South African menswear shines on the Italian runway

21 January 2016 - 17:45 By Ranaa Patel
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Runway looks by AKJP at the Generation Africa show at Pitti Uomo 89 in Florence, Italy.
Runway looks by AKJP at the Generation Africa show at Pitti Uomo 89 in Florence, Italy.
Image: Giovanni Giannoni

South African designers are gaining more and more momentum on the global fashion scene. Case in point? Local menswear designers Keith Henning and Jody Paulsen recently showcased their AKJP (Adriaan Kuiters X Jody Paulsen) A/W 2016 collection at Pitti Uomo 89 in Florence, Italy.

Pitti Uomo is said to one of the most important platforms for menswear designers to show off their designs. So it’s a real triump that AKJP was invited to participate in their Generation Africa show, a special event that highlighted our continent's most creative fashion talents.

AKJP sent their lush A/W 2016 ready-to-wear collection down the runway. The clothes gave a strong nod to Durban's tropical, beachwear culture: reworked prints conjured up thoughts of KwaZulu-Natal's jungle-like landscape, while pistachio, blue and red hues dominated the colour palette. Overall the strong use of layering and asymmetric detailing stayed true to AKJP's classic yet utilitarian aesthetic.

Here are some of the looks we loved:

 

 

Cape Town's Lukhanyo Mdingi and Nicholas Coutts of Lukhanyo Mdingi X Nicholas Coutts also showcased at Generation Africa. A big shout out to all these designers for doing South Africa proud!

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