It still feels like yesterday when the world came to a standstill two years ago. We were locked in our houses and couldn’t even buy snacks or attend events.
It was sad, but we had to do it for the better health of ourselves and those around us. Two years later, we can go outside without a mask, something we never thought would happen so soon.
Since March, 2020 most people had to pack away their stylish clothes for something more comfortable due to spending a lot of time indoors.
Now that events are open, it’s time to bring back those stylish garments and show us your creative fashion side post-pandemic.
With that said, get your spring colours ready for some of the hottest fashion shows happening in the country between September and October.
Durban Fashion Fair
On September 21 to 23, eThekwini Metro is to host its 10th annual Durban Fashion Fair at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre. Besides the established designers, this year’s show will see student designers who are part of its mentorship programme taking to the runway to showcase their collections.
As part of their weekly tasks, the student designers are mentored by Fezile Mdletshe, managing director and founder of the Fezile Fashion Skills Academy, is to critique each other’s work before presenting their collections to a larger audience of fashion buyers, the media, critics, and the general public at the fashion fair.
Ethekwini mayor councillor Mxolisi Kaunda is happy that the fashion development programme continues to gain momentum.
“Our aim was to discover fresh talent and provide the necessary mentorship to encourage self-employment by sharpening designers’ skills so they can in turn create employment for others.”
Free State Fashion Week
The Free State Fashion Week is back after a two-year hiatus. This year, they have partnered with All Black Soiree – a premium lifestyle event established in 2021 to host the fashion extravaganza at the Naval Hill, Planetarium, Bloemfontein.
“As All Black Soiree, we are elated and honoured that Candy Smith has offered us the opportunity to partner with a phenomenal brand such as Free State Fashion Week. One that seeks to emancipate young people economically, creatively and socially by breaking historic barriers to entry. We look forward to a long-standing partnership which will birth many opportunities,” said Rapelang Khati, chief operating officer of All Black Soiree.
As a build-up to the fashion show happening on September 28 to October 1, the fashion week will host a Women’s Day Breakfast on August 9 to give people an idea of what to expect.
“The Women’s Day Breakfast will focus on the most important element of being a woman and how each and every woman in our midst has overcome the past two challenging years and how they have experienced humanity in its vulnerable state,” said chief executive of the Free State Fashion Week, Candy Smith.
Some of the guests expected at the event include award-winning TV and radio personality Lerato Kganyago, Metro FM “Ask A Man”, and “Young Famous & African” star Naked DJ, and internationally renowned medium and life coach, Taz Singh.
And for the fashion show, designers will showcase collections based on the “Be Human” theme, inspired by surviving a global pandemic and life after the pandemic.
“This year, I want to encourage our fashion entrepreneurs to pause for a moment, take a deep breath and ”Be Human”. That’s exactly what the theme of 2022 wants to achieve. Everyone in the world has gone through so much in their personal and business lives.
“We need to take a moment to breathe and restart with new energy. It’s time to rise from whatever we have lost throughout the pandemic and take our rightful place and still manage to “Be Human”. This will definitely reflect in the various designer collections this year,” said Smith.
South African Fashion Week
South African Fashion Week has not yet confirmed if they’ll be staging a fashion show, which usually happens at the beginning of October. They are busy processing the entries for the Scouting Menswear Competition. The SA Fashion Week Scouting Menswear Competition is an initiative that searches for the best menswear emerging designers in the country to introduce them to the media and buyers, as well as those who supported them in breaking into the retail market. The semi-finalists for the competition will be announced on July 20, 2022.
