The Bottom Barrel is an online thrift shop started by photographers and stylists Saadiq Soeker and Zaheer Abrahams. 

“Saadiq pitched an idea for making art printed t-shirts of their work and I basically just wanted to clear my closet as a means to get an extra few rands to support my lifestyle and also to fund my art projects,” says Abrahams. “The name came as a joke and is a play on words with regards to sexual positions as well as going to thrift stores and finding the best garments at the bottom of the clothes pile”. 

And for Soeker and Abrahams, creating their collective and launching this venture was also a way to create awareness and visibility: “To the eye, we’re just a little online thrift store selling garments to the public. In relation to our bio, we say that we are Queer Muslims and that shows that there is space for people like us to be creative, to style, to shoot… that reality does exist”.

In terms of the future, The Bottom Barrel will soon expand their store and include art print T-shirts and collaborations with Queer POC jewellers and designers.

THE BOTTOM BARREL IMAGES:

Model: Luke York

Photographed by Saadiq Soeker

Styled by Zaheer Abrahams

Be sure to visit the online store on Instagram.