Pioneering Design

SA’S FUTURE OF FASHION

Celebrating local designers who are taking South Africa’s authentic style to the next level

BY CHARNDRÉ EMMA KIPPIE

A study led by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition and the South African Cotton Cluster, in early 2020, took a deep dive into the significant economic value of the Designer Fashion Sector in South Africa. The results revealed that local fashion designers had contributed an estimated R1-billion to South Africa’s GDP, during 2019, and overall textile sector. This trend is predicted to continue in 2021 and beyond.

The study also indicated that there is massive potential to enhance manufacturing, and create employment opportunities and develop key skills, as the nation recovers from Covid-19’s impact.

At the forefront of this positive news are emerging local designers who are spearheading efforts to achieve sustainability, textile competitiveness, and continue contributing to the economy in an impactful way.

This past year, we’ve seen our vibrant fashion industry drive meaningful and sustainable growth, adapting to the new normal and adopting highly conscious fashion design practices. We’re taking a look at SA’s top fashion geniuses who are paving the way for the future of the fashion and textile industry.

Thebe Magugu

There [is so much] people don’t know about South Africa and I want to – in my own way – contribute to the knowledge sharing.

DEBUT: 2018

HOMETOWN: Northern Cape

QUALIFICATIONS: Fashion Design, Photography & Fashion Media - LISOF

With iconic womenswear designs worn by the likes of veteran model, Naomi Campbell, Thebe Magugu has established himself as pioneering fashion designer who is at the crux of South Africa’s Cultural Renaissance. Establishing his luxury label in 2017, Magugu creates ready-to-wear collections which honour culture, novelty and everyday experiences.

Original Thebe Magugu pieces are celebrated for their sleek, forward looking design which intersects with motifs and details drawn from Africa’s rich history, exciting present and potential imagined futures. Magugu provides stylish, timeless, and kaleidoscopic garments which reflect upon distinct human qualities.

In 2019, Magugu was awarded the coveted LVMH Prize, receiving €300,000 (about R4.9m) to accelerate his career as a young emerging designer, and access to a one-year mentorship programme facilitated by the Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy team. At present, Magugu is part of the final six selected for the International Woolmark Prize 2021, which is part of the MatchesFashion’s Innovators Programme - launched in September 2020 to support young design talent from around the world. In July, Magugu will be joining the panel of Vogue’s Virtual Forces of Fashion Summit, featuring insightful conversations between top industry leaders.

Magugu’s most recent Autumn/Winter 2021 Ready-to-wear Collection, zooms in on the millennial South African experience of ‘African Spirituality’ - highlighting the tension between new and old beliefs and values, and the traditional healers experience. White and black easy-to-wear shirts feature in this collection, with other flamboyant garments boasting pops of pink and blue and feathery elements. With fit and flair, the collection caters to a variety of buyer personas.

Rich Mnisi

I think it is important for South Africans to see themselves as they see the rest of the world, we are capable of anything. This includes designing & producing quality luxury brands.

DEBUT: 2014

HOMETOWN: Johannesburg

QUALIFICATIONS: BA in Fashion Design & Business Management - LISOF

Born in Kempton, Johannesburg, Rich Mnisi began exploring fashion and the arts from a young age, inspired by his mother (who was his biggest mentor) and the work of the late Alexander McQueen. Realisng his passion for creation in his third year of fashion school, Mnisi took part in 2014’s Mercedez Benz Fashion Week (MBFWAfrica), winning the African Fashion International (AFI) Fastrack competition. Thereafter, he understood that there was a space in the market for his ideas and vision.

Founding his South African based multi-disciplinary brand, in 2015, Mnisi’s pieces bring to light Africa’s hidden cultural gems, whilst encompassing youthful and contemporary elements. The brand was born from Mnisi’s yearning to connect deeper with his unique culture and heritage and tell a compelling story through his art – a story of a mysterious past, intriguing present, and reimagined future. Mnisi’s juxtapositioning of bold and minimalist structures, rooted in experimental design and premium craftsmanship, makes for truly artisic manifestations of Africanicity.

After winning the Young Designer of the Year award by African Fashion International in 2014, Mnisi went on to receive the Emerging Designer of the Year award, in 2019, at the inaugural Best in Black Fashion Awards. That same year, he was also recognised on the Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 List as a leading creative on the continent, Today, Rich Mnisi’s designs are adored globally - receiving high praise from local and international public figures such as Black Coffee and Beyoncé.

