Dream Teams: Twofold's Partnership Began in the Womb

Above (left to right): Simba and Wesley Takaedza

Director duo, Twofold, have spent a lifetime by one another’s side – they’re fraternal twins, after all.

Having made their current home at South African production company, ROBOT, Wesley and Simba Takaedza have roots in Zimbabwe and were brought up in Botswana, where they first heard their creative calling. They weren’t always on the same side of the lens, though.

“I started off with photography and needed a muse, so Wesley was probably the first person I shot – frequently, since we spent a lot of time together,” Simba reminisces. “I think his interest stemmed from that, and with a bond already between us, it was easy to establish a partnership.”

Since teaming up behind the camera, Twofold have explored their love of fashion, movement, and the nuances of life throughout Africa and its diaspora, inspired by their own travels. Kaleidoscopic, textural films for adidas, Levi’s, and Vans all feature in their portfolio, but it was a social media campaign for Flying Fish that gave the pair their start in the industry. Not yet the seasoned directors they are now, they recall the mixture of fear and excitement they felt as they embarked upon that first collaboration.

“We were both very nervous and shy,” says Wesley. “Nonetheless, our synergy got the job going and definitely challenged us to get better in our pre production and get to set sharpened.” Simba continues, “That was the first time we noticed or realised what could be.”

Now with greater confidence, passion projects and the creative freedom they allow make the directors feel most alive. They cite fashion visuals for BOYDE as a stand-out piece, for which they interpreted garments through the lens of men in parliament, and reveal that a second chapter is now in the works. The most challenging project? Vans featuring Little Simz for High Snobiety. Big brands and artists mean a maze of communication channels to navigate while trying to protect the core creative idea. “At the end of it all, we strive to find a balance with accommodating concerns while still being able to create beautiful work,” Simba concludes.

Above: BOYDE 'Deterritorialization'

When asked about what it’s like to work with your sibling, the respect each brother holds for the other is evident. As Simba puts it, they’re friends who have always shared a sense of trust and belonging, and held each other in high regard from the start. “It's beautiful to see him and I grow in our taste and skills and work professionally,” he adds, remarking upon how working together exercises his creative muscles and pushes him to reach his potential.

Judging by Wesley’s response, twin intuition might just be a real thing: “Because we came out of the same womb, I feel like we are connected. I already have a great sense of how Simba would like to translate certain visions without even discussing it – we just get each other!”

The cogs of Twofold’s collaboration are also oiled by their clearly defined roles: Simba handles ideation, while Wesley brings technical expertise. The combination of the two means they’re able to figure out which of their visions are actually feasible quickly.

While the duo’s tastes generally align, Wesley is drawn towards dynamic work with scale and grandeur, where Simba opts for a poised narrative style – those opposing energies can cause clashes. Still, both make the point that when they give so much of themselves to create their art, emotions and reactions are to be expected. What’s important is that they’ve learnt how to communicate gently with each other, always prioritising what’s best for the project at hand. The result is an often enhanced approach that embraces both perspectives.

Between work and family life, you might think the ROBOT directors would have had enough of each other; you’d be wrong. Whether travelling, cycling, hiking, or even working on a car project, you’ll find the twins beside each other. Sometimes, those shared experiences end up informing their next creative endeavour. Always, it helps their personal relationship bloom, inevitably spilling over into the professional. In Wesley’s words:

“Remaining unified only gets us stronger and further as a team.”