Cape Town is a city that defies homogeneity. It doesn't matter if it's language, nightlife, music, food, or culture: the Mother City can’t help but eschew uniformity in favor of vibrancy. Nowhere is this multiplicity better displayed than at the annual Cape Town Jazz Festival, where style and music seem to influence each other in an effortless symbiosis. 

The festival has gained international notoriety in its 15 year run with major African, American, and European acts clamouring to grace one of the event’s five stages. Despite warmly welcoming Erykah Badu as this year’s headliner, locals remain loyal to their home-grown talent; roughly half of the festival’s 40 acts were proudly South African. The two day lineup ranges from the radio-popular house sounds of Mi Casa and Black Coffee to the more classical jazz acts like Ambrose Akinmusire Quintet and Ological Studies.

Like the genre of jazz itself, the sartorial look of the festival is hard to define. A mixture of African, hipster, European and urban looks flooded the gates on Friday night—all punctuated by the ever-present Capetonian flair for colour. As one festival-goer put it: “The diversity of jazz is like the diversity South Africa: It defines us.”

Tiisetso Molobi

Occupation: Style blogger

Listening to: The Muffinz

“Tonight I wanted to dress for the occasion but also to be comfortable. Cape Town is a place where you dress to reflect your own individual style. It’s non-conformist. However, Jazz Festival is definitely a place where you can spot outsiders—they all look like one another.”

Craig Victor

Occupation: Jazz musician

Listening to: Snarky Puppy

“My style is both a formal and classic look. It’s definitely a mixture of style influences, kind of like the city itself.”

Khitha Mbele

Occupation: Commercial Manager

Listening to: Mi Casa

“There are a lot of international acts here, so dressing for Jazz Festival is all about repping Africa, that’s why I chose my skirt. Jazz is beautiful, relaxed, chilled music and that’s what Cape Town is about too.”

Tshepiso Khaanyapa

Occupation: Bookkeeper

Listening to: Erykah Badu

“Jazz and style definitely complement each other. My style is contemporary, which is similar to the acts I like listening to.”

Kitso Rantao

Occupation: Law student

Listening to: Abdullah Ibrahim

“My look today is a little more artsy, liberal, expressive than my normal everyday clothes. I live in Joburg, and the style in Cape Town is definitely more liberal in that way. You can basically get away with anything here whereas Joburg is more trend-driven.”

David Daniels

Occupation: Teacher

Listening to: Afro-cubana genre

“I dressed specially for this occasion today. I’m wearing this hat because I’m a member of the Cuban Society. We support and promote Cuban culture and I love Afro-Cubana music.”

Thembi Pule

Occupation: Clerk

Listening to: The Soil, Mi Casa, Black Coffee

“My friends dressed me today and did my hair yesterday, which took two hours. Being in Cape Town means you can wear whatever you want.”

Shasha Seakamela

Occupation: Afrofunk DJ

Listening to: Kyle Shepherd

“How I dressed today is pretty much my daily style. My shirt is from my friend Sizwe’s clothing line called “Intsangu,” which is an Nguni word. His shop is in (the Cape Town neighborhood of) Observatory."

Abdia Gasnola

Occupation: Call center manager

Listening to: Shakatak

“I’m from Cape Town and I love jazz and its free spiritedness. My outfit today is a mixture of old and new: my dress is twenty years old, but my necklace I just bought today for the occasion.”

Tina George

Occupation: Journalist

Listening to: Lalah Hathaway, Erykah Badu

“Cape Town is the fashion capital of South Africa—there’s a much more diverse variety of looks here. I normally wear my hair lose in a fro but since I’m working today I put it up in this scarf, which is supposed to be worn around the neck. I like that it adds a pop of color.”

Mbali Sikakana

Occupation: Accountant

Listening to: Erykah Badu

“Today I wanted to dress in my ‘generic hipster style.’ Jazz Festival is a place where people dress to be noticed, so I wanted to be a bit more understated.” 

Photos: Matt Rosengarten

Words: Rosie J Spinks

Rosie J Spinks is a freelancer writer and technomad. Her work has appeared in The Guardian, GOOD, Marie Claire, The Ecologist, and the Magazine App among others. Follow her on Twitter.