The spotlight turns to Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Cape Town 2017 today as designers get ready to put their best foot forward - and the Mille Collines label is one that's on every fashion fundi's radar.
The design house was founded by Spaniards Inés Cuatrecasas and Marc Oliver, both eager to engage in something bold, creative, and adventurous.
''A trip to Rwanda in 2008 and an introduction to Antoinette, a local dressmaker, led to us moving to Kigali where we developed our first collection in partnership with Antoinette. A year later, Mille Collines was born," say the designers.
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Their last collection celebrated the cosmopolitan African woman with bold colours and vibrant headscarves. This season the designers will create pieces that feature a mix of African influences.
"Although we're staying true to Africa in a general sense, this collection takes its particular inspiration from the Swahili coastal culture and its people. We were especially drawn to the cultural mélange of Swahili heritage given its mix of African, Persian and Arab influences" they say.
"We've pulled very iconic shapes from the older Swahili symbols and fabrics and brought them to life over flowing crepes. Bold colour is a novelty for this year's collection."
Mille Collines redefines the modern African aesthetic by seamlessly blending African cultural icons and ever-evolving global fashion trends.
"Our attention to detail and passion for telling beautiful stories shines through our collections," they say.
Africa is being touted by some as the next big economic frontier, and African luxury is a major topic of conversation in the fashion industry. Mille Collines' artisanal clothes and excellent craftsmanship are an example of the high standard of design coming out of Africa. Artisanal, for Cuatrecasas and Oliver, is the privilege of being able to show pieces that have been created by hand using ancient and time-tested techniques, while still keeping an eye on global design.
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''There's a new cadre of creatives delivering a new take on African luxury that is, in many instances, taking artisanal techniques and reinterpreting them in a contemporary way with a keen eye towards quality and refinement," they say.
What's next for this dynamic brand?
"Our first South African store will open later this year. We have a busy year ahead with the opening of the store and multiple collaborations in the pipeline," they say.
• This article was originally published in The Times.
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