IN PICS | Three major trends spotted at SA Fashion Week

The close to this year’s local fashion calendar came from a unique SA Fashion Week (SAFW) with virtual shows and private screenings thanks to Covid-19.

Taking on heavier subject matter as inspiration and rethinking the way clothing is produced, Mzansi’s designers put together meaningful collections this season.

Here are some of the common threads that linked them together:

SLOGAN TEES

Statement tees have always been a go-to provocateur on the catwalk, but at SAFW they were the perfect way to highlight matters tugging at the hearts of local designers.

Palesa Mokubung of Manthso’s pet cause was female empowerment à la the designer’s recent collaboration with Miss Universe Zozibini Tunzi and 1st for Women, which saw her release a collection of tees emblazoned with the word "Fearless" to encourage SA women to live their lives fearlessly.

There was nothing subtle about the messaging on Research Unit and Ezoketho’s tees; the brands used them to call for an end racism and gender-based violence respectively.

However, perhaps the most memorable slogan was the one on the shirt sported by designer Michael Reid of Xavier Sadan, which read “De Mil Lives Forever”. This heartfelt message paid homage to the late SA design legend, Coenraad De Mol, who passed away in May.

VOLUMINOUS COLOUR

A fabulous fad for fullness dominated some of this season’s collections, speaking to our desire to once again grace the soirées that feel like a distant dream since the pandemic began.

Structured bishop sleeves and shoulders harked back to ultra-feminine power dressing of the 1980s in Bam Collective’s designs.

Judith Atelier’s fame for sophisticated twists in design saw a bold play on colours, pleats and layering.

Both were an exciting addition to a fashion week that was heavily dominated by functional minimalism.

SLOW FASHION

Many designers embraced the concept of slow fashion in their collections. The opposite of fast fashion, which sees people changing up their wardrobe as trends come and go, this sustainable concept encourages the idea of buying well-made garments  — preferably fashioned from fabrics with eco-credentials — that have a longer lifespan and can be worn time and again.

One of these eco-friendly fabrics is mohair, of which SA happens to be the world’s largest producer. Brands Judith Atelier, Lukhanyo Mdingi and Mmuso Maxwell joined forces under the banner Diamond Fibre Collections to showcase the versatility of this luxurious and long-lived material in their designs.

Naked Ape, a menswear label celebrating their 10th anniversary on the SA fashion scene this year, took inspiration from the country’s informal waste pickers to create a collection comprising recycled and eco-friendly materials, including their own textiles.

Up-and-coming designer Mikhayla Farouk of Maklele’s desert-inspired menswear was made without buying a metre of new material. Instead Farouk used fabrics donated by other design houses like Lunar, offcuts from her own studio and scraps from a multitude of other materials.