With 15 years behind his namesake brand, David Tlale is on the next phase to bigger and better things. The renowned designer, who has many feats under his belt, is taking his insignia to the racetracks.
A month from now, the iconic luxury designer is set to turn the runway red when he abandons his signature affinity for black and unveils a special, once-off collection based on the colour red at this year’s Vodacom Durban July.
To sweeten the deal, David has designed an exclusive, high-quality, limited-edition clutch bag specifically for Vodacom Red.
Speaking to The Sunday Independent ahead of the popular event, Tlale was brimming with excitement about the collaboration.
“RED by David Tlale is really exciting because it takes me out of my comfort zone. The challenge is David Tale never wears any other colour but black. So I thought, challenge accepted,” he says.
“Let’s break the norm, break the rules and make sure people don’t think we do one thing all the time. We can explore colour, and how we are reinterpreting it is by developing prints and also a signature collection specifically for Vodacom.
"This ensures that it embodies what we visualise as a brand, and also because Durban July has been a long-standing event. On this platform (Durban July) we want to make sure we give nothing else but fashion.”
While Tlale will be trying out something new here, his design aesthetic will still be incorporated in the pieces.
“The David Tlale aesthetic will stay there. You'll see it in the collection as it will be very evident, and it’s going to come through very strongly in terms of design, shape and fabrications," he says.
“What we’re going to do is make sure people are not wary that the signature won’t be there, because it will be. You’re going to see the drama and the finesse in the collection and you’re going to experience the different textures I’ve put together.”
The collection comprises male and female wear and the beautiful thing is that they are at a point where they develop their own print and print them in-house.
Tlale says it's important to give people an experience every time he works on something new.
“As a brand we are part of the showbiz industry and we are only as good as our previous collection. There’s nothing that beats that, because at the end of the day we realise that you have to give people an experience every time, and a new narrative. You can’t just keep on doing the same thing over and over.
“In this collection you'll see a lot of pattern engineering that we’ve done, not just in terms of the pattern or designs themselves but also the prints. This reaffirms what we stand for as a brand, which is luxury, elegance and craftsmanship.”
The iconic South African fashion designer will release a limited-edition RED by David Tlale clutch bag this week, in celebration of the Vodacom Durban July. Inspired by the RED by David Tlale collection that the designer has created and will reveal at the Vodacom Durban July, the black-and-red clutch is limited to 1000 bags. Each is personally marked (for example, 1/1000), and will be gifted to qualifying new Vodacom Red customers throughout June and July 2018.
“There is a limited edition where we’ve designed a clutch bag which is proudly made in South Africa out of beautiful black leather with red trims and a beautiful gold metal zip lined inside with a beautiful red canvas.
“It is RED by David Tlale and we have only released 1000 of them. People must go to their Vodacom outlets because you don’t have to buy it. The only way to get it is to upgrade your package and you’ll get a David Tlale bag.”
Tlale says the second season of his reality TV show, The Intern Season 2 by David Tlale, will be coming up at the end of this year or early next year. “It’s going to be bigger and better."
@LesegoMakgatho