Young fearless designers at the forefront of SA's menswear revolution

02 February 2017 - 13:04 By Sibusiso Mkize
subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now

It will be "lights, camera, fashion" today when the spotlight turns to Lexus SA Menswear Week in Cape Town. South African menswear is growing by leaps and bounds and emerging designers are leading the fashion revolution.

Designer Rich Mnisi is ahead of the curve with his brave new ideas.
Designer Rich Mnisi is ahead of the curve with his brave new ideas.
Image: Supplied

This was evident last season in the bold, breathtaking collections of Rich Mnisi and Jenevieve Lyons. These designers are pushing the norms and breaking boundaries with brave new, gender-bending ideas.

Founded on the contradictions of minimalism and maximalism, and blurring the lines between women's and menswear, Mnisi has come a long way since his days as African Fashion International's young designer of the year in 2014.

story_article_left1

With his definitive style that includes 1980s-inspired disco dresses and Victorian-inspired coats, Mnisi has created his own fashion following. His upcoming collection, "Xingelengele" - which means bells or sirens - is a collection intended to honour the way that people cope during difficult times.

"Each season is a continuation of storytelling, design and growth for the Rich Mnisi brand," he said.

Known for her angular shapes and sharply tailored jackets, Lyons has garnered the attention of local fashion royalty like Lindiwe Suttle. But when Lyons translated her women's wear to menswear her style evolved.

"Our brand mission now is to tell visual parables; by linking our parables to relevant and important concerns we're trying to not only evoke a full sensory experience for our audience but also to create awareness about social, political and cultural issues," she said.

Lyons has called her new collection "Defragmented". "Expect unexpected pieces that evoke faint memories of what's been seen before," she said.

In an industry obsessed with women's wear, menswear is starting to take a more central position on the catwalk. SA Menswear Fashion Week show producer Deon Redman puts this down to originality: "Menswear designers on the continent are pushing boundaries in a way that's never been seen before, and that level of creativity is what we need to uplift our industry in this country."

• Lexus SA Menswear Week Autumn/Winter 2017 takes place from today until Saturday at The Palms in Woodstock, Cape Town. Jenevieve Lyons shows at 6pm on Friday and Rich Mnisi at 6pm on Saturday. For a full schedule see menswearweek.co.za

• This article was originally published in The Times.

subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now