The Wolf of Her Own Street

Lulama Wolf talks to Senior Copy Editor Buntu Ngcuka about doing everything with intention, especially her art

- Buntu Ngcuka

‘Lifestyle blogging was a hobby I got into while I was studying, a way to live virtually and still maintain my creativity,’ says Lulama Wolf, real name Lulama Mlambo, about her fashion blogging and social media influencer beginnings. ‘Fortunately, it turned out to be a good business opportunity down the line.’ And good it was – she was featured in campaigns for brands such as Woolworths and H&M. She stood out from the wave of colourful print-on-print-on-print, more-is-more vibe that many influencers and bloggers gravitated towards thanks to her minimalist aesthetic and functional style which she describes as a reincarnation of her mother’s timeless style. It helped her get over 100 000 Instagram followers.

When I first started following her on Tumblr around 2013, I was drawn to her well-curated reblogs and her own chic photos. It was like something from Solange’s My Damn Blog, but somewhere between a colourful Melina Matsoukas music video and a classic Calvin Klein campaign. Rare gems were featuring Fela Kuti and snaps of township life in black and white.

Her artwork, though, is a lot more expansive. ‘It is completely different from the lifestyle I portray on social media’, says the artist. ‘It is an in-depth expression of my culture, questions and desires. Although the two sub-aesthetics link to me as an individual.’