We're crossing fingers for another LVMH Prize victory as SA's Sindiso Khumalo makes it onto the 2020 shortlist

After womenswear designer Thebe Magugu's unprecedented LVMH Prize win in 2019 as the first-ever African designer to claim this victory, we knew that would only be the beginning for South African designers and creatives alike in terms of sharing the stage with our international counterparts.  

We've never been short of talent, but perhaps we just needed to avert our gaze ever so slightly. And the wider the gaze, the more international accolades we see earned by local designers and innovators. The latest example of this is the announcement of the 2020 LVMH Prize semifinalists, which includes South African sustainable fashion and textile designer Sindiso Khumalo. 

READ MORE: "It's a powerful time to be an African designer" - Sindiso Khumalo  

Sharing the news on her Instagram account this weekend, the Central St Martins graduate (yes, Richard Quinn also studied there) wrote; "Thank you @lvmhprize for shortlisting me. What a potent thing to have been invited to, I am deeply humbled by the nomination. And thank you to all the very many people who have supported my brand in so many ways! The seamstresses, handweavers, hand-embroiderers, journalists, my family of creatives, pattern cutters, photographers, textiles printers, clients, my mentors, all friends, all family, Mama, Zamani, Ed and my beautiful babies. This is nothing short of a dream. Ngiyabonga." 

READ MORE: This is what a Vogue editor has to say about where South Africa is headed in terms of luxury fashion  

After winning the Vogue Italia 'Who's On Next Dubai' competition in 2015 (pictured below) where Laduma Ngxokolo of Maxhosa was also a competitor, Sindiso has since become the only African designer shortlisted this year for another prestigious fashion prize. 

Image: Getty

On the LVMH Prize shortlist, she is joined by fellow design prodigies from across the globe, including Peter Do, Piotrek Panszczyk & Beckett Fogg of AREA, and Priya Ahluwalia of AHLUWALIA. 

In addition this, the website of her self-titled label details how the designer has been "published in Vogue Italia, Vogue UK, Elle Magazine and Marie Claire Magazine and "Africa: Architecture, Culture and Identity. She has collaborated with IKEA, Woolworths South Africa, Vodacom, The Sanlam Handmade Fair on bespoke designs."

According to Vogue, the selected semifinalists "aren’t just making beautiful clothes; they’re tackling fashion’s carbon footprint, designing for their communities, and celebrating their diverse cultures." 

The LVMH Prize founder Delphine Arnault also told Vogue that this year's lists "stands out in terms of parity, with 14 women and 14 men, each illustrating in their own way the ongoing conversation between the male and female wardrobes, the breaking down of gender barriers, and the emergence of a more inclusive mode of dressing." 

And that would be a perfect note on which to take a look at some of Sindiso Khumalo's outstanding creations: 

Images from Sindiso Khumalo's Collection 7:  

Sourced from sindisokhumalo.com

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