South African Fashion Week’s sweet escape

Whether you live under a rock or in a pineapple under the sea, you are bound to have come across the headlines painting a grim picture of life in South Africa growing worse.

From rampant crime to load-shedding and crumbling infrastructure, we are living in a society in which people are embracing escapism and constantly seeking inspiration.

Perhaps that is what's behind this season's collections at South African Fashion Week.

From curiosity about how future generations will live to our relationship with the cosmos, the runway was a collection of whimsy and colour sprinkled with dark shades of innovative creations that call for a much-needed getaway.

RESORT FRILLS AND THRILLS

Resort wear dominated the collections for summer, answering a call for less red carpet glitz and more beach-ready kaftans, wrap dresses and wrap skirts.

Menswear looked to safaris through the staples of Franc Elis spicing up his latest collection with burnt shades of orange. 

FUTURISTIC

No show quite captures the curiosity of the local fashion consumer like Black Coffee. In the recent collection, the designer explored what it would be like dressing aquatic civilisations who live in mobile water cities and what they would need to wear. We also saw sleek cutouts and imaginative cuts in fabrics at Viviers and Heru Shezi.

FREAKUM DRESS

Throw away the conservative necklines for daring crop tops and skirt hems higher than the tip of The Leonardo. Exploring the vibrant lifestyles of Gen Z were Italian designers Andreādamo with local stars Munkus and Ezokhetho. In what felt like a 21st century youthquake, James Presents looked to late 1960s and 1970s party wear with shift dresses and colourful stockings. A fan favourite for many on day one of the shows.

ELEVATED CORES

Microtrends from TikTok got the glow up on the runway with countrycore elevated to new heights by Mr Price's Babydoll collection. The collections also leaned into kidcore to embrace the youthful spirit of 2000s trends like Y2Kcore and the eye-catching flair of Barbiecore.

RETURN OF THE HAT

Taking international runways and streetstyle by storm, we see conservative trends of the past get a funky remix from local designers. Sun hats and boaters get a maximalist treatment while cloches, bonnets and headwraps are mixed with contemporary styles.

COLOUR OF THE SEASON: 50 SHADES OF BLUE

From cool shades seen on slinky pieces to vibrant eye-catching ensembles, designers embraced the colour this season when looking to make a memorable statement.