An iconic line-up of top fashion designers
ASA SAFW tip: Don’t miss out on the dynamic developments that mark SA Fashion Week’s 25th Spring/Summer Collections, set to kick off on 28 April 2022!
Twenty iconic names including Ephraim Molingoana for Ephymol, Amanda Laird Cherry and Palesa Mokubung of Mantsho as well as cult Kasi brand, Loxion Kulca, now designed by Olé Ledimo, will launch their 2022 collections to the media, buyers, selected VIP’s and a limited number of public tickets through Quicket, alongside exciting new stars including 2021 New Talent winner Artho Eksteen as well as Fikile Zamagcino Sokhulu and Sipho Mbuto who both participated in the Fashion Bridges collaboration with Milan Fashion Week last year. And if last year’s caliber is anything to go by, you don’t want to miss out on getting your tickets to SA Fashion Week just for this!
New Talent Search features the most promising young designers
Hosted by SA’s favourite social personality, Maps Maponyane, the 24th New Talent Search will again open the event with a line-up of six of the most promising young designers to watch. This year’s six contenders are Thando Ntuli – MUNKUS; Nichole Smith – Ipikoko; Mikhile du Plessis – MeKay Designs; Calvin Lunga Cebekhulu – Czene.24; Mimangaliso Ndiko – Sixx6.
Three days of prestigious local fashion
Highlights of the first day include the CRUZ COLLECTIVE featuring Sokhulu and Mbuto as well as another new generation notable, Michael Ludwig Studio. Day two opens with The OPPO COLLECTIONS which brings Artho Eksteen, Ezokhetho, the genderneutral signature, The BAM Collective, and the much revered, Amanda Laird Cherry, together in a celebration of technology and perfection that will speak to OPPO’s Reno 5 mobile phone as the quintessential tool with which to capture the ethos of contemporary living as “the new spectator sport” which happens where everyone, everywhere engages, interacts, captivates and comments.
This is followed by the high-profile trio of Cape Town-based Helon Melon who wowed audiences in 2021 with her all-white, sustainable collection, fashion-forward Judith Atelier, an ardent supporter of South African mohair and perennial fashion week darling, and Palesa Mokubung of Mantsho. Every follower of ethical fashion will be delighted by the four designers that are opening on day three. Joanna Hedley of BeachCult and Belhauzen, are both Cape Town-based designer brands committed to clean fashion. BeachCult offers swimwear and apparel with unique fits and one-off prints made from sustainable and recycled techno swim fabric and is designed and produced wholly in South Africa. Equally, Johannesburg-based Kayla Stamboul of Kayla Stam proudly supports women empowerment with a fully female-owned supply chain while Pretoria-based Isabel de Villiers is a body-positive activist who will unveil her current, size-inclusive, collection.
SAFW Men’s Collections
The SAFW Collections Men on Saturday 30 April shines a spotlight on contemporary menswear design in South Africa. The power trio, Ntando Ngwenya, merges conservative and postmodern techniques to create a distinctively new clothing presentation, Thato Mafubedu’s Afrikanswiss denimwear and the much-loved Loxion Kulca brand currently under the baton of Olé Ledimo, are sure to be making waves for menswear.
Collaboration is key
An exciting new collaboration between designers Fabrice Moyo of Franc Elis, menswear brands Floyd Avenue and Ephymol, with KwaZulu-Natal-based and proudly South African shoe manufacturers Eddels, Evox and Hopewell Footwear respectively, marks an exciting grand finale for the Spring/Summer 22 Collection, says SAFW director, Lucilla Booyzen. “This mutually supportive opportunity for synergistic brands to benefit from each other’s creativity, reputation, reach, and of course, budget, is certainly an example of the type of undertaking that would allow us to map creative ways to bolster the creative design industry going forward,” she believes.
The SAFW’22 Spring Summer Collections will be showcased from 28 – 30 April, Parkade G5, Entrance 24. Tickets to SA Fashion Week can be purchased via Quicket.
CONTRIBUTORS:
Words | ASA Magazine/SAFW
Images | SAFW
