16 of 2019's most stylish South Africans according to a fashion analyst

Here's which locals stood out for their sartorial prowess this year

21 December 2019 - 00:00 By Jerri Mokgofe
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Thapelo and Lesego-Tshepang Mokoena.
Thapelo and Lesego-Tshepang Mokoena.
Image: Jerri Mokgofe Photography

Jerri Mokgofe is a brand strategist and fashion analyst who reports on fashion and creative business talent within the African continent.

Here's which South Africans he thinks made an impact on the local style scene in 2019:

1 & 2. Actor Thapelo Mokoena and his wife, Lesego-Tshepang Mokoena, co-founder of the fashion brand Charlie Irish, which specialises in loose-fitting silhouettes. One word about her look: ethereal.

Vanessa Carreira-Coutroulis.
Vanessa Carreira-Coutroulis.
Image: Jerri Mokgofe Photography

3. Food and lifestyle blogger Vanessa Carreira-Coutroulis. It's just incredibly hard for the former Miss SA to get it wrong. With this look she bestowed upon us mere mortals an image, a sheer vision.

Dumi Gwebu.
Dumi Gwebu.
Image: Jerri Mokgofe Photography

4. Fashion entrepreneur and stylist Dumi Gwebu. His polished sartorial style is never forced. It can hold its own in the boardroom or on a city rooftop bar, at any given moment. He is doing it well for all the dads with style out there.

Crystal Kasper and Palesa Mhlaba.
Crystal Kasper and Palesa Mhlaba.
Image: Jerri Mokgofe Photography

5 & 6. Fashion entrepreneurs Crystal Kasper and Palesa Mhlaba of DuoDesk. Same same but never the same. The duo's notable sartorial star power comes from perfecting the art of twinning without twinning — you could describe the way they dress as the intersection between collectivism and individuality.

Kyle Zietman.
Kyle Zietman.
Image: Jerri Mokgofe Photography

7. Lawyer Kyle Zietman. His style is rooted in wearing a single standout piece. It is punk chic, rough yet seamless, and you cannot help but keep looking. He understands the meaning of image management and executes it with a street-cum-academic finesse.

Teddy Nkonde.
Teddy Nkonde.
Image: Jerri Mokgofe Photography

8. Fashion retail consultant Teddy Nkonde. He is the poster child for marrying Scandinavia's clean lines and Japan's overlapping proportions within the SA context. Every look is pulled off meticulously well.

Kim Slaffa and Nape Phasha.
Kim Slaffa and Nape Phasha.
Image: Jerri Mokgofe Photography

9 & 10. IT power couple Kim Slaffa and Nape Phasha. Their style provides a current snapshot of SA's youth subcultures.

Fhatuwani Mukheli, Vuyo Mpantsha, and Justice Mukheli.
Fhatuwani Mukheli, Vuyo Mpantsha, and Justice Mukheli.
Image: Jerri Mokgofe Photography

11, 12 & 13. Photographers Fhatuwani Mukheli, Vuyo Mpantsha and Justice Mukheli of I See A Different You. A three-course serving of delectable Afrique style cuisine is what you get from these gents. Be it urban, contemporary, smart, you name it, their wardrobes have it covered.

Desire Marea and Fela Gucci.
Desire Marea and Fela Gucci.
Image: Jerri Mokgofe Photography

14 & 15. Desire Marea and Fela Gucci of FAKA. Whatever the duo do, they make a visual impact with their unique non-binary style. They use the power of fashion to full effect in their performances as artists, musicians and activists.

Cynthia Allie.
Cynthia Allie.
Image: Jerri Mokgofe Photography

16. Fashion designer Cynthia Allie of SiSi. Like her brand, her style revolves around the evolution of the classic white button-down shirt. Her wardrobe is made up of all kinds of white shirts reinterpreted and styled in multiple ways — it's a look that seems never to date.


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