Black Coffee the fave at Fashion Week – Represent!
Our lady Generalista braved the who’s-shmooze of Fashion Week to give us the lowdown on what was hot and what thought it was hot – here it is:
I wasn’t looking forward to the first of the SAFW shows I attended – Stoned Cherrie’s headlined “Stars at Play” at the Old Synagogue in Hillbrow. I should’ve been. And a week ago, I had been. But that was before I discovered that every sin…
gle one of my uber-fashion conscious and savvy friends – more than 50% of them buyers for one of the largest clothing retail chains in SA – had declined their invitations, citing a sincere and overwhelming lack of interest and/or enthusiasm for the “pretentious” event that had only done nothing but disappoint them in previous years.
On arrival, all the evidence was there to suggest they might be right, as it was at the two subsequent shows I went to – Black Coffee’s “Develops with Time” and the finale, Rohit Bal, Tarun Tahiliani, Malini Ramani, Marianne Fassler and Vino Moodley’s “An Indian Summer”.
In attendance, sipping on champagne were all the usual suspects – a suitable splash of local shlebs (stage and screen), the supporting bevy of colourful fashionistas, a full press quota, and the usual media bunch. Most of them wearing foreign labels.
Amongst them, only a token percentage of “non-invitees” – I found out later that the number of (paying) public allowed access to the shows at both venues was severely restricted, despite capacities for much larger audiences.
Yes, at a first glance, this definitely had all the makings of just another one of those events – an ultimately elitist gathering where everyone was more concerned with being seen than with seeing what our local talent had to offer us next.
Yet these people seemed to be genuinely enjoying themselves. Animated conversations were taking place all around me about the shows – some were gushing over what they’d already seen, others were fidgeting in anticipation of the next dose of design. The atmosphere was nothing short of feverish. I soon found out why.
Whilst none of the shows failed to impress, it was Black Coffee’s “Develops with Time” that, in my opinion, truly demonstrated just how far the local industry’s come, just how close we are to deserving a place on the international stage, and just how important South African Fashion Week is becoming.
The off-site setting (again, the Old Synagogue) was the first strike of genius. Black Coffee’s decision to do something that, as far as I’m aware, no one else did – to not restrict the number of tickets available to the general public or limit access to the show at the door – was the second. Playing to a much fuller house, the air was more magnetic to begin with. This was further energised by the live performance of an original, purpose-produced soundtrack by singer and dj throughout. Then there were the models – 15 completely distinctive individuals, the likes of which I do not believe had yet been seen on a ramp anywhere else in the world. Not only were the majority of them over the age of 50, but only one of them was a professional ramp model. Here instead were an artist, actress, domestic worker, teacher, farm girl, housewife, strategist, mother and other “real people”&all wearing bespoke garments, designed for them alone.
Sitting there I felt like I could’ve been watching this show in any one of the fashion capitals of the world. It belonged. The designs themselves remained true to our African roots and spirit, yet simultaneously projected a clear vision of international trends and the future of fashion. The balance was just right. But this was clearly not just about the clothes. Draped on the unorthodox models for whom they’d been made, here was fashion that was making a statement – about an appreciation and love for a what Jacques describes as a “bold anti-ageist aesthetic that celebrates a journey through life”; about an awareness of individuals only getting better as they get older; about a beauty that doesn’t age or change shape.
And it was making it to a captivated audience.
See you next year!
