"I can't on Sunday that's when I skate" is what you hear every time you try to make a plan with Scott, Jaxx and Rori. Before I leave Harare I want to shoot the three of them together, and what better way to do that than while skating.
Scott: "I firstly met Jaxx, about a year after I moved to Harare to study. I found the page for ROZEBOWL collection on Instagram /.../ and I reached out to ask if we could do a project. From there we first worked together and then we ended up vibing. He is my go to guy - he was the one who literally introduced me to most of the people that I know right now."
Scott: "Rori I met.. I used to cross paths with him via NASA, and skate sessions. He used to learn by that space, and he used to pass by there with Mandla."
Rori: "Well I met Scott... hehe.. in the streets of Harare. One day I just decided to have a deep conversation with him, and we found out that we had so many similar interests. The vibe was just in sync you know. And from then we were hanging out /.../ we would be in town, go thrifting, skating, going out. Yeah, that's how I became friends with Scott. "
Rori: "And Jaxx! I was actually going to my cousins workplace just outside town, and I saw this really interesting dude. His outfit was interesting, he had a ripped jersey and some really outstanding pants and I thought aah let me go say hi to him you know. /.../ The friendship wasn't instant but some time in august we actually started hanging out all the time, and the friendship has just been growing since then. "
Jaxx: "I met Scott on Instagram before I met that guy in person. We were just talking and saying that we thought each others stuff was cool. By that time he was in Bulawayo /../ when he came back to Harare we arranged a meeting to work together. "
Jaxx: "Rori I met him close to downtown. He came up to me and he was like yo I like your fit, and he had a lot of rings on his fingers so I was like bro that's a lot of cool rings and stuff. He was saying he came from Kwekwe and was new in town, and he was a fashion designer, so I told him about the fabrik party."
Jaxx: "Skating to me is like listening. Being able to listen and pay attention, to take advice from a lot of people. When you are learning a new trick there is always someone who knows how to do that trick, and everyone has their own way of doing it. You need to be a good listener."
Rori: "I actually started skating just last year, sometime July/August. Ever since then I have just been doing simple tricks, or cruising rather."
Jaxx: "I feel free, and I feel like I am able to do things that I am first afraid to do. It's a way of life somehow, I love skating."
Rori: "It became more and more of an exercise, even a mental exercise. When I am out there I think less about other things, and those moments you just feel alive - hearing the sound of the wheels against the tart. It's a great sound that gives you some kind of life. It might sound weird to other skaters but that's it for me. It feels like freedom."
Scott: "Skating is like oxygen to me I cannot live without that shit. If I didn't skate, I would have been a depressed soul."
We have Ice tea and toast at Tea Room, a little calm oasis overlooking a busy street in downtown. Scott, Jaxx and Rori come here a lot and know exactly what to pick from the menu.
Scott: "The next thing you know, I started seeing them all the time."
Jaxx: "And ever since it's just been like that. "
Rori: "It's more than a friendship at this point now, I'd say it's a brotherhood. We have each others back. I have Scott's back I have Jaxx's back. And I am sure they see it the same way. /.../ I am grateful for them you know."
Cozy Scott is a photographer from Bulawayo based in Harare. He has had 2 solo shows in Zimbabwe, been featured by Kodak and is Gemma Griffiths trusted photographer. Jaxx is from Harare and has gained international attention with his detailed and sustainable well thought out textile work with the brand the Rozebowl Collection. He is now active as one of the participants of the Design Futures Lab 2023. Rori is a fashion designer and fine arts artist, with the solo brand/project BISAMU collective. His work has been shown at several runways in Harare and his ready to wear sell out quickly.
But more importantly Scott, Jaxx and Rori are three rather inseparable friends who hold each other and the people surrounding them with love, hype and support.