Statement pieces: slogans trended at SA Menswear Fashion Week

It's hard to pinpoint what is compelling this turn in men's fashion. The last time large slogans covered clothing was the 1980s when designers like Katherine Hamnett sought to make political statements on and off the ramp with slogans like "Choose Life" and "No More Fashion Victims".

The designers at menswear week didn't seem to be politically motivated. There were no anti-Zuma slogans or references to the Esidimeni catastrophe. Designers appeared to be caught up in a more self-referential space.

Tokyo James declared that "Ugly is the new cool", despite offering up a collection of tasteful all-black ensembles that was far from ugly. Mai Atafo was garrulous, covering a number of garments with large cheeky phrases that were a twist on the labels you would expect to find inside a garment or on a tag attached to them, such as "Wash and Wear" or "First Grade Second Hand."

Alexandra Blank opted to represent words associated with the online sphere, such as "Not Found". Emmy Kasbit's beige and brown collection, which implied a sort of emptying out of markers of local identity was driven home by the recurring word "Nomad", appearing in white on tight-fitting stretchy tops.

The impression was that designers are feeling a little lost for words. Perhaps because there are no overarching trends and identities have become so fluid, designers haven't a clue what to make and who to sell it to. The ramp might not be the ideal place either; given the glaring absence on this platform of the AKJP and Chu labels and the hot upstart Lukhanyo Mdingi.

Not that everyone is lost in this design desert; Nicholas Coutts turned in an incredible collection defined by unconventional tones, and textured, tactile fabrics with knobbly, glittery surfaces. Rich Mnisi also impressed with clean lines and bold colours united by a singular bean-shaped motif that was embossed, appliqued or appeared in the form of an earring.

Jahnkoy's collection stood out too, though later when it was revealed to be produced by a US-based designer sponsored by Puma it deflated the excitement in the front row. Of course, we should be excited that designers from elsewhere deem this platform to be significant.

Interestingly, the designs challenged nationalism through references to ethnic and national identities through a fusion of traditional ethnic markers and sporting uniforms - think Eskimos-meet-Masai warriors on a football field in Iran. This fusion of identities, however, seemed out of line with a slogan printed on a hijab face covering, bearing the statement: "You have your own, I have my own. Don't bring your own to spoil my own."

Maybe this contradiction is telling of these muddled times, defined by friction between the local and the global. If there is one discipline well positioned to resolve or evoke it, it must be fashion. But designers might be better off making statements through their designs rather than via slogans.