Thebe Magugu gets nod from journalist Mandy Wiener, whose book partly inspired his latest collection

• Renowned designer Thebe Magugu has revealed that Mandy Wiener's book about corruption and Zapiro's cartoons are the muses behind his first menswear collection, which debuted at Pitti Uomo in Italy.
• And Miley Cyrus was among the first to spot a suit from the collection, which was featured in British Vogue.
• Mandy spoke to W24 about the collection and the cultural shift it brought about.

If you've never imagined that a fashion collection could be inspired by a political book about corruption and Zapiro's cartoons, you're not alone. Even the writer of the book in question, Mandy Wiener, didn't see it coming. However, the author, broadcaster and journalist says it's a sign of a much-anticipated culture shift. And she loves the designs too.

Thebe Magugu, the eponymous label founded in 2016 by Thebetsile Magugu, has been making international headlines, most notably since 2019 when the designer won the LVMH Prize, becoming the first-ever African designer and label to claim this honour.

His latest collection is titled "Doublethink", a term from George Orwell's seminal novel 1984, which is defined as the act of simultaneously accepting two mutually contradictory beliefs.

This is the Kimberley-born designer's first full menswear collection and it recently debuted at Pitti Uomo in Italy. Miley Cyrus has already been spotted wearing a suit from the collection, which was also featured in British Vogue.

READ MORE | Impossible is Nothing: Thebe Magugu on excellence, education and his beloved muse

Alongside Zapiro's work, Mandy's book, The Whistleblowers, is the muse for this collection.

"Mandy Wiener's book… forms part of the collection's conceptual framework. Whistleblowers are not celebrated or cast as heroic characters. Instead, they are largely treated as insubordinate, pariahs or troublemakers, wearing the scarlet letter W and unable to find employment," the LVMH Prize-winning designer wrote on his Instagram page.

"I have chosen to shine a light on the plight of whistleblowers in South Africa, in the hope to advocate for a change in legislation, organisational support and a change in social attitude."

Thebe contacted Mandy a few months ago, telling her he'd read her book, and the two discussed its contents further, with Thebe asking Mandy some questions as part of his research.

The book is about local whistleblowers who've spoken out about fraud and corruption and were left with the harrowing aftermath of their disclosures.

READ MORE | Thebe Magugu's international footprint grows with a spot secured at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Mandy didn't anticipate that her book would inspire a fashion line, but she's pleasantly surprised. "I never thought that something I'd written would somehow be a muse for a fashion line. I was so excited when I heard about it because it's something you don't expect at all," she tells us.

What makes Mandy most excited that her book was one of the inspirations for the collection is that she sees it as evidence of a culture shift.

"I've always hoped that we have a societal revolution around such issues, and this is one of the indicators that it's starting to happen," Mandy shares.

She saw the collection for the first time in Vogue and gave the pieces a thumbs up.

READ MORE | Thebe Magugu in line for next international win as one of the 2021 Woolmark Prize Top 6 finalists

"I'm so pleased because Thebe really acknowledges and fully appreciated the purpose of why I wrote the book. He pays tribute to that, and that's what's so important to me because, with fashion, it's very easy for it to become superficial," Mandy says. "But I think with this collection, there's a genuine appreciation of why I wrote the book and the purpose of why whistleblowers speak up in the fight against corruption."

On his Instagram page, Thebe shared more about the collection. 

"In many ways, the societal ills we wrestle with stem from the insidious actions of its leaders. In South Africa, we have regularised the daily tales of missing millions and economy-controlling families," he wrote.

So, will Mandy be seen in a piece from the collection soon? "Absolutely," she tells us. "If Miley Cyrus can wear it, I can too."

What do you think of this collection? Tell us here.

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