Flow project manager Angela Blake and myself got the awesome opportunity of attending day four of the South African Fashion Week on 23 September at The Park at Hyde Park Corner, where we helped cover the event for our client, the Gauteng Tourism Authority (GTA). There we witnessed an exciting collection of menswear by some of the country’s top designers.
We arrived at The Park (dressed to impress) to an array of funky fashion and much buzz. Celebrities, designers and fashionistas were in abundance as we took our seats at the runway. The four shows that ran consecutively made it an exciting, fast-paced experience.
First up was AfrikanSwiss, South Africa’s premium denim designer, whose high-end denim creations were modern and stylish, with a cultural flair.
Next up was bespoke menswear by Zambia-born designer Chiza Ngulube, creative director of the label Esnoko, based in Lusaka. His collection showed colour, African heritage and superior attention to detail.
Newcomer to South African Fashion Week Rogue Wear then took to the runway. The designs expressed classic and innovative elements of high-quality traditional menswear.
Conceptual lifestyle department store D.O.P.E. presented the final collection for the menswear. Headed up by Andile Cele from uMlazi, this collection showed comfort and colour mixed with street fashion.
Covering this event for the GTA was a great experience – we switched between various social media platforms, posting images, text and videos of the fast-paced shows (it was quite a challenge photographing moving models on a mobile phone!). We loved the atmosphere and seeing all the wonderfully eccentric outfits.
"What a pleasure to be able to access the models from up close; it really was an amazing experience, and the fabric prints, colours and cuts came alive before our eyes with such clarity," said Angela.
"The conceptual layout of the catwalk was refreshing, as was the venue in general, with the sponsors taking full advantage of their activation spaces. The vodka lollipops were an absolute hit!."