His most recent collection, Ku Hahama ‘21, was launched in April and is inspired by ‘a nightmare’. In essence, the collection plays with the concept of ‘yin and yang’, embracing the duality that exists in life. Here, Mnisi plays with colour, a variety of patterns and textures, and even typography - highlighting elements of contrast and asymmetry.

Lukhanyo Mdingi

...for the visions of the future, I only think of Africa. This is a continent filled with gold, literally and figuratively.

DEBUT: 2013

HOMETOWN: Eastern Cape

QUALIFICATIONS: BTech Fashion Design - CPUT

Lukhanyo Mdingi, known for his meticulously made garments and keen enthusiasm for collaborating with unique artisans, launched his eponymous label in 2015. The vision for the brand is to mend gaps by weaving cultural heritage into timeless luxury fashion pieces, whilst garnering a significant platform for support by way of continuous dedication to his craft and artistic awareness. The intention behind his label is to maintain a pragmatic and contientuous approach to product development, creating pieces that are transparent, balanced and impactful.

A former Design Indaba Emerging Creative, Lukhanyo was recently selected as a semi-finalist for the prestigious international LVMH Prize 2021. An advocate for sustainable development, Lukhanyo also serves on the jury for the True Fashion, Try on Green inititative, which is led by the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS) and the Goethe Institut. To date, his eye-catching designs have attracted coverage by the likes of Vogue Italia, i-D Magazine and Nataal - a new global media brand celebrating contemporary African fashion, music, arts and society.

Additionally, his work has been showcased on esteemed platforms, including The British Fashion Council: International Fashion Showcase, PITTI UOMO IMMAGINE – Generation Africa, The CFDA: New York Fashion Week.

In February 2021, Lukhanyo Mdingi launched his latest project called the COUTTS Collection, at the Pitti Uomo’s virtual show, the highly celebrated menswear trade show held live every year in Florence, Italy, for almost four decades. The collection pays homage to the legacy of Nicholas Coutts - Cape Town-based contemporary designer - highlighting elements of truth, purpose and love, through its textile designs and handwoven scarves. All materials were sustainably sourced, including unique textiles with a simplistic, yet modern look and feel.

Sindiso Khumalo

My story is essentially about women and female empowerment. Clothing is actually a form of armour for women.

DEBUT: 2014

HOMETOWN: Kwazulu-Natal

QUALIFICATIONS: Bachelor of Architectural Studies - UCT and MA degree in Textiles - Central St Martins in London

Originally from Botswana (then moved to Kwazulu-Natal as a young girl), Sindiso Khumalo is a well-noted sustainable textile designer, who is now based in Cape Town. A Central St Martins graduate, she initially studied architecture at the University of Cape Town (UCT), before relocating to London. There, she pursued her Masters degree in Design for Textile Futures.

Khumalo launchd her eponymous label in 2014. She is extremely passionate about producing contemporary yet sustainable textiles, which are strongly underpinned by African storytelling elements. Khumalo creates the textiles used in her collections by hand, utilising watercolours and collage practices. Over the past few years, she has cultivated a distinctive, colourful visual presence amongst her peers, which is mostly inspired by her Zulu and Ndebele heritage, as well as her experience of the Kwazulu Natal landscape. For Khumalo, sustainability, craft and empowerment are fixed at the heart of her label. This is why she works quite closely with NGOs in developing handmade textiles for her collections.

In October 2015, Khumalo received high praise for her participation in the Vogue Italia ‘Who’s On Next Dubai’ competition, which she won. Previously, she has engaged in critical conversations addressing sustainability in fashion, at the United Nations. Khumalo is also working closely with the International Trade Centre Ethical Fashion Initiative. In October 2020, she received the Green Carpet Fashion Award for ‘Best Independent Designer’. In the same year, she shared the LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers with 7 other finalists - this was due to the challenging context of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Khumalo’s latest release, the Spring/ Summer ‘21 Collection, recently debuted (virtually) at Milan Fashion Week. The collection was inspired by Harriet Tubman, who was born into slavery and worked on a farm as a young child. Harriet Tubman eventually found freedom, however, she returned to the farm 13 times to free more than 70 slaves from the deep South. The collection speaks to the Black Lives Matter Movement, telling the story of a black life that endured the most oppressive inhuman schemes and still prevailed. Through her use of youthful collar designs and delicate prints, Khumalo’s work conveys a message of hope in the struggle.