Big, bold and black & white

Designers showcasing their creations at SA Fashion Week, which begins tonight in Johannesburg, have had to balance following attractive international trends and their own seasonal inspirations.

The five-day event will preview designers' spring-summer collections. The Times asked three male designers to share a sketch from their upcoming shows, and their inspirations for the warm seasons.

Designers have embraced big and bold black-and-white checks.

White tuxedo jackets have been huge - just ask Stella McCartney and Jean-Pierre Braganza - as has some sheen, as seen from Diane von Furstenberg and Alexander McQueen.

Gert-Johan Coetzee is adamant that monochrome, "such as a pencil skirt or an interesting boat-neck top", is a winner.

"I love colour but for this collection I found my drama in contrasts in texture and vivid 3D elements made possible by the very latest technology," he said.

His show tonight, inspired by a sea urchin, is sold out.

Fundudzi designer Craig Jacobs is to show his collection called Freeflow on Saturday and he has gone for pleats, his "obsession".

He promised long-flowing maxi dresses and "a shirt dress in cobalt blue, which you can dress up for the office and dress down at the weekend".

And camouflage, as Valentino has shown, is all the rage this year. Internationally, baseball jackets have replaced college jackets, with Hermés and Burberry Prorsum leading the way.

Tommy Hilfiger showed that stripes of different varieties are another big trend for men.

Men's designer Paledi Segapo's PALSEhomme collection will be themed "East of the Sun" and was inspired by his recent trip to Mumbai, India, and by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama's works.

On the hottest trends to look out for he said yesterday: "I envisage a Gothic, dark spring-summer 2013."

Black and white polka dots, bold pin stripes - previously associated with women but crossing over into men's fashion were on the cards.

Other designers showing this week include Clive Rundle, Suzaan Heyns, Rubicon, Stoned Cherrie, Vesselina Pentcheva and Ephymol.