CONNEXIONS fashion event to shine spotlight on designers from SA and diaspora

Midwest Fashion Week has announced its upcoming inaugural CONNEXIONS fashion event in SA, where local designers and those from the diaspora will showcase their brands.

With the slogan “Bringing together diverse thought leaders in global fashion and design”, the event aims to bring together excellent creatives in the design space under one umbrella, some of whom may have not had the space and chance to expose their work to a wider audience.

The brainchild of Berny Martin, founder of Midwest Fashion Week and fashion designer for his own label Catou, the event was created to grow the already established fashion community beyond the Midwest and open up markets for designers based in other parts of the world through a series of regional events.

Martin is passionate about African cultures and finding ways of connecting creative communities and creating opportunities for designers. After establishing his label, he launched Midwest Fashion Week, a platform that would enable him to produce his own fashion shows and afford underexposed designers the opportunity to showcase their work.

“I am encouraged by how we can work together to make new connections.

“This inspiration was ignited by my trips to SA and how the culture there can be an asset to this region in the US. Fashion is becoming more and more the source of global economic development and SA has a lot of potential,” says Martin.

The event will take place at Gallery MOMO in Johannesburg on September 25, a date selected to coincide with Heritage Day.

“This is a first for SA as this event will be bespoke and focused on a small group of designers across product lines, alongside art. The designers will get a chance to bring their brand vision to life outside the conventional runway presentation,” says Odysseus Shirindza, curator for the event.

Participating designers will have a space to display their designs in the form of a static installation, as well as live models. The day will culminate in a live fashion show highlighting the collections of each of the participating designers, including Martin for Catou, Odysseus Shirindza for Arnreuby, Reggi Xaba for Ifele, Nokwanda Ngcobo for 8thWandah, Heather Marie Designs and Inga Gubeka for Inga Atelier.

Due to Covid-19 regulations, the event will be accessible to a select few at the venue by invitation only, with a virtual component to allow a broader audience to tune in.