South African Fashion Week (SAFW) is back with Spring/Summer 21, and they are taking it to the Mall of Africa (MOA).
The organisation announced that owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, they’ll be moving from their home, Sandton City, to a much bigger space.
On a three-year partnership with the MOA, SA Fashion Week will stage its first hybrid designer collections showcase this year.
SAFW director Lucilla Booyzen said: “This hybrid combination of both a digital and live fashion experience allows us to navigate the complexities of trading and doing business effectively while simultaneously being mindful of the safety aspects associated with the pandemic."
According to Booyzen, the 2020 SAFW Collections are trans-seasonal in line with international trends towards collections that incorporate both cool, and warm weather elements. They are also increasingly representing a move towards a “slow fashion” ethos of timeless design and sustainable production.
She added: “While the move towards cleaner fashion production in South Africa still faces many challenges, there is a real commitment from many designers to pursue this necessary transition to a new fashion order. The designer community is predominantly SMME’s, they all employ small contingents of artisans such as seamstresses and pattern makers. It has been a superhuman challenge for these businesses to stay afloat and retain jobs in the absence of any trade or cash flow. This opportunity to showcase their collections in preparation for summer is vital.”
SAFW SS21 starts on October 22 with Gert-Johan Coetzee’s show.