A Round-up of SA’s First Menswear Week

Our correspondent, Sibusiso Mkize, attended the first South African Menswear Week in Cape Town. This was his take on what he saw.

Day 1

Despite the heat and delay in the schedule, emerging designers Jenevieve Lyons and Lukhanyo Mdingi were the highlights of the day.

Jenevieve Lyons created quite a languid collection that appeared very minimalistic to what she had previously created. The collection displayed sharp lines from incredibly tailored jackets. Her love for developing a design concept was obvious in her collection, highlighted in her “delicquesse” collection – polo necks with lycra lamé fabrics and tops inspired by scuba diving fabrics.

SDR Photo

SDR Photo

SDR Photo

SDR Photo

SDR Photo

Lukhanyo Mdingi received a standing ovation for his heavily textured collection, displaying knotted knitwear, loose-fitting coats and above-the-knee pants. Neutral tones were the driving force of this collection with grey, white and beige tones.

From all the collections on day one, these two designers were the strongest are considered more newsworthy when compared to the other collections that day.

SDR Photo

SDR Photo

SDR Photo

SDR Photo

SDR Photo

Day 2

Day two was not as exciting in my opinion, with the exception of Craig Port, who created a collection that looked to the East but not in too literal a way. Martial Arts belts seemed to be a staple of the collection with black pants that looked almost like harem pants. However, he still stuck to his DNA with those impeccably well-tailored suits.

Simon Deiner / SDR Photo

Simon Deiner / SDR Photo

Simon Deiner / SDR Photo

Simon Deiner / SDR Photo

Simon Deiner / SDR Photo

Day 3

Day three belonged to Chu. The vibrancy of his collection and his love for prints was very obvious. However, it was tribal looking prints that dominated in earthy tones, instead of his usual bright colorful prints.

The origami folded white shirts, layered with flowered patterned jerseys and oversized ponchos made a statement.

Simon Deiner / SDR Photo

Simon Deiner / SDR Photo

Simon Deiner / SDR Photo

Simon Deiner / SDR Photo