PRESS ROOM

Dream Big EVER BEFORE SEEN Ryk Neethling soccer visualAuthor: Shayna Clifford 2010-06-07

Merwelene van der Merwe, one of the world’s leading fashion photographers, was proudly commissioned by Jenna Clifford in 2008 to capture the essence of Dream Big for the Jenna Clifford Dream Big campaign. The campaign features Olympic gold medalist and brand ambassador for Jenna Clifford, Ryk Neethling. The enlivened Dream Big campaign danced on the streets of Gauteng and whispered the key energies of Dream Big in various local and international publications. The campaign touched inspired hearts and the spirited eyes of so many whilst driving home the core message of Dream Big.
After the successful release of a series of visuals, it was decided that, in celebration of Dream Big and the 2010 Football World Cup tournament in South Africa, one visual in particular was to remain hidden and only to be released in 2010.
This final Dream Big image was inspired by love, infused with passion, critiqued by truth and finished in beauty. The image bears testament to the winning philosophy of Dream Big which Merwelene, Ryk and Jenna subscribe to daily - Determination, Responsibility, Excellence, Aspiration and Motivation.
The final and exclusive Dream Big visual is brought to you by Jenna Clifford Dream Big and Merwelene van der Merwe

About the photographer
Merwelene is a South African based professional photographer specialising in commercial advertising, fashion, event photography, and more. Her clients include South African and international corporations such as BMW, Soviet Jeans, Group Five, Wella - Middle East – Dubai, Nedbank, Innoxa, Telkom, Nike, Johnson and Johnson – Worldwide, M-Net, MTN and Sun International to list but a few. In addition to this, she shot the Marie Claire male pin-up calendar for 2001, as well as a shoot for Nike, saluting the female spirit.
Tribute for Merwelene: “As one of South Africa's leading fashion photographers, Merwelene van der Merwe lives in a fast-paced world of glamour, materialism and freneticism, yet she remains refreshingly unaffected by it all. Her style is understated and simple and, everything she does is underpinned by the philosophy that if you're not having fun, there's no point in doing it,” Style Magazine, 2001.
Merwelene cites life's experiences as her primary influences. "There is no one person that has inspired me; rather, a long list of people. In reality I'm influenced by everything around me."
For more information about Merwelene and her work, please visit www.merwelene.co.za or contact Merwelene directly;
Tel: +27 11 886 7886
Email:studio@merwelene.co.za