There is something exhilarating about fashion, about creativity. Africa Fashion Week 2010 ended in Sandton, JHB today. It was exciting to wait and see what the designers had prepared; anyone who is friends with me on Facebook received all kinds of spam on their walls from me demanding updates at early hours of the day. Yes, I stayed up to read all the tweets and messages from people who were at the show.


Now, after going through some of the show, there's a couple of things I want to address. Some of these ideas came up after reading Errol Hendrickse's blog.

Before I unleash my criticisms, Deola Sagoe's collection was breathtaking. It was subtle and bold at the same time, and her creativity is just amazing. Her collection was definitely the best. Klux GCDT was also a favourite for me, the guys outdid themselves. A different creativity from Sagoe, this collection was theatrical without losing the edge for fashion. The make-up was the best in the entire fashion week. Look out for a post dedicated to Klux's collection soon here.

Firstly, most of the local designers seem not to draw inspiration from street style or the way local's dress. This is something I find disheartening, and it is revealing of the relationship between local (African) designers and the people.

For example, take the recent Miu Miu show with the quirky prints and incredible platforms. Just a few days (hours) after the show, the collection was everywhere! Not only did bloggers blog about it and magazines feature it, it became a strong feature of street style. Also, retailers have been producing items whose inspiration was this look, and this makes it convenient for the people who cannot afford Miu Miu clothes. In short, there is a strong relationship between the people on the street and local (Western) designers.



Back to Africa, rarely do we see locals (Africa) wearing designer collections on the street. My question is: is it that what people wear everyday does not inspire designers, or that the people themselves do not appreciate local designs (excluding those made specifically for street wear, like Loxion Kulca)? For the fashion industry to be successful, it inevitably needs the support of the people: a successful designer is one that in the end has business success.

Secondly, the show in general seemed to be a clear mix between African prints and Western designs. I have asked a similar question before: is a "contemporary" African design one that is simply a "western" cut of an "African" fabric? A  good example for AFW was Gloria Wavamunno's collection. Her clothes were either the African print, or silky fabrics. I do not know if they complement each other, or simply clash but I think that her collection was not coherent. This ties in with a subject I have been thinking about a lot lately, the idea of "The African Bohemian". Bohemianism generally is the non-identification with any particular culture, and an appreciation of all cultures alike (tolerance?). A bohemian is a free spirit. African bohemianism is where our culture and traditions no longer possess a strong hold on our identity as they did in the past, and at the same time Western influences have not been completely assimilated into our lifestyle. African bohemianism is the area in-between where both forces do not exert a strong enough force on our identity to become the predominant factor or who we are. This bohemianism is something that was strongly present in most of the collections during the show. Designers incorporated elements of our roots in their designs, but there was also a contemporariness that was most significantly embodied by Deola Sagoe's collection.



Finally, African designers are not taking enough risks in their collection. Fashion is primarily art, and it's job is to create a strong response from the viewer. Most of the designers' collections looked like ready-to-wear items. Fashion is supposed to be extravagant, inspiring, shocking; it's supposed to leave you breathless!! Think Galliano or Sun Goddess when they were starting. Wearable materials are supposed to find their inspiration from catwalk designs. Fashion shows are for setting new and exciting trends, not regurgitating old ones (Balmain shoulders, leopard prints). We should not be identifying what we've seen in other shows, but we should be talking about the new possible trends set on the runway! The bigger risks designers take on their collections (Chanel clogs), the more exciting the collections will be.


****Comments on this will be greatly appreciated!!
Posted: 2010-07-05 18:02:00

Read more: Africa Fashion Week | A First Look

Here are looks that I found strong and bold and creative and ultimately fashionable in the artistic sense!!

**Look out for another Faves posting featuring  
David Tlale, Ituen Basi and Stoned Cherrie
amongst others**






Posted: 2010-07-05 19:59:00

Read more: Africa Fashion Week | The Favourites Part I

DAVID TLALE's collection for Africa Fashion Week met up to its expectations and exceeded them. I love this man's work; his passion for fashion is without bounds. That, and his creative genius makes for stunning & unquestionably prototypical collections that leave the viewer short for breath. And whats more, not a single leopard print in the collection! He understands the fine balance between modern and cultural, such that, even though his work is undeniably contemporary, it is also very African its colours, cut, and look. And the butterfly on the models faces!! Nice touch, I feel the femininity, the softness, the elegance of each outfit.


Posted: 2010-07-07 05:33:00

Read more: DAVID TLALE | THE KING

Posted: 2010-07-08 13:02:00

Read more: BLACK MODELS | FALL COUTURE 2010