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SAFW Pulls Out All The Stops for a Promising SS24
Image credits: Eunice Driver Photography
It’s almost time for the country’s premier showcase of top local design again. South African Fashion Week (SAFW) is prepared to wow fashion lovers and buyers alike, showcasing its most sustainable green season yet.
SAFW adopted a clean fashion ethos in 2019 and for the SAFW Spring/Summer 2024 show, 73% of the designers participating are committed to responsible fashion production. Lucilla Booyzen, SAFW Director, says this is in line with their vision for a non-toxic fashion industry.
The Spring/Summer 2024 showcase will take place at the Mall of Africa between 18 and 20 April 2024. In essence, it will see collections marked by timeless design, innovative modification of locally produced, sustainable fabric and an emphasis on quality over quantity.
Mr Price New Talent Search promises a fresh perspective
This season’s event will showcase the 2023 winners of the SA Fashion Week’s Face of Fashion model search: Lushe Wilkins and Keenan Chetty. And, as per tradition, the SAFW summer season will open with the much-anticipated Mr Price New Talent Search. Kevin Smit, Managing Director for Mr Price says: “After last year’s stellar showcase of local design talent, we are so excited to be returning to the runway at SA Fashion Week. This season’s finalists demonstrate a new and fresh perspective within womenswear, and we can’t wait for audiences to see them at large this April.”
CRUZ Vodka’s been cruising with SAFW for many years
As SAFW’s longest-standing partner, CRUZ Vodka will once again be bringing the party. The CRUZ launch party will be packed with influencers and celebs. It will also include The CRUZ Collective show, which will welcome the return of Fikile Sokhulu, an exciting newcomer, Imprint, and Michael Ludwig, a New Talent Search finalist in 2021.
Maisha Mamabolo, CRUZ Vodka’s Brand Manager says: “CRUZ was born from the spirit of New York, so we rally behind the pursuit of success. Success is about the journey, the small wins, the big wins and the luxury experiences. Experiences are character-defining and fashion is a daily experience that CRUZ is committed to exploring with out SS24 CRUZ Collective.”
The Bam Collective, Sipho Mbuto and the award-winning Thabo Makhetha will conclude the launch day of SAFW’s Spring/Summer 2024 showcase.
ISUZU to drive day two at SAFW
The three-signature ISUZU Luxury Collections show on day two will be opened by industry icon, Jacques van der Watt of Black Coffee. In essence, it will be a masterful tribute to the multiple ways in which pleating may be used to create intricate creations with a commanding presence. This collection will be followed by a collection from Franc Elis. Then, Thando Ntuli – the 2022 New Talent Search winner – will showcase her new season for her Munkus label, exploring women’s fashion narratives in South Africa.
ISUZU Motors South Africa’s Department Executive: Marketing, Ziphindiwe Ngcobo, says they are excited to be collaborating with SA Fashion Week once more. This time, for the SS 24 season. “As champions of innovation and excellence, ISUZU recognises the parallel values of craftsmanship and creativity in both automotive engineering and fashion design. This partnership is an exciting synergy, allowing us to support and celebrate ingenuity of South African designers, while also showcasing our shared dedication to sustainability and purposeful progress.”
Continuously building (fashion) bridges
Furthermore, this season will also see the fourth edition of the exciting Fashion Bridges – I Ponti della Moda collaborative project with the Italian Embassy in South Africa. It will showcase South African designer, Lezanne Viviers’ earth-conscious VIVIERS Collection, as well as a young Italian designer. Viviers completed a mentorship programme with Polimoda Fashion School in Florence in 2023.
‘Walk Your Worth’ with L’Oréal Paris and gently transition into a new season
Concluding the second day of SAFW’s SS24, guests can expect a palette of gentle colours in Helon Melon’s 2024 collection. Ultimately, it serves as a reminder that softness is all we need to remember as we change seasons. Additionally, menswear designer, Ephraim Molinguana of Ephymol and Hangwani Nengovhela of the Rubicon womenswear label will both be showing off their craftsmanship and effortless style. And, in closing, L’Oréal Paris will bring a stellar cast of thirty celebrities for the country’s very first “Walk Your Worth” collection. Ultimately, this collection by Birgit Gibbs of Biji la Maison de Couture will be a tribute to women’s empowerment.
Burkhard Pieroth, President of Sub-Saharan Africa for L’Oréal Paris says: “As a feminine and feminist brand, we continue to champion women’s empowerment and are thrilled to have women of this calibre grace the L’Oréal Paris runway.”
Embracing entrepreneurship and regional and intercontinental collaborations
The final day at SAFW’s Spring/Summer 2024 showcase will open with a vibrant group of womenswear entrepreneurs. This includes the swim and resort wear label, Beach Clut, as well as Isabel de Villiers and Lesley Witter’s Heart and Heritage. (Witter also heads up the collaborative designer retail space, Convoy.)
Booyzen says SAFW believes in regional and intercontinental collaborations like Fashion Bridges and the designer exchange with Mozambique Fashion week. “These ventures allow us to share skills and insights, open unexplored business opportunities and ultimately, to extend the sphere of our respective creative visions for a clean fashion future beyond our familiar borders.”
Three Mozambiquan designers will participate at SAFW this season. They include: Sania Bacar, showcasing with GugubyGugu, Ezokheto and E_Mania; as well as Adam and Omar Adelino, who will join South Africa’s Leon Von Solms; whereafter Sun Goddess will close off the show.
Says Mozambique Fashion Week Chief Executive, Vasco Rocha: “The bridge we are building between MFW and SAFW stands as proof of the capacity and ingenuity these two platforms display toward crafting a new method and a new vision for showcasing Africa to the world.”
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