With Days 1 and 2 of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Cape Town 2012 focusing on established designers, Day 3 kicked off with a special collaboration between African Fashion International and the Cape Town Fashion Council to showcase emerging designer talent. Day 3 also featured one of our favourite designers from the week, Thula Sindi, while Day 4 included our favourite show – David Tlale in the colorful Bo-Kaap. Here are the highlights of the last two days of MBFWCT 2012!
Day 3:Black Coal, Strato, Selfi, August, Non-European, Michelle Ludek, Ruff Tung, Thula Sindi, Ruald Rheeder, Hip Hop, Fabiani, Viyella Heritage
After the up and comers, next was Michelle Ludek, who this year took a step away from her signature draping and wrapping style to include more tailored looks. She also unveiled the color “celery” that she created and developed for this collection.
Ruff Tung‘s collection embodied its style of producing clothes with playful contrasts – precise tailoring meets playful silhouettes, clean lines intersect voluminous ruffles, and neutral tones find a dash of color contrast.
Meanwhile, Thula Sindi produced some of the more interesting pieces of the day, mixing materials and textures to create what he calls his simple and sophisticated aesthetic.
For his show, Ruald Rheeder looked to bring the “summers of the world” to the catwalk in Cape Town, combining bright “African colors” with “European summer influences” for his structured pieces. Meanwhile, MBFWCT 2012 also marked the launch of his first ladies-wear collection, following the same bright color aesthetics.
The curiously named multi-designer brand HipHop (we don’t see it, do you?) – which has been around for 25 years and is one of South Africa’s most popular brands – showed off a fresh and revamped collection for MBFWCT 2012.
However, luxury menswear retailer Fabiani doubled down on it’s 30-year tradition of distinctive tailoring and “happy color” pops.
Closing out Day 3 was another South African luxury men’s outfitter, and this one claims it’s the oldest clothing brand in the world! Established in 1784 in the English Midlands, Viyella launched its new contemporary brand Viyella Heritage centered around “quirky styling and bold colors” this year at MBFWCT 2012.
Day 4: David Tlale, Lalesso, tart, Adriaan Kuiters, Spero Villioti, Steffania Morland.
Day 4 kicked off with arguably the best show of the week, with celebrated designed David Tlale staging a silent yet dramatic show on the streets of Cape Town’s colorful Bo-Kaap neighbourhood. Tlale made masterful use of fabric and texture for his collection, manipulating them to highlight the beauty of movement and form. Adding a touch of mystery and drama to the show, Tlale’s models quietly lined up draped in colorful sheets, which they slowly shed to reveal Tlale’s almost priestly white creations.
Designer duo Alice Heusser and Olivia Kennaway formed Lalesso with the goal of creating “vibrant and care-free summer fashion.” Their collection at MBFWCT 2012 paid hommage to the “free-spirited traveller,” making use of comfortable natural fibres and accessorizing with nomadic brass embellishments.
Meanwhile, tart‘s Spring/Summer 2012/2013 adhered closely to the brand’s overall philosophy of fuss-free dressing, with easy to wear slip-on dresses crafted out of proudly South African colors and prints.
On the menswear side, Adriaan Kuiters took the simple aesthetic one step further, working exclusively with a muted palette and drawing inspiration from the idea of the “timeless traveller.” In this case, that meant an understated, extremely casual line-up of clothes.
Spero Villioti, otherwise known in South Africa as a purveyor of fine haute couture, launched his Resort Collection at MBFWCT 2o12 to help women effortlessly move from a day by the pool to an evening at the bar – a need he felt was not being met for the modern South African woman’s lifestyle.
And lastly, closing out four days of South Africa’s best contemporary fashion, Stefania Morland looked to the past for inspiration – specifically to Marie Antoinette. The garments she displayed sought to draw on the infamous French Queen’s distinct style using copious feathers, soft bows, accentuating ruffles and Peter Pan collars.
Up next: Wine Tasting in the Western Cape!
Photo Credit: AFI/MBFWCT2012/SDR