Cape Town - Eleven local designers got an opportunity to show off their latest offerings at the ninth edition of the Khayelitsha Fashion Week, part of the Mother City Fashion Experience held at the Artscape Theatre on Saturday.
Along with 41 runway models from across Cape Town, the theme for this year’s show was “Grounded In Nature”.
Designers were challenged to showcase their best nature-inspired outfits for their fashion moments on the red carpet.
Founder Bongani Matenjwa, 31 said he wanted to change the negative stigmas linked to townships in Cape Town.
“When people hear of Khayelitsha, what comes to mind is crime but we are changing people’s perspective about our areas and letting them know that it is possible for local designers to showcase in bigger platforms.”
“The motivation behind the theme was that whenever we connect with nature we find peace and comfort. People are noticing our work and we are grateful to everyone who has been fueling the event over the nine years.”
The models and designers hail from Delft, Gugulethu, Khayelitsha, Nyanga and Philippi to name a few.
Siphosethu Mchithakali, 26 known by his stage name as Sethu Wethu from Kraaifontein said he has been in the fashion industry for five years.
“I was able to use my passion for fashion to give back to my community by creating employment where I allow my community to sew clothes, fix clothes and assist me with alterations.
“It feels good to see my collection on the red carpet and watch the audience’s response because all my garments are from recycled burners that we get from retail stores and some clothes are made from recycled curtains.”
The collections are not your typical everyday look but have a burst of colour, bling and some showed skin with a variety of swimwear, evening wear, women’s and men’s wear. Even the audience was dressed to kill.
Enjoying the show was Kelvin Mgijima from Parklands who said that it was the first fashion show in attendance.
“It has been such an amazing show, I love everything about it, from the clothes to the models, so I am very happy that I came and will definitely come back next year.”
The founder is appealing for any assistance or sponsorship towards the local designers to contact info. [email protected] or WhatsApp 064 652 6432.
Cape Argus