The South African fashion industry has made a lot of improvements since the country’s first democratic elections in 1994. We’ve moved from the times of Stoned Cherrie and Thula Sindi to hailing the likes of David Tlale and GJ Coetzee. Although the latter still have a strong influence on the industry, we are now beginning to sing praises of new names such as the likes of KL Tsotetsi, Laz Yani and others.
The City of Cape Town, together with the Cape Town Fashion Council have come together in bringing us yet another feast for the eyes. Africa's first ever Menswear Fashion Week is set to take place in Cape Town from the 5th to the 7th of February 2015. I got a chance to interview one of the designers who will be showcasing his materials, Rich Mnisi, the genius behind the brand OATH and here’s what he had to say:
ZAlebs: It’s been almost a year since your S/S 2014 collection and your fast track competition, how has your life changed since then?
Rich Mnisi: It’s only been 3 months since my AFI Fastrack Young Designer of the Year win, so I guess it’s just been really busy and I’m slowly wrapping my head around the business of fashion.
ZA: We’ve seen your previous collections from Don’t Drink the Kool Aid Kid, and one would automatically assume you’re a sportswear kinda guy. How would you describe your design style?
RM: OATH's design aesthetic is very young and ‘dope,’ with our visually textured prints on clean silhouettes and through the influence of pop culture and contemporary sportswear, a versatile and fashion forward DNA is achieved.
ZA: Some may say menswear requires a lot of perfection, would you agree with the statement? What do you enjoy most menswear or women’s wear?
RM: I think everything in life requires attention, also the concept of perfection is very subjective. I love both women’s and menswear, both excite me terribly. I must say that menswear was tricky in Africa because of our conservation nature but now we’re slowing accepting to a wide range of aesthetics.
ZA: Tell us more about what we can expect from your menswear collection?
RM: It’s officially my 1st full menswear collection on a runway at the 1st menswear fashion week in South Africa ever!!!! So it’s really exciting, the collection is exciting. It’s very young and very OATH. Yes, that’s it, you can look forward to seeing OATH! It’s most definitely a continuation of what I’ve done in the past.
ZA: What advice can you give to other aspiring fashion designers?
RM: Find your spot and claim it.
As well as Rich, another designer, among the 25 African fashion designers who will be showcasing their work, who has caught the eye Chu Suwannapha. Chu has been a regular in our fashion industry. He has done a lot of work for styling for Levi’s, Woolworths, GQ, and many more. It will be the first time Suwanapha has showcased in Mzansi after leaving his country of birth, Thailand. He will be launching his menswear collection on Saturday the 7th.
Cape Town fashion lovers, I do not know if tickets are still available or not and no, I am not giving out any free tickets! However, you can click here to get in touch with the good folks at Menswear Fashion Week.
Are you already going? Leave us some comments telling us what we can look forward to!
