Fashion Week: 'Goose' and 'Fly Cat' arrive

30 July 2015 - 02:03 By Andrea Nagel

Two new labels reveal their collections for the first time at Africa Fashion International's Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Cape Town tonight. "Goose Homme Prorsum and XIPIXI are the designers launching their spring/ summer collections [at the fashion week]," said Sizwe Nzimande, group marketing executive of African Fashion International.Snorley McLarean of Goose Homme Prorsum seeks to instil sophistication in street styles and smart-casual men's clothing.Antonio Macheve jnr's XIPIXI gives the international gentleman fine garments and accessories, using fabrics from Southern and West Africa, particularly Mozambique and Mali, with which to express himself.SNORLEY MCLAREAN - GOOSE HOMME PRORSUMWhere are you from?Cape Town.Did you study design?I had no interest in fashion but I studied practical fashion design for a year to get the basics to make myself the kind of clothes I wanted to wear. In 2013 I decided to start a fashion label.Explain the name?I like the sound of the word ''goose" and I think it's memorable. ''Homme" is French for ''men" and ''prorsum" is Latin and means ''moving forward and being innovative".What do you love about the fashion industry?I'm addicted to the stress it puts me under. Also, it brightens my day to see someone fall in love with a creation that has come out of my imagination.Signature look of your label?Edgy.How important is fabrication and print in your designs?Extremely important. I always start a collection by considering the fabric first.Describe your first collection for the fashion week.It has hints of nautical but I've shied away from the usual navy and white. There are touches of floral and art prints. It's playful but serious at the same time.What are the challenges for South African fashion?Local designers can't seem to stop the bad habit of following trends that are set overseas, instead of setting our own.What do you think African designers can teach the world?That we are world-class designers.If you could dress anyone in the world?Jay-Z.What misconceptions do you think people have about African fashion?That it's defined by African prints. So many local designers stick to those prints. They don't take the risks that I do.Short-term plans for your brand?To feature in GQ magazine, take a collection to New York Fashion Week and to win the Best Designer of the Year 2016 award.Which designers have inspired you?Tom Ford, Christopher Bailey and Karl Lagerfeld.Soundtrack for tonight's show?The dark minimal vibes of Sonny Moko's Three, Two, One album.How many ''looks" are you showing?One woman's outfit that will be worn by Liezel van der Westhuizen to open the fashion week and 14 ''looks for men".ANTONIO MACHEVE'S XIPIXI DESIGNSWhere are you from?Maputo, Mozambique.Did you study design?I have never formally studied design. As a teenager, I enjoyed copying sportswear designs for men from hip-hop magazines. Then I began inventing my own variations of garments I liked. I was awarded the Saint Gaude's Medal for Fine Draughtsmanship from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City in 2007.Explain the name.XIPIXI means "cat" in the Shangaan language from the Gaza province in Mozambique. A "fly cat" is a polished gentleman.What do you love about the fashion industry?People work tirelessly to express themselves and break the status quo. It's timeless - it will only die on the day we decide to live naked.Signature look of your label?The signature is really to work towards building greater gentlemen through fashion.One element that is obvious is my constant celebration of our African roots with vibrant fabrics that complement the more conservative menswear. Expect surprises in the collections to come ...Design inspiration?Childhood experiences, my love for Africa and its potential for real inclusive growth through entrepreneurship and creativity. I'm also inspired by my generation, my family, other art forms, the good in people, and my desire to grow as an artist and create content and memorable moments for the world.How important is fabrication and print in your design?I'm working to make sure that our prints are not simply looked at as exotic pieces that suit only certain kinds of people.Describe the collection you are showing to open the fashion week?The collection is called Darkness. This is a stage in life that most human beings encounter and that we are currently living through in Africa.The Darkness collection aims to bring light to the audience.If you could dress anyone?ASAP Rocky and Kanye West.What misconceptions do you think people have about African fashion?That it's a trendy, exotic thing.Goose Homme and XIPIXI are showing tonight at 5pm. See afi.za.com for venue and ticket details...

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