Keke Moeca is a Gauteng-based, seasoned fashion designer. Her clothing brand, Belle Togs features classic pieces inspired by the beauty of the human spirit.
Having walked her new range in Paris, last September, and locally at The Mount Nelson hotel in Cape Town for Fashion Week Studio’s Pan African Luxury fashion show, Keke is steadily building a name for herself in the fashion space.
Glamour: Please talk us through your latest collection?
Keke: The collection is called Dinaledi – Inspired by the winding journey of creativity and reaching for the stars. Looking at the African sky that shines bright, there is beauty in the coexistence of brightness and darkness that gives birth to hope and positivity. So the collection was curated to showcase that, in fabric choice and designs. Some of the garments are extremely bright and some dark with sparkle. Individually they are named after different constellations and start in our galaxy, e.g. our showstopper is named after Electra, a blue-white giant star in the constellation of Taurus and it’s our brightest garment.
Glamour: What's the significance of the name Belle Togs?
Keke: Belle - a beautiful person, especially the most beautiful at a particular event - (belle of the ball)
Togs - cloak (be or get dressed up for a particular occasion or activity).
I believe that life in itself is an occasion, and we often wait of specific events in our lives to wear our “nice” clothes. This is significant in a sense that I wanted anyone who wore my garments to be in a constant state of self-celebration. Making a statement with everyday wear. The women that raised me always made sure to dress up everyday and show up as their best self and I felt that I wanted to go back to the culture of looking and feeling great, especially with everyday life and it's challenges
Glamour: Your pieces are a celebration of Africa and femininity, please talk to us about your creative process?
Yes, in this collection, the idea was to have the day and night sky as inspiration. Drawing from those colours. The idea of adding animal prints and florals came in where I thought of how you sometimes look at sky and not only see colours but also shapes that remind you of a specific thing. So garments that accentuate shape without it being a focus. I also wanted to stay true to my brand and use the type of fabrics that my Belles are accustomed to, which is different types of satin to achieve the look I wanted.
Glamour: What type of conversations have emanated from your collection?
Keke: Strangely enough, the questions were about whether I’ve developed my own fabrics, specifically in Paris. They loved the animal print and how dramatic some of the garments were. There were conversations around adding more of an African flavour to the garments specifically for the overseas market and a great appreciation for the femininity of the range which was intentional for me as I’ve been very vocal about channelling my feminine energy. I am now in a process of developing my own fabrics that will be show the brand style and character more.
Glamour: At the core of it, it's about storytelling. What do you want people to know about Africa?
Keke: Definitely, as Africans we are huge on telling stories. For generations, that’s how we’ve stored and transferred information. The story of our continent, our creativity and our influence needs to be told by us. We must drive the narrative. We’ve influenced the rest of the world immensely and fashion being one of the biggest contributors, we continue to do so and not get credited for it. The landscape is slowly changing for us because we’ve become aware of that influence and how to start appreciating it.
Glamour: Why was it important for you to be a part of Fashion Week Studio?
Keke: It really was through alignment. At the core they believe in African creators and speak to Africa not needing charity because of how wealthy we are in creating. They also speak to us being able to own our narrative and taking our place in being credited for our creations. They are focused of building with us and not for us, which in itself is empowering.
Glamour: Where have you showcased? And how was the reception?
Keke: Most recently, at The Mount Nelson hotel in Cape Town for Fashion Week Studio’s Pan African Luxury fashion show. It was extremely well received by our international and local guests.
The difference with this particular show is that it was very intimate and I got the opportunity to get feedback almost immediately after the show from guests. I happened to dress some of the guests for the attendance and was really moved by the love they showed my garments.
Glamour: What's your message to African creatives in the fashion space?
Keke: To stay true to yourself. That’s the only way you’ll stand out.
Glamour: What in your opinion, is the future of fashion?
Keke: More geared towards smart fashion, being able to be smart about how we wear our garments as the ways of working have changes do much. Also personalisation of items and giving customer an experience. I’m deliberate about mostly creating sets as it’s a way of repurposing one outfit and merging it with different items in your closet.
Glamour: What else can we look forward to in 2024?
Keke: The launch of our newly created Belle Togs prints which will be a huge differentiator for us. A project we’ve been working on for a while and we will be excited to showcase that overseas in the next season of Fashion Week SS25. And after many request, we’ve decided to produce our long-awaited men’s range is also in the works for 2024 release.
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