SAFW kicks off with live audience and 29 designers showcasing their latest collections

This season 29 designers will unveil their collections at South African Fashion Week (SAFW) this October for the Autumn/winter 2022 collections in the crystal court at the mall of Africa.

“This is the very first live Fashion Week that we do after Covid. We’ve done two digital broadcasts but this is the first live one and you know, gauging from the audience, they are ready because you know fashion needs to be seen, fashion needs to be experienced and fashion needs to be a space where people express themselves,” says Lucilla Booyzen, the CEO of SAFW.

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Some of the new designers will be showcasing include six finalists of the scouting menswear competition. They are Marquin Simpson, Refuse Clothing Brand, Saint Vuyo, Umsweko, Vanklan and Boyde.

South African designer Michael Peter Reid says, “In South Africa, our industry is completely different, our education in fashion is completely different. So working with Italian fashion designers working with Polimoda, Camera Nazionale fella Moda and of course the Italian trade industry and everyone. It was so good to have so much support and it helped us become better designers, I will never design the same again.”

Mall of Africa, the co-organiser of this year’s fashion week says it is immensely proud to support South African fashion both by staging the dynamic showcase as well as by making retail opportunities available to talented fashion entrepreneurs.

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“South Africa has so many talented people and it’s important that we constantly are able to express ourselves in multiple different ways so I’m really enjoying the experience right now really great.

“We have arrived we are ready to take over the world is sufficient industry in South Africa and I am so glad to be part of this experience today,” says conceptual artist Thobeka Msane.

Designers will showcase their work at the SAFW pop-up shop from 3-5 December 2021 where people can purchase exclusive garments and directly interact with the designers.

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