SA Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2020 – The Most Fashionable Date to Diarise in October
October means it’s time again to diarise one of the fashion calendar’s most desirable dates - the South African Fashion Week AW 2020 Collections and Trade Show that will be running from 23 – 26 October 2019 at its current hot spot, the Protea Court Rooftop of SA’s shopping mecca, Sandton City.
Now in its 36th season, the country’s top designer showcase recently upped the ante for the local industry by becoming the continent’s first platform to announce its commitment to a five-year plan to spearhead the development of an ecologically-based and sustainable local design culture by 2025.
This season’s event will see 30 designers show collections, either on the ramp or as installations, with many, including the participants in the New Talent, Cape Wools & Mohair SA Designer Challenge as well as the SA Fashion Week Student competitions, already incorporating a strong sustainability ethos in their design philosophy.
Two days each will be designated to women’s and menswear respectively.
It will again, too, host the SAFW Trade Show with 80 designers representing men’s and womenswear, millinery, accessories, shoes, bags and jewellery. Now in its ninth year, the wholesale trade show has become the go-to place for sourcing uniquely new creativity for many independent boutiques and departmental stores from South Africa, the African continent, Europe, Japan and North America, says director Lucilla Booyzen.
The Student Competition installation featuring the designs of final year students from 32 design schools across the country will also be featured in the foyer for the duration of the event.
This year’s line-up is:
DAY ONE
Show One
A seasonal highlight is the customary opening event showcasing the collections of the seven finalists as well as the announcement of the winner of the annual New Talent Search. This year’s finalists are:
Azaria Khoza - The Breed, Johannesburg
Jacques Bam - The BAM Collective, Pretoria
Laura Ferreira - House of Lucent, Cape Town
Loice Seekane - Loice, Johannesburg
Mas’ooda Mather - Mas’ooda, Johannesburg
Safiya Noor Mahomed - Baie Abayas, Limpopo
Thato Ditsele - Armor Designs, Johannesburg
Working to the brief of ‘Shaping the Future of Sustainable Fashion’ and referencing trends in 2020, participants submitted detailed portfolios of seven looks that reflect contemporary shapes, styles and construction with their creative inspiration. A key consideration was visible evidence of substantial understanding of the requirements of sustainable fashion and the importance of the designer’s role in shaping its future.
Now in its 21st year, the New Talent Search is illustrative of SA Fashion Week’s long-term commitment to the development of local fashion design talent. The competition provides both the winner and the finalists with unique experiences and opportunities to expand their skill set and access funds and mentorship to kick-start their businesses.
With an artistic approach, Cindy Mfabe (SA Fashion Week's New Talent Search 2018 Winner) is a contemporary ready-to-wear brand that treads the thin line between femininity and masculinity.
Show Two
For this season Tshepo Mafokwane founder and head designer of high-end womenswear label Sober, will be exploring what it means to be ‘Wolves in Sheepskins’ for AW 2020.
This will be followed by Enhle, the equally talented wife of DJ Black Coffee who will launch her ESSIE label which fuses African style with global trends in an A/W 2020 collection that will combine traditional winter textiles with leather.
Show Three
The African edginess that recently made Palesa Mokubung’s Mantsho label the first South African designer to introduce a designer capsule for H&M customers worldwide, will be on show in a collection that plays with balancing ready-to-wear and high-end red carpet, using predominantly natural fabric and ecologically responsible printing technique.
Afrikanswiss’ androgynous, printed denim will celebrate the idea of a colourful African Queen next with Thabo Makhetha’s signature collection wrapping up the show.
DAY TWO
Show One
The evening’s first show features four designers starting with Danielle Frylinck’s interplay of fabrication and incorporating local footwear and jewellery, Research Unit, Durban-based Reign and Ceres-based Judith Atelier by Judith Smit.
Referencing the Karoo where she grew up, Judith describes the AW20 Judith Atelier collection as inspired by the nature, structures and colour palette of this arid region, using fabrics such as pure linens, wool and an exclusive geometric printed suiting to create classic, clean but strong silhouettes. Sustainable fashion is a key focus for the brand with the aim of making this ethos a greater part of all future collections, packaging and the work processes used by the studio.
Show Two
Celebrity designer Gert-Johan Coetzee will continue his signature celebration of diversity with a flourishing nod to sports glamour this season, as well as the much-anticipated launch of his eponymous perfume.
Show Three
Techniques to create new shapes and textures as well as experimentation with mohair fibres and drawing inspiration from the traditional Pedi dress will feature in the ERRE installation to conclude the night’s programme.
DAY THREE
Show One
Another highlight on the programme is the annual Cape Wools and Mohair SA Designer Challenge show which this season will feature womenswear by eco-fashion label LUNAR and menswear by Coenraad De Mol of De Mil.
Selected by an international judging panel, De Mil and LUNAR will both demonstrate the exquisite drape, handle and unique lustre of South Africa’s locally grown premium wool and mohair in the first of their two seasonal collections. They will each show another collection at SAFW Spring/Summer in April 2020, after attending the ‘Making it in Textiles’ Conference in the UK later this year to gain insight into the British and global textile industry.
Inspired by the character of Paljas, a clown that historically brought comic relief to communities around the country during the Great Depression of 1929- 1939, De Mil will be using old-world craft artisan methods to juxtapose wool and mohair to create highly contemporary and fashion-forward pieces with sustainability as focus.
Show Two
Amanda Laird Cherry creates fashion with soul – that focuses on telling the stories behind the clothing and culture, and a dedication to authentic, responsible production. This season will showcase the possibilities of approaching design in a sustainable manner by transforming secondhand garments into an upcycled collection.
Show Three
Ryan Keys will wrap up day three with a collection showing the clash of colours produced by diverse cultures as developed in his New Experience Atelier at 21A 7th Avenue, Parktown North.
DAY FOUR
Show One
An installation by Olé Ledimo of House of Olé is always much anticipated in the menswear line-up – and this year will be no exception.
Show Two
The first young designer to be given rail space next to hand-picked international brands at the exclusive Virgule shop in Johannesburg’s Hyde Park Shopping Centre, Ntando XV will be using sustainable fabric and traditional techniques to create a collection with intricate, gender-flued nuances.
Floyd Avenue’s collection, ‘Within your Ken’, referencing knowledge, awareness, perception, understanding, grasp and how one finds life balance in the equilibrium between diverse culture and shared knowledge, forms the second leg of this show.
Otiz Seflo will also showcase his on-trend ready-to-wear AW20 menswear collection.
Show Three
The evening ends on a high note with fashion week veteran of two decades, Ephraim Molingoana’s Ephymol menswear followed by Hombre and Franc Elis.
SA Fashion Week in Numbers:
1 for the first platform on the African continent to commit to spearheading the development of an ecologically-based and sustainable local design culture by 2025
22 candles on the SAFW cake this year
32 design schools directly or indirectly involved with SAFW
36 seasonal showcases staged since inception in 1997
48 make-up and hair artists booked per season
106 students volunteer per season
150 new designers accessed the retail market through SAFW design competitions 290 models booked per season
300 designer exhibitors at the SAFW Trade Show over the past 9 years as well as dressers booked since inception
500 designer collections staged over the past 22 years
6,000 guests at the collections and Cruz Vodka cocktails served per season
Note to Editors:
SA Fashion Week only aligns itself with premium brands that understand the power and influence of the creative fashion industry and the positive impact it can have on our economy. More than ever, we value their generous commitment and urge you to please support them by acknowledging their involvement where possible.
For more information on SA Fashion Week: 011 442 781 2
info@safashionweek.co.za www.safashionweek.co.za
