An unusual photo shoot by Rerouted: how a South African photographer turned toys and plaid bags into high fashion

When handmade tin toys become hats, and migrants' striped bags become avant-garde clothing, photography becomes a dialogue. South African photographer Justin Dingwall and designer Roman Handt launched the project "Rerouted." They took two symbols of travel—children's toys and travel bags—and asked: who decides where we go?





From Toys to Art: The Birth of the Rerouted Project

Justin Dingwall is a star of contemporary South African photography. His work hangs in galleries from Cape Town to New York. For the "Rerouted" series, he teamed up with fashion designer Roman Handt. Together, they transformed humble everyday objects into metaphors of freedom.



A migrant's striped bag found new life in an avant-garde outfit

It all started with tin toys. Craftsmen across Africa assemble them from tin cans, tin lids, and paint scraps. They create miniature bicycles, motorcycles, and airplanes. Dingwall and Handt took these crafts and placed them on the models' heads. Nearby are the famous checkered bags made of woven plastic. They are carried by traders, refugees, and travelers. In Ghana, they call them "Efiewura Suame"—"help me carry this burden."

Bicycles on heads—a symbol of mobility and change

Each image trembles with tension. The models seem frozen between the past and the future. Whether they chose this path themselves or were pushed toward it by life—the viewer can decide for themselves.

Symbols of migration in high fashion

The striped bag is more than just a bag. It is a companion to millions of journeys across Africa. It contains clothes, documents, and hope. Roman Handt cut up these bags and sewed dresses, jackets, and suits from them. Preserving the pattern—and the memory of the journey.



A tin airplane on the head—a dream of distant lands

And what about tin toys? They're made from whatever's at hand: Coke cans, leftover paint, scraps of wire. The artisans cut, soldered, and painted. The result is bicycles with wheels made from bottle caps, buses with headlights made from nails. These fragile creations became crowns on the models' heads—a reminder that even from waste, beauty and movement are born.



Tin motorcycles like a crown—a metaphor for striving forward

"Rerouted" blurs the lines between street culture and gallery art. There's no room for gloss here. Only an honest conversation about what it means to follow your own path.

Freedom of Movement through Images

Dingwall shot in a documentary style. No softboxes, no retouching. The models seem caught in the act of launching: their gaze fixed on the distance, their hand reaching for the invisible horizon. Their bodies tense—ready to leap.



On the head—a symbol of collective travel

Bicycles. Motorcycles. Buses. Planes. Each form of transport has its own story. Some travel voluntarily. Some because they have no choice. But they are all on the road. And this is the essence of freedom: not in going wherever you want, but in choosing your own direction.



Ethnic symbols meet contemporary fashion in the Rerouted project

The photographs breathe. They contain road dust, sweat on the forehead, wind in the hair. Dingwall rejected perfection. But he captured the truth.

About Justin Dingwall: A Master of Surrealist Photography

Dingwall has long broken stereotypes. His works hang in museums and private collections around the world. He explores identity, race, and otherness—but never turns his subjects into objects. Each portrait is a conversation between equals.

The photographer loves surrealism and theatricality. But behind the visual play, there's always a question. In the "Albus" project, he photographed albinos in South Africa, challenging stigma. In "Rerouted," he transforms trash into crowns and migrants' bags into haute couture.



Tin toy details in Justin Dingwall's "Rerouted" project

His signature is graphic quality, purity of composition, and boldness. He doesn't embellish reality. He shows it from a new angle—and makes the viewer pause.



Graphic style and purity are Dingwall's hallmarks.



Each headdress tells a story of journey and hope.



The final image combines movement, choice, and freedom.

What symbols of the journey do you notice in your everyday life? What does it mean to you to choose your own path?