My final range: A Gothic Love Tale

It took me a while to get the pics from my final range at LISOF, but here they are! My range was based on Gothic Architecture. When I began designing my range, I pictured myself standing in a Gothic Cathedral, and imagined everything that I might see around me. I pictured a dark shadowy corner, and then light streaming through a small window; I pictured the tall columns, the vaulted roofs and the epic buttresses; and I pictured thousands of doves fluttering in the courtyard. All these images pieced together to create a collection full of contrasts; a high-peaked shoulder, versus a small panel line; restrictive corsets paralleled against a flowing chiffon skirt; caging compared to feathered wings; and structured and hard shapes, but made with sheer, delicate organza

Fashion Week Wrap up: Avant, and Stiaan Louw

Avant are fairly new on the Fashion Week circuit. Under the label Gaschette, a production, styling and design house, Avant showcased their women's collection entitled: Nude and Noir. "The collection is graphic, boxy, linear, uncomplicated and clean... it is a juxtaposition of definite form and shape within the loose confines of drapery". I loved absolutely every piece of the collection, and I think the Avant show is the favourite in my books.

Stiaan Louw presented his menswear collection, which came across contemporary, casual, and cool. "Inspired by social, sexual, and traditional cultural themes, Stiaan creates a modern interpretation, relating to specific forms of self expression... his work incorporates ideas of ambiguity and duality: masculine versus feminine, trendiness versus luxury, intellectuality versus understatement". I was very impressed by this collection, and I think menswear is a vastly unexplored market in the South African fashion industry. I'm so excited to see talent like this coming through!

Fashion week wrap up: Fast Track day

The Fast Track day was dedicated to showcasing young designers and graduate designers, thereby creating a fast track to their careers. Two of the most impressive talents, in my opinion, were my fellow LISOF graduates Portia Moruthane and Jessica Sutherland

Portia Moruthane's range (L), entitled Timbur's Explorations, was inspired by the film, Sweeny Todd, by Tim Burton. The look references men's clothing and suiting transformed into contemporary women's clothing. "She sees men's clothing as a symbol of power, liberation and movement." This look had a very consistent and strong aesthetic, and it's difficult to decide which is my favourite from this collection.

Jessica Sutherland's range (R) was incredible and bowled over the media and press. Having won range of the year at LISOF, expectations were high, and not only did she meet them, she exceeded them! The range was "shaped around the concept of transition... The goal was to create individual pieces that could respond to changes in mood, occasion (work, play, travel), climate and season, by allowing them to change in length, shape, silhouette, colour and pattern". My favourite look was the black short dress and oversized black coat that inzipped into a contemporary waistcoat. Fantastic stuff!

Johannesburg Fashion Week wrap-up

AW 2011-12 Johannesburg Fashion Week, South Africa

AFI mixed things up this year by hosting fashion week in various cultural hot spots in town, including The Bus Factory, Johannesburg Art Gallery, Randlords, Fashion Kapitol and The Nelson Mandela Bridge.

Some of the shows were fantastic. Some, in my my opinion, were incredibly disappointing, but I'm going to choose to share the ones that I found most impressive with you. Among my favourites were Suzaan Heyns, Abigail Betz, Stiaan Louw, Avant, Heni and a few young designers from the Fast Track shows.

First up: Suzaan Heyns

The show was inspired by the mechanics of the human body. "It's about symbolism looking at physical mechanics and taking it onto the outside, which in turn represents the unveiling of our hidden psyche"

I loved the mens wear in particular. I think it is fantastic that a few designers are pushing the envelope when it comes to men's fashion. We certainly do have a gap in the market crying out to be filled in South Africa. One of the exciting methods used was a type of braiding that I only know as Scouby-doo braiding. It forms a square sort of knot, and this was one of the innovative details in the show. Another incredible part was the make-up! Braids covered the eyebrows and joined into the hair, almost like veins. The use of leather in a draped fashion was also a very contemporary look.