This season SA Fashion Week will be the fifth anniversary of the menswear collections.
There's just under a week to go until the five-day event, which will see more than 40 designers showcase their autumn/winter 2018 collections, with menswear growing faster than womenswear in South Africa.
Two designers who will be showcasing their collections are Floyd Avenue and Bi Parel.
Shaylene Morris, the 25-year-old designer behind Bi Parel, is excited to be showing her designs.
“The preparation has been hectic to finalise everything that needs to be done. Every detail counts,” said the recent graduate.
While she has always done womenswear, it was only last year that she decided to move into menswear for her final year in fashion school.
“When I actually did it, I just liked it so much more. I felt like I had that bit of freedom. With the menswear I like to design, I get a lot of women approaching me and telling me that they like it, so I thought about doing a unisex range. I am currently doing menswear, but I like to think of it as me designing for any type of streetwear person.”
Morris said the popularity and growth of menswear was because women were also starting to feel comfortable in dressing less feminine.
“I think it's a combination of two things, to be honest. Ladies are feeling more comfortable and are realising they don't have to dress in a feminine way to feel sexy. Also, menswear has reached the point where men are realising they don't have to dress in one certain way that they have been told to for so long. There is so much freedom in menswear.”
For her SAFW showcase next week, Morris will be sticking to streetwear.
“I feel like it’s versatile with the items that I use. I’m inspired by the Japanese cuts, so instead of manipulating my garments, I chose to do it with print. I’ve done a couple of prints that get the message across. Japanese will always be my focal point, so the prints and colourings that I’ll be using this time will be something people can look forward to.”
Morris is part of the Edcon Design Innovation Challenge and is spending a year at Edcon learning the ins and outs of the fashion business.
“I've always been more focused on the creative side of things, and with this internship Edcon has levelled me onto the business side of things.”
Bi Parel will showcase on Saturday, October 28.
GUY STUFF: Models display Floyd Avenue’s menswear line. Picture: SAFW
For Floyd Manotoana, the man behind Floyd Avenue, fashion was something he was ready to let go of before winning the GQ Scouting Menswear Competition last year.
“It definitely helped me get a bigger clientele. I was about to quit fashion when I won the competition. Before fashion, I was doing civil engineering and decided I was going to go back and finish the course. After GQ, things started to happen and it changed everything for me.”
Manotoana said the move towards menswear was because it allowed people to shift gender roles.
“I think it’s deeper than just clothing. Gender roles have changed and the way people see themselves has changed as well,” he said.
For his showcase at Fashion Week, people can look forward to him paying homage to his younger self.
“I used to be very funky when I started in the industry. I’m re-creating the skylines I used to do.”
Manotoana said he managed to stay relevant because he was always open to evolution and moving forward.
Floyd Avenue will showcase on Friday, October 27.
SAFW will take place from October 24-28 at the Sandton City Rooftop. Tickets are available at Computicket.