Fashion week of style and stereotypes

Last week, fashion enthusiasts huddled together for the last time this year at Fashion Week Africa 2013. The City of Tshwane played host to designers and punters, all gathered to see the original clothing and accessory labels from across the continent and the diaspora.

Visitors were treated to a four-day fashion festival at the Pretoria City Hall - and a few off-site venues - and noted an impressive upswing in quality collections.

Africa Fashion International's executive chairwoman, Precious Moloi-Motsepe, said this year's event was about ''creating a global desire for African-designed fashion".

African designers, to an extent, need to adopt the global perception of ''Africanism" and the trends set by this ideology, Moloi-Motsepe suggested.

For the most part, the runway presentations showed off the requirements - well-styled, good quality control measures and original design - that put African designers on a world-class level.

Fashion houses and independent brands showed collections of balanced, sensible retail-readiness with a measure of creativity, while retaining their own motifs.

Gavin Rajah kick-started the proceedings with an off-site show at the illustrious Illyria House (a gorgeous five-star boutique hotel) blending luxe textures with timeless prints.

The combination of luxurious fabric with iconic prints continued with Marianne Fassler's designs, in which she mixed her signature patterns with electrifying fabrics.

Thula Sindi's ladylike approach complemented Mozambican Taibo Bacar's beautifully referenced romanticism.

From Ghana, Angelina Masike's work was showcased alongside her contemporaries as part of Africa Fashion International's Next Generation presentations. She created a selection of dresses, skirts and blouses that function as daywear, but translate into outfits that are also evening appropriate.

From Cameroon, the Kibonen label offered a more casual approach that incorporated bright colours, and, from Sweden, Menckel showed a selection of updated classics in a tonal colour palette, revealing a talent for prêt-à-porter.

While some successfully elevated their strengths, others preferred the safe confines of their tried and tested methods. Bongiwe Walaza's use of shweshwe fabrics remains unmatched.

Tanzanian-born Mustafa Hassanali also used printed African fabrics in his collection, which showcased his label's signature shapes. He injected some new direction into his design framework, which could be read as an attempt to introduce new shapes and forms to his existing customers.

Accessories featured strongly on the runway and the crowd was wowed with outrageous pieces like the feather-festooned platform heels worn by Sudanese-born supermodel Alek Wek when she modelled in Khothaso Tsotetsi's show carrying a clear Perspex case as a clutch purse.

Still on the accessories front, a collaborative work between 14 leading designers and accessory makers for the Samsung Amaze Africa showing was masterful. The aim was to create new design aesthetics in looks that defined a futuristic vision for the continent.

Expo's mix and match

For the past three years, Africa Fashion International has held a course to consider the accessibility of designer clothing, and the African Fashion Trade Expo took place duringFashion Week Africa last week.

The annual initiative tracks the trends that local retailers want to make available to their customers and partners these retailers with home-grown designers.

Statistics show that, in the past 17 years, South Africans' annual clothing expenditure has gone from R31-billion to more than R100-billion. Many top international brands have recently found South Africa an attractive destination for trade, especially in the middle-income market.

The expo brought together both young startups and more established African designers and provided them with an opportunity to network and expose their brands to local and international buyers.

The Gauteng Growth and Development Agency provided fundingsupport.

The trade fair was divided into four zones:

• Brands - for established brands such as Shirt and Co, Kibonen and Sa4a;
• Designer Showcase - featuring labels such as Khothatso Tsotetsi, Angie Masike and Bashoeshoe;
• Accessories - for bags and jewellery brands by emerging designers such as Negritude, Boutique Venus, Korojo Leather Products and Myko Designs; and
• Lifestyle Brands - a showcase for established lifestyle brands seeking to expand their sales footprint into Africa.