South African designers have been making waves in the fashion industry and this is only the beginning. Designer Thebe Magugu, an LVMH Prize winner; Rich Mnisi, who has collaborated with Adidas; and Lukhanyo Mdingi, 2021 Karl Lagerfeld Prize, have shown that South African designers are taking over the global fashion stage.
The latest South African Fashion Week has introduced us to a new group of designers who are on their way to taking over the industry.
Here are 4 South African designers who are next in fashion:
Thando Ntulu, MUNKUS
Thando Ntuli recently won the Talent Search 2022 at South African Fashion Week for her brand MUNKUS. She says, “I wanted to design for a unique and wider age group as the past and present influence me. The collection looks have layered pieces allowing each woman to wear it the way they want to and add their twist to it.”
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The South African luxury brand is influenced by South African fashion during the 80s and 90s. It’s website states, “A link to home and a chance to be bold, a brand that lays between casual and formal.”
MUNKUS offers ready-to-wear collections to be worn for any occasion.
Silo and Sethu Kondleka, SUHU ORIGINAL
This brother duo is making waves with their brand, SUHO ORIGINAL among the cool kids in South Africa. The Kondleka brothers share in a statement, “We established the brand in the early moments of the pandemic when the country was on full lockdown. You couldn’t travel, couldn’t even go for a coffee date. We wanted to create the right pieces for when we got those moments back, garments you could rock in Durban or Bali.”
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The Kondleka brothers’ designs are influenced by workwear, with two-piece overalls and well-tailored pieces.
Ntando Ngwenya, Ntando XV
Shown most recently at South African Fashion Week 2022, Ntando Ngwenya’s brand Ntando XV “offers artisanal clothing, with unconventional design.”
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Ntando aims to shift the industry by merging conservative and postmodern techniques. He puts a contemporary twist on traditional methods. The designer’s love for fashion began at an early age and he loves working with “experimental cuts, pattern engineering, unusual intricate finishing, treated goods, and controlled fits.”
Kayla Stamboul, Kayla Stam
Kayla Stamboul is the Creative Director and Founder of the womenswear brand Kayla Stam. She is inspired by her mother’s fashion sense and hopes to inspire women of all ages through style.
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Kayla’s designs are contemporary and are perfect for women in corporate who want to look put together, yet chic.
