Three South African Brands That Will Feature In Lagos Fashion Week

Lagos fashion week is among us with only a week left before it officially starts on the 26 of October 2022. Lagos Fashion Week (LagosFW), is a four-day event held in Nigeria’s fashion capital of Lagos, that serves as a platform for the Nigerian and ultimately the African fashion industries by bringing together buyers, shoppers, and the media to examine the most recent collections of designers. This year it holds 100 fashion designers from all over the African continent and three of them are from South Africa that are Maxhosa Africa, Rich Mnisi and Wanda Lephoto.

Maxhosa Africa was founded by Laduma Ngxokolo in 2012 who initially envisioned that his brand will be a creation of a modern Xhosa-inspired knitwear collection that would be suitable for this market. But along the way, he felt the need to develop premium knitwear that celebrates traditional Xhosa aesthetics. Due to his close cultural ties to his heritage, his designs captivate South Africans. Laduma took over ownership of his production facility, which made room for a new story about how businesses are designed.

Laduma Ngxokolo is not only an award-winning designer but he is also an entrepreneur and creative artist who is globally recognized with invites to showcase on international platforms like the New York Fashion Week. Laduma’s work has been displayed and archived in the SMITHSONIAN Museum and MOMA: Museum of Modern Art in New York, Laduma’s design work has also been seen and preserved in museums in Hamburg, Switzerland, and Berlin. He is both an example of how African design has evolved and a source of inspiration. MAXHOSA AFRICA clothing is distinguished by its distinctive design, superb craftsmanship, and high calibre.

Rich Mnisi was founded in 2015 and it is a brand that was initially a creative outlet with the intention of uncovering Africa’s undiscovered riches while also being young, current, and contemporary. The brand originates from Mnisi’s desire to create a gripping story through his work about a mysterious past, intriguing present, and redesigned future, as well as to connect more deeply with his distinctive culture and history.

Every collection and offering from RICH MNISI express a unique point of view while celebrating culture, tradition, and everyday human experience. All of this is housed in radically simple yet innovatively designed and expertly crafted structures. The brand is designed to uphold a modern perspective and be steadfast in a style that fuses realms of artistic creativity. Rich Mnisi creates fresh layers and visions that are influenced by elements other than the world of fashion, including movies, music, art, and nature. He immerses himself but keeps his distance, taking only the necessary cues to build upon.

Wanda Lephoto is a contemporary brand that was established in 2016 out of the need to tell stories. The brand creates cultural hybrids that communicate circumstances that are rarely explored and are inspired by both modern subculture trends and traditional cultural practices. The self-titled brand of Wande Lephoto aims to achieve a mix between traditional emblems and modern subculture trends, like streetwear and basics for workwear. Lephoto aspires to inform viewers about African art and design’s under-researched contexts by fusing narratives to produce cultural hybrids.

Wanda Lephoto explores the concept of luxury clothing by blending African cultures, traditions, identities, and methods with global nuances to create new representational proposals. Wanda Lephoto seeks to fuse two or more worlds to create a space that is free and enables people to negotiate the limits of their own representation and identity through style and culture.

Most of Wanda Lephoto’s contemporary tales are influenced by the spirit of Africa and focus on the identities of normally marginalized people and groups. Tailoring serves as the foundation for most collections. Reinterpreting past craftsmanship in fresh, modern ways to inspire wider debates that can bring us all together to discover solutions for our shared issues and futures.

I can not wait to see what these South African creatives have in store for us. To know about Lagos Fashion Week you can visit their website at lagosfashionweek.ng

Vhuthuhawe

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