Fashion Studio Magazine: FASHION NEWS

Sunday, October 30, 2022

FASHION NEWS - SOUTH AFRICA

By Eva Fydrych

Highlights of SA Fashion Week

Part 1

FIKILE ZAMAGCINO SOKHULU (Image by Eunice Driver Photography | Official SA Fashion Week Runway Photographer)

SOUTH AFRICA - As we continue with our #stylishAFRICA project, it's time to have a look at the hottest fashion trends from one of our favourite African countries. From effortless tailoring and vibrant colours to flowing silhouettes and voluminous puff sleeves, the designs this season were very creative and eye-catching.

In October, SA Fashion Week (SAFW) staged the Autumn/Winter 23 Collections at Mall of Africa, its home of the past three years. Twenty-seven designers launched their new collections on the runway from Thursday 20th October to Saturday 22nd October and forty exhibited at the Trade Show on the 23rd and 24th October in the Crystal Court.

According to director, Lucilla Booyzen, this year marks 41 seasons since the inception of SAFW in 1997. “We remain committed to the business of fashion, of marketing and supporting our designer entrepreneurs, creatively and commercially, and most importantly, to provide a platform which gives the visibility required to access the local, and global, fashion industry.”

According to Booyzen many of the distinctive tropes that have emerged within the local fashion culture – a fascination with re-imagining our unique cultural references in a modern way, a commitment to slow and sustainable fashion, gender and body inclusivity - are increasingly coalescing into a vibrant ethos with immense marketability. The commercial support received by trendsetting brands such as mobile phone Oppo, Cruz Vodka and Mall of Africa, with the vision to associate with this emerging fashion identity, is critical to maintain momentum.

Source: SA Fashion Week

THE CRUZ COLLECTIVE

MICHAEL LUDWIG STUDIO (Image by Eunice Driver Photography | Official SA Fashion Week Runway Photographer)

This year’s Cruz Collective introduced MICHAEL LUDWIG STUDIO’s Self-Sapien range. Working within its signature East meets Africa sensibility, the collection imagines replacing binary stereotypes & gender roles with self and unique expression using bright colours and abstract printing techniques.

MICHAEL LUDWIG STUDIO (Image by Eunice Driver Photography | Official SA Fashion Week Runway Photographer)

ARTCLUB AND FRIENDS

Artclub and Friends (Image by Eunice Driver Photography | Official SA Fashion Week Runway Photographer)

Robyn Keyser’s Artclub and Friends presented another trans-seasonal and timeless collection using future-orientated materials and construction techniques. This season saw the introduction of more conceptual pieces that “tell stories of a future we are dreaming of creating and of the cities we can expect to live in” as well as a return to the official “Artclub Blue” first introduced at SAFW 2020, blended with earthier tones and new neutrals.

Artclub and Friends (Image by Eunice Driver Photography | Official SA Fashion Week Runway Photographer)

FIKILE ZAMAGCINO SOKHULU

FIKILE ZAMAGCINO SOKHULU (Image by Eunice Driver Photography | Official SA Fashion Week Runway Photographer)

Feminine and organic aesthetics, that appeal to an ageless contemporary market, are associated with brand Fikile Zamagcino Sokhulu (FZS), a South African clothing brand based in Durban. This season, Fikile Sokhulu, showcased sleek, sophisticated collection which featured lots of volume, layers, ruffles, and statement sleeves. Elegant colour palette and flowing silhouettes made the designs look fresh and alluring.