The competition in the South African fashion industry is getting tougher because no designer wants to be left off the best designer list.
On Thursday night, Soweto Fashion Week opened with a bang as emerging designers took to the runway to showcase their latest collections under the "Coca-Cola Emerging Designers Bloc" for the the Spring/ Summer 23/24 collections.
House of Cash broke the ice with a magnificent collection titled “Y2K Punk”. The eye-catching collection consisted of appliqué check pants with olive green taking centre stage.
“My collection was inspired by an anime called Nana, she was in a punk band, so I took that concept and turned it into an urban collection. I used checked fabrics to represent the punk, and I softened it with an olive green cotton tool,” said Nthabiseng Mabe, the founder of House of Cash.
She was followed by Dreamin Fabrika Design, a brand owned by Mary Maesela, a 12-year-old model/ fashion designer who believes children should be as stylish as their parents.
“I decided to become a fashion designer because I saw a gap in the market for kiddies' designer clothes. I want parents to match with their children.
“And if you could look at my collection, it’s an African print with pink. I wanted to make sure children slay in modern African wear with playful colours,” the youngest designer said.
Showcasing after her was Alison Versatile of Style By Ali, who won the Coca-Cola Emerging Designers Bloc.
Versatile impressed the crowd with his unisex, sustainable street-style collection.
“The collection that I was showcasing is called ‘The Mongolian.’ It was inspired by the Mongolian traditional clothing. I took the Mongolian tradition and made it urban to make it more youthful and vibrant.
“I also emphasised more on colours like red and yellow because this is a spring collection,” said Versatile.
Because sustainability is part of his brand’s ethos, Versatile used sustainable materials and off-cut fabrics in his collection.
“Sustainability is important because it allows the brand to hold a strong name for itself and be known for quality, producing sustainable garments because longevity is important for my brand," he said.
He also revealed how happy he was to be a winner. But most importantly, he also acknowledged other designers who showcased.
“Winning means so much. I appreciate the prize, but I feel like everyone who showcased was a winner because it’s not just about the prize but the effort every designer put in throughout the competition.”
Last to showcase under the Emerging Designers Bloc was Tshegofatso Malefane of Tshegofatso by Design, who exhibited ladies and menswear.
Closing day one of Soweto Fashion Week SS23/24 was Be Beautiful Hair, who shut it down with a head-turning hair show.
For their showcase, Be Beautiful Hair partnered with fashion stylist Thobeka Mbane for their hair to be accompanied by exquisite designs.
“This was our introduction to the people. We wanted to showcase what Be Beautiful Hair is about. We had three segments: the boss segment, the African queen and the pink elegance.
“We represented every woman, as that was our main goal and the inspiration behind the hair. Hair, make-up and fashion go hand-in-hand. It’s difficult to have one without the other two, so it was important to fuse the three,” said Jimmy Shibambu, head of hair at Be Beautiful Hair.
∎ Soweto Fashion Week SS23 was held at The Soweto Theatre from November 1-4.