Hailed by Vogue, Cleo Droomer blows Cape Town Fashion Week away

Cape Town's disastrous weather almost literally blew the city's fashion set off their heels at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Cape Town last weekend. But before the strong winds forced the cancellation of the event, one designer made a good showing, defying the doom.

Cleo Droomer put on a show many were immediately ready to tout as the best of the season. Even Vogue magazine called - something any designer, anywhere in the world, would see as a major feat. It's the global fashion bible, after all.

Droomer's collection favoured a creamy colour palette ranging from ivory and ecru tones to mink and blush hues, in luxurious crepes, satin, crisp cotton sateens and Lurex-woven linens. It was rooted in sophisticated silhouettes.

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While for many Droomer may be an unknown, the young designer is hardly a newcomer. As far back as 2010, Droomer demonstrated a knack for bold design and considered craftsmanship with a collection that won him the Elle New Talent competition that year. But that collection was followed by a few years of absence from the fashion week circuit.

"This range was a harmonious collaboration of the different planes of thought from my previous places of employment in the last five years," the designer says.

"I spent some time heading a couture design studio, managing the technical department for a workwear company and creatively facilitating a mass chain retailer. Each experience was unique and each place gave me new insight into the story of fashion," he says.

By going behind the scenes, Droomer says he sought to learn as much as possible about the realities that govern the fashion industry. "I also wanted to strengthen my craft and my eye as a designer."

He says the experience of the past few years has contributed towards a maturity that's necessary to bridge the gap between commercial viability and creativity, something many young designers struggle with. "[I've grown] as a person and an artist. There's a certain strength I found in humbling myself to the unknown and letting my arrogant young self be moulded into the designer I needed to be."

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The South African fashion industry, small in size and difficult to navigate, often drives many young businesses out, leaving only the most resilient and those with the necessary capital to keep going.

With an awareness of its many challenges, Droomer says he's now in it for the long haul. "I can't see myself leaving fashion any time soon. Not after the many sacrifices I've made to get back into it. So, yes, more frequent collections from now on."

• This article was originally published in The Times.