Culture comes to the fore at SA Fashion Week

While the front row and famed designers often define a successful fashion week, this season's runway at SA Fashion Week took new strides in establishing which talents are on the radar.

New and old designers continued to wave the sustainability flag at the biannual event that has taken to championing locally produced garments made from considered materials.

While many have turned to the fashion world to see what economic indicators can be seen from trend setters to couturiers, it would seem SA's thread masters are looking more inward when dressing locals and their international buyers.

Here's a look at the top trends that dominated the runway.

BEAUTY OF TRADITION

From prints to beadwork, designers were taking the lead when it came to embracing their cultures. This was especially the case for the New Talent Search, which has often focused on pop cultural motifs or fabrics that speak to modern influences. Instead, this year they led the charge with influences borrowing from pre- and post-colonial design elements. 

E_Mania went for printworks in the ever-growing at leisure space, while designers such as Sun Goddess and Thabo Makhete elevated favourites such as Xhosa fabric and raffia, respectively. Gert-Johan Coetzee explored a futuristic concept around traditional wear merged with metallic and psychedelic elements of an imagined alien race.

DENIM NECESSITIES

With sustainability of continued interest, denim has become a SA Fashion Week staple, not only embracing Gen Z's love for boxy fits, but capturing a new way of approaching comfort and style.

This was especially the case for Tiger Blue, who had one of the most ready-to-wear collections of the three nights that highlighted their impeccable love for quality. My Roots looked to sentimental designs with inspirations from her late grandmother with a "jikisa" dress, typically worn by women in Tswana culture, by giving prints a denim canvas. For a more corporate feel, Oyama Gonintaba gave looks soft textures, with harder fabrics as seen with another trendy item, the bermuda.

SOFT LIFE

Whether you follow quiet luxury or the rich aunt aesthetic, Soft Life is a trend that continues to find itself constantly reinterpreted by stylists and designers. However, the 1950s silhouette most familiar with the style has been dropped for sleek, form-fitting designs as seen at Pret-A-Perfect. Rather than employing a mixture of wild prints and belted garments, pieces from Rubicon and Colleen Eitzen embraced fluid shapes that would suit different shapes and sizes.