Fashion designer Cyril Naicker is the founder of Cape Town InVogue, a platform that aims to raise up the next generation of African fashion design talent. He has also worked as a stylist and with his passion for food, considers himself a foodie. He is a dedicated supporter of South Africa’s clothing and textile industry and of all aspects of wearing Proudly South African fashion. We sat down and chatted to Cyril about his drive, fashion and up-and-coming designers.
GLAMOUR: Why is important that we support SA fashion?
Cyril: Simply to keep creativity alive! By supporting South African fashion – your purchase has a spinoff effect on the clothing value chain. Job creation being crucial to our economy and keeping people employed. Now this is a good enough reason to support local!
GLAMOUR: What are the benefits to consumers of buying local style?
Cyril: You are relevant in style and trend to your own country and you stand out uniquely when travelling abroad. Who doesn’t want to be unique? As South Africans we have so much to celebrate here on our own home soil that no country can match. At the core it is being proud of who we are and where we come from.
GLAMOUR: Please tell us about yourself and what inspired this drive?
Cyril: I am simply a passionate person. I believe in people and the talents we have. Having studied fashion design and following fashion for the last twenty years I became tired of us copying and not celebrating our own uniqueness. Anything worth celebrating in life comes from a pure place – an original place and this was my biggest inspiration. How can we disrupt the fashion industry and make it stand out? – it is by being unique. Tell your story in your clothing. Be proud of who you are and where you come from.
GLAMOUR: How did you get to the idea of supporting SA fashion?
Cyril: Having done some travel and observing the conditions people work under to produce something beautiful didn’t make sense to me at all. I call it the ugly side of fashion. People’s lives matter. It didn’t sit right with me and I began my own research in what is produced locally in South Africa. A few years ago it was a bleak story as very little was made here. Not only was very little made here but we were embarrassed to tell our South African story in clothing, colour and print. This for me was tragic and so I began through social media – specifically on twitter telling the story of supporting local and in the hope others will join me. We have come a long way and today – local is celebrated!
GLAMOUR: Which SA designers do you admire most?
Cyril: This is a tricky question as I don’t want to seem to favour some designers and not others. I admire most the designers that struggled to make it. Those that didn’t have the money to study but simply had the passion and against all odds rose to the occasion. This makes me want to support their labels – not from a charity mind-set but simply from a celebration point of view. The beauty of this is there are many designers that are up and coming who we don’t know yet! Now this is something to admire.
GLAMOUR: Who do you think are the up-and-coming SA designers to watch?
Cyril: Designers from rural townships to the urban grit of the city! There are many. As many languages that make us unique in South Africa – so too are our designers. The range is wide. Keep looking South Africa and keep buying local. You have such power in your purchase. I must also add that huge respect goes out to the designers that paved a way when there was no fashion week in South Africa and when design was not taken seriously as it is today. They fought against all odds and are still here – going stronger than ever! These designers need our continual support.
If you want to learn more about the SA fashion scene, check out our GLAM Chat with SA’s top designers.
