This week, Johannesburg played host to fashion fundis, celebrities and guests who converged on Sandton City’s Protea Court rooftop to get a glimpse of local designers’ latest collections.
The five-day spectacle saw a variety of design elements, textures and tones take shape on the South African Fashion Week (SAFW) catwalk.
Although many of Spring/Summer 2018 (SS18) ranges were in line with those seen on international runways, many were uniquely African, firmly placing the continent as an authentic fashion destination. These are some of the trends that have dominated the runway:
Red: The fiery shade not only dominated the local runway, but has consistently featured in top leading collections recently, including international brands such as Givenchy, Preen and Max Mara.
This week, local designer Thebe Magugu decided to incorporate the core colour into his Woolworths Style by SA range, while other designers including Judith Atelier and Sun Goddess also featured the shade in their own collections. Red was so popular on the catwalk that designer Gert- Johan Coetzee even decided to make his showstopper gown, modelled by actress Nomzamo Mbatha, in the shade.
Sheer: This transparent, see-through trend has also been popular in the international fashion world, but this week local designers gave it a unique twist.
The appeal of the sheer phenomenon is considered a form of activism, in line with the “free the nipple movement”, which seeks to shake up social norms over the way a woman’s body is perceived.
Local designers such as Helon Melon and Erre added elements of the trend in their SAFW SS18 collection.
But fellow designer Black Coffee’s range was almost an entire sheer collection, which saw models wearing black sheer dresses over under garments and bodysuits.
Millennial pink: It comes as no surprise that the latest shade of pink has made its way on to the local catwalk as colour has recently been blasted everywhere from clothes to accessories, interior design, advertising and even social media platforms.
It could be considered a grapefruit shade of apricotty salmon.
The appeal of the hue is that it suits almost all skin tones and body types, and is a innovative way of injecting a pop of colour into a look.
Woolworths Style By SA designers such as Thebe Magugu and Rich Mnisi incorporated it into their collections for coats, dresses and even formal shirts. Local designer Judith Atelier’s collection also used the shade in her collection of blouses, shift skirts and wrap dresses.
Cinched Waist:
Embracing a woman’s curves seems to be in vogue in the fashion world. As the hourglass figure reclaims the limelight, local designers including Rubicon, Gert- Johan Coetzee, Erre, Mantsho by Palesa Mokubung and Sun Goddess used belts, bows and silhouette to accentuate a woman’s waist. This added curves to a slim figure and emphasised the existing curves in an hourglass figure.
White: The simple yet elegant shade is a timeless staple. White emerged as the shade of choice on the runway as designers Judith Atelier, Rubicon and Amanda Laird incorporated into their designs.
Helon Melon used it in her collection of loose fitting pants, shirt dresses and coats.