If you follow us on our social, which hopefully you do, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about when I say that last week was pretty dam full - full of fashion and full of festivities.
SAFW(South African Fashion Week) popped off from Tuesday last week, and it just so happened to be their 21st birthday! We were there to celebrate the iconic establishment that is SAFW, but we were also there to take note of all things fashion of course, and here we are; a week later sharing our thoughts with you.
So what did we think? The week started off with a burst of fresh creations: SAFW’s New Talent Search Competition, introducing us to young up and coming designers.
I absolutely loved Art Club and Friends’ minimal but almost futuristic collection. We saw neutral tones with a pop of lilac and red in the form of colour blocking, boxy shapes, functional utilitarian designs with a hint of sportiness to them, oh and the styling was on point! With Crystal Birch (the best hats in SA) Collab, socks and sandals, a harness bag (an alternative to the overused moon bag?) and some totes - I mean who doesn’t love a good tote - this collection was sophisticated and ready to wear right off the runway.
Up next, the Woolworth’s Style SA Shows hit the runway. So for ya’ll that don’t know, Woolworth’s have collaborated with a number of local designers to bring you exclusive capsule collections that you can buy store - a fabulous way to create accessibility if you ask me!
Ok back to the WW Style SA show; this was without a doubt my favourite show and I’ll tell you why; we had Rich Mnisi, Thebe Magugu, Wanda Lephoto, Mmuso Mazwell and The Watermelon Social Club - all ridiculously talented in their own individuality.
Rich Mnisi, who in my opinion is going most likely to join that group of x-pats that genuinely make us proud as a country, think Black Coffee, Trevor Noah kind of hard-working talent.
Rich gave us life with his colourful, eccentric but completely wearable collection. Every look had its own story to tell, and was completely different dom the next, but it flowed and all worked incredibly beautifully together and one cohesive collection. Rich, you kept us on our toes, and this is why Rich is a star.
Next, we had another absolute fave: Thebe Magugu, who’s designs are always wonderfully feminine, but so intricate in his construction. I loved his attention to detail, the elasticated drawstrings on his outerwear to the layered corsetry. The range illustrated an array of bold colours including prints and florals. I feel that Thebe just keeps growing as a designer, and I’m always excited to see what’s next
Clive Rundle’s designs graced the runway as a part of the BRICS Designer Collections.
Clive Rundle is more of an artist than a fashion designer in my opinion. His collection flows past the audience with such complexity, that you only begin to sense how much thought and effort has gone into each and every piece. We see a mix of prints from plaid to tie-dye, with a variety of textures too. The collection takes us on a journey from warm tones and afro-centric knits to cooler layered chiffons busy with prints and graphics. As always, mesmerizing.
So as I mentioned, Clive Rundle was a part of the BRICS Designer Collections. Let’s unpack that for a second. BRICS unites the emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, and have collaborated with SAFW to not only expose our local talents to other countries but vice versa - integrating and sharing with each other. We show some incredible designs from other countries but it also made me think that about the talent we have here in SA, how we are very much on par with these other emerging countries, how mu8ch we have to look forward to from them.
Ok, so that’s my wrap up from SAFW. Thank you to Woolworths and SAFW for hosting us.
We can’t wait for the next one!
(Disclaimer, this article is the personal opinion of the writer)
