31 October 2019 South African Fashion Week – Day 4 This season marked the 22nd year of South African Fashion Week championing the business of fashion, and supporting designer talent in South Africa. The last day of SAFW Luxury Collections coincided with Johannesburg Pride, which was a colourful, and stylish event from the looks of things as we made our way to Rooftop Protea Court, Sandton City. The city of lights, and all things bright, Johannesburg never disappoints when it comes to dressing up and showing up. Day 4 of South African Fashion Week (SAFW) held Saturday, 26 October 2019, closed off with a dapperly and diverse bang. A night of mix and match, some print motifs here and there, a few accessories and blazers, lots of blazers. Fashion attendees and audience members were treated to luxury menswear collections by acclaimed and well-loved SA designers. SAFW Autumn/Winter 2020 Menswear Luxury Collections The night kicked off with a House of Ole Installation, by Ole Ledimo. Ole’s installation has been a regular feature at SAFW. The fashion brand draws its inspiration from the ‘colour of Africa and the colour exuded by its people’. The crowd was a buzz. Post-show mingles were had over Cruz vodka-infused cocktails. While others debriefed over off-the-radar conversations. On an aside, 2019 has been an amazing year for African fashion as well as African designers – about time! This was followed by a showcase of designers; winner of the Scouting Menswear Competition circa 2015, Floyd Avenue. LISOF alumnus Otsile Sefolo of Otiz Seflo and artisanal brand, Ntando XV. “Men are now paying more attention to what they wear, are bolder and take more risks’’ – Floyd Manotoano (Floyd Avenue) Franc Elis closed off the Autumn Winter Luxury Collections fashion week with his clean-cut collection. On a perhaps sentimental note, FROW (front row) and accompanying seats were adorned with Elis’s branded bags. Whether it was a traditional marketing move or part of the production, it added a memorable effect to his showcase in particular. Franc was preceded by Hombre and Ephymol. Designer Showcase Hombre The head of Hombre, women’s and menswear designer Vanessa Pillay, looked like a movie star as she walked out on the runway, to intense applause from the audience, after her collection display. Her iteration of Autumn/Winter luxury boasted of luxe, relaxed black signature pieces balanced out by leopard print, as well as dark floral prints. Black was the predominant colour in the collection, followed by rich chocolate brown. Black is the ‘never-fail’ of menswear, it works. Franc Elis Franc Elis revived the auditorium with his well-cut, tailored designs. The collection was led by a gorgeous model with a bone structure that deserves several covers. Hues of blue dominated his menswear line while the garments were paired with travel weekender bags to simulate the look and feel of the high-end wearer. Founded by Fabrice Moyo, the design philosophy of the brand is sophistication. Ephymol Ephraim Molingoane debuted his first collection at the 2002 South African Fashion Week and has been showcased at SA Fashion Week ever since. Ephymol is a brand with continual longevity. The Ephymol AW20 collections for the evening were an intelligent, inclusive medley of different styles for the discerning high-end wearer. A Closing Fashion Word Fashion glossies are dying, print is in dire shape. And fashion weeks? Well, globally the allure of fashion weeks is slowly fading and losing relevance (Vox, 2019). However, South Africans are still keeping the momentum together. It’s still a good fashion story for us – for now. SAFW’s theme for Luxury Collections was rooted in sustainability. Setting the tone for the next season and the future. Menswear won this fashion week. #BLQFashion #SAFWAW20 All images courtesy of Eunice Driver photography, the official SAFW photographer. Menswear wins the Fashion Night Out0.0bad 🙁 good 🙂Reader Rating: (0 Votes) Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYou must be logged in to post a comment.