Soweto Fashion Week growing and still learning to strut its stuff

The third annual Soweto Fashion Week took place at The Soweto Theatre this week, with a wide range of styles from various designers from all over the country on show.

The event launched on Wednesday with performances by local artists and actors from Rhythm City who used the occasion to showcase their musical talents, although there was no foretaste of some of the designs which would be on show later in the week.

Once Soweto Fashion dropped the frivolity there was plenty to see in the fashion stakes although the overriding feeling was one of seeing much the same in terms of design trends with only the colours setting the design houses apart.

One of the designers that stood out though, was a group called Bespokehr, made up a group of young male designers from Soweto who showcased a variety of tailored suits.

“We have designed and made suits for our (Johannesburg) Mayor Parks Tau, and are looking at designing for DA leader Mmusi Maimane,” said Nkululeko Makhubu, one of the creators of the label.

Makhubu said they wanted to design for Maimane because they loved what he stood for. “We love his style of leadership and because he is a young leader, which we look up to, being that he is also from a township.”

The group was exhibiting for the first time and were impressed by the public response that they had received.

“We have enjoyed this fashion week because it wasnt status-based like the others,” he said. “Its focused on the love of fashion.”

Nosipho Magandela, a fashion buyer who has attended a number of international fashion shows, said of the event: “The designs looked unfinished and lacked creativity.”

Magandela said that taking designers from the Soweto Fashion Week to its equivalent in say Paris, would show the local designers up and make them feel like amateurs.

“More preparation was needed and more creative work needed to be done,” she said. “The creativity is there but more professionalism is needed.”

Stephen Manzini, the director of Soweto Fashion Week, said the week had gone off well with growth up from previous years and said he was confident each year was getting better.

Manzini said most buyers were people who were opening stores and came to get designers to assist with the stocking of their stores.

“The fashion week empowers designers and gives then opportunities to grow,” Manzini said.

Tapiwa Manase, the designer from Wooolaholics, said Soweto Fashion Week needed to help with better advertising and marketing of the individual designers.

Manase added that it was all about what to put in and called for patience as the event grew.

“There’s only so much the organisers can do, but there’s room for improvement, but overall it’s rewarding being here.”Read more here:formal dresses canberra