Before the advent of democracy in 1994, the South African fashion industry was dominated by international brands. Once South African Fashion Week began in 1997, some semblance of an identity began to emerge. This presence was solidified over the years, and the bright lights of that era, such as Marian Fassler and David Tlale, reaped the rewards. More labels entered the fray as the 90s drew to a close and the 2000s dawned of Thabo Mbeki’s dream of a threadbare African Renaissance that interrogates what it means to be South African in a country where multiculturalism was heavily touted.
Founder of Fashion Week South Africa, Lucilla Boyzen, revokes in the pre-1994 era, as the fashion designers that existed, “all had bespoke clients”.
South Africa has had a number of high-end and street-level labels in its thirty years since independence. The dawn of the 2010s witnessed another class of designers, one more purposeful and daring while acknowledging the influence of its past. We can think of such as Rich Mnisi’s high quality clothes, Ama Kip-Kip’s cute, colorful Josie North suburbs, oversized suits inspired by swag and Sindiso Khumalo’s sustainable yarns in this regard.
What has manifested over the last thirty years is that Mzansi has been spoiled for choice. Every garment tells a story, and every fairy tale has found an audience to embrace. Below are eight of the many on offer.
Vukani Range Creations by Sonwabile Ndamase
Sonwabile Ndamase He may be many things in the South African fashion industry, but his lasting legacy will be that of designing the iconic shirts with which Nelson Mandela was associated. βWhen I was designing this particular shirt, it wasn’t [to make] a fashion statement. It was for health reasons. Tata already had a health condition. So I had to dress up the sick part of who was inside so that people [can glorify] what they see outside” says Ndamase about his motivation for designing the shirt. Madiba worked his magic and the shirt became a fashion item that has been replicated by many designers since.
Stoned Cherrie by Nkhensani Nkosi
Cherry with stone it came into existence at a time when black youth were beginning to find their feet in a new and democratic South Africa. Early designs consisted of earth tones and prints of symbols such as the African continent, an attempt to reflect and speak to the changing tides of the times. Afro-urban was stylish, Biko was our father, Makeba our mother, poetry our gospel, and fashion the pulpit, the catwalk on which we trod the wounds inflicted by the agony of Apartheid. Early Stoned Cherrie had it all: Sophiatown as a backdrop, jazz as a soundtrack and Drum Magazine as a file. Nkhensani Nkosi to know that we were great, we were beautiful, we mattered. The label has grown to include a homewares line and an eyewear line, testament to the trend of fashion and design to transform with the times.
Mantsho from Palesa Mokubung
Palesa Mokubung is part of the wave of young, black South African designers whose involvement with fashion revolutionized the scene in the early 2000s. Multiple award-winning functions and creative processes lead to Mancho she has been making things since she was little. He founded Mantsho in 2004, but only in the last decade has he gained a firm grip and a thorough understanding of its business model. She credits this to her personal growth and her decision to continue her studies by taking a break to earn a degree in fashion. βI am able to create from an honest place and from the heart. I know how to dive into my soul, take out my thoughts and put them into these shapes and these fabrics.” she says. Mantsho was selected for an exclusive collaboration with global fashion retailer H&M in 2019, making Mokubung the first African to achieve the feat.
Loxion Kulca of Sechaba and Wandi
Photo by Oupa Bopape/Gallo Images via Getty Images.
Models during the Loxion Kulca show at South African Fashion Week Day 3 on October 22, 2022 in Midrand, South Africa.
There is no definitive brand like Loxion Kulcha when the fashion conversation shifts to Mzansi streetwear. It was founded by the duo of Sechaba Mogal and the late one Wandile Nzimande in 1997, the label was boosted by its association with Kwaito and thus resonated with a staple of youth culture that fully embraced self-expression. To be caught without a piece of one’s own in one’s collection was a mortal sin back then, something unheard of. It wasn’t long before artistes like Mshoza and TKZee got on the wave. Cool turned to urban lore when hip-hop group H20 immortalized the brand with their line, “I’m Loxion Kulca like uSechaba no Wandi,” on their 2004 classic, “It’s Wonderful.”
MaXhosa by Laduma Ngoxkolo
The first press image of the Xhosa initiate sitting in a row, eyes looking in every direction but the camera’s, wearing knitwear that inspired descriptions such as “new-age heritage”, was South Africa’s introduction to Laduma Ngoxolo’sMaxosa. Designs inspired by Xhosa beadwork appealed to the high-end consumer and quickly became indicators of economic status for South Africans nationally. It didn’t take him long to figure it out. The company has continued to grow, with notable figures such as Oprah wearing their clothing, while institutions such as MOMA and the Smithsonian Institute have added Maxhosa clothing to their archives.
Lukhanyo Mdingi by Lukhanyo Mingi
Lukhanyo Mdingi is an East London-born, Cape Town-based fashion designer whose colorful handmade creations have led him to win the Karl Lagerfeld LVMH Prize in 2021, as well as the Amiri Prize in 2023. βThe beginning of our company has always been it is based on a considered and sincere plan. Through the collaboration, the aim is to create a hybrid between craftsmanship and modern design,β he shared during an interview. It is these altruistic values ββthat have driven his work thus far.
Wanda Lephoto by Wanda Lephoto
Former member of the artistic trio, The Satirists, Wanda Lephoto is deeply rooted in post-2010 Jozi urban mythology. It grew up in a time when ’90s kids were finding themselves and has grown to develop a solid foundation in fashion that explores what it means to be African in a changing world constantly from one place to another. βMy vision is to bring real things happening in real time to real people that often go unnoticed. I want to create a working archive for future generations to draw upon that represents the African people in a way that they have not been represented in the past, but also in a way that is beginning to heal.” He says.
Thebe Magugu by Thebe Magugu
Born in the small town of Kimberly in the Northern Cape Province, Thebe Magugu he grew up dreaming of a world outside the one he knewβone of squalor and poverty, where the odds were slim. So when the opportunity presented itself to immigrate to Johannesburg and study in Johannesburg, he took full advantage and arrived in Jozi in a community of like-minded creators whose outsized ambition overrode their small-town origins. This combination of big dreams, dedication and willingness to work, as well as that confident outlook that the generation possesses, led to his selection for the LVHM Young Designers Award in 2019. Since then he has soared to greater heights and though last campaign it is something to pass, only certified greatness lies ahead.
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