Last week African menswear designers presented their spring/ summer 2016 collections at the second South African Menswear Week in Cape Town. Gender boundaries were crossed on the catwalk as male models showed off soft feminine fabrics, knee-high gladiator shoes and head scarves.Designers including Lukhanyo Mdingi, Kim Gush and Nigerian brand Orange Culture embraced the feminine side of men's dressing, while Projecto Mental, OATH and Shirt & Co kept their looks masculine with a lot of colour.PROJECTO MENTALProjecto Mental is an Angolan menswear brand by designers Shunnoz Fiel and Tekasala Ma'at Nziga. For the SAMW Projecto Mental show they presented a geometric vision of African aesthetic and redefined how classic men's style is perceived.Ngiza says that the collection is influenced by a principle that allows plain and mixed forms to exist and create harmony and "its two-dimensional features of art and fashion are the crossroads between African and European aesthetics".The partners in fashion, who are at the forefront of the Angolan fashion scene, say their initial goal was to use fashion and art to reshape Angola's cultural image.The brand is becom ing internationally renowned and favoured by sartorialists looking for African-inspired clothes.They showcase seasonally at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Japan in Tokyo.OATH BY RICH MNISIKnown for his youthful and edgy designs, Rich Mnisi presented 37 pieces, each with its own bold, clean silhouette for his OATH label.The collection was inspired by the shape of Smeg fridges and consisted of leather jackets, formal shirts and palazzo pants.His pop culture references were in evidence as well.Mnisi says his collection makes use of stretchy fabrics and he is going through a phase of oversized garments."We used a variety of fabrics from Egyptian cottons, satins, mesh and pleather," he added.SHIRT & COTitled RGB for red, green and blue, Shirt & Co by Korbla Dzoti presented a collection based on primary colours.Based in Woodstock, Cape Town, founder and creative director Dzoti says the brand's 2016 collection was inspired by the late 1970s, when digital CDs were becoming mainstream.Dzoti says that the brand is constantly innovating and experimenting with new methods. The collection showed improvements in the fabrication of their garments.Twenty-two outfits were presented , each lovingly constructed and featuring plaid and checks."We're crazy about beautiful cottons, but particularly excited about what we call 'spicy' coloured, plain lines," he says...