were exhibited in Cape Town in conjunction with the FIFA World Cup, at Studio One in Bree Street. On Wednesday 23 June, on the afternoon of the launch party, one small seed TV headed to the studio to meet with Kehinde and discuss this phenomenal creative collaboration. Listen in as we uncover the artist’s views on this unique marriage between art, fashion and football – exclusive to one small seed TV. To read more about the artist, check out issue 19 of one small seed magazine, in store June till August 2010.