Cape Town Fashion Week Highlights

From after parties to must-see new designers, here’s your beginner’s guide to Cape Town’s trendy Fashion Week

The city is crawling with Amazonianly-tall, long-legged, champagne-guzzling goddesses - the short rich men who circle them – and tall, dark, handsome, lean, square-jawed, perfect male prototypes -and the short rich men who circle them.  In a nutshell, it’s the 2012 Mercedes-Benz Cape Town Fashion Week, and while that means the Mother City will be swathed in so-trendy-it-hurts parties and infinitely glamorous collections, it’s vital to keep abreast of the week’s highlights to navigate this extravagant event properly.

Thus without further ado, your cheat sheet to what’s worth seeing, attending and bragging to your friends about.   

2012 CAPE TOWN FASHION WEEK HIGHLIGHTS

Cape Town Fashion Council brings you Five Emerging Designers – Icons in the Making
AFI, the CTFC and associated fashion schools have made it their mission to see African, and specifically South African, designers compete at an international level. In their efforts to ensure that the nation no longer looks to emulate fashion from the rest of the world, but rather strives to create uniquely African designs, the AFI and CTFC have chosen five emerging designers from Cape Town and invited them to exhibit. These up and coming stars were selected for their potential to mould their fashion brands into sustainable business platforms.

The Five Emerging Designers for Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Cape Town will showcase on Friday, 27 July 2012 at 3:30pm at the CTICC, and they are:

• Pumeza Mekuto of Black Coal Clothing
• Celeste Lee Arendse of Selfi
• Robyn Victor of August Clothing
• Terien Malherbe of Non-European
• Maloti Mothoni of Strato

Don’t miss the opportunity to be able to one day say, “I saw Celeste Lee Arendse (or any of the others) showcase before she was a household name.”

Don’t miss these spanking new designers
This year, Fashion Week is featuring an exciting collection of new designers:

• Rachel De Mart
  Rachel De Mart brings women their wardrobe must-have, the staple LBD - Little Black Dress. Her signature black dresses embody high-end fashion,  and her wares are already much-desired by the elite movers and shakers.

• Adriaan Kuiters
  An exciting  addition to the menswear genre, he offers timeless, tailored pieces with classic edges in a muted palette.

• Ruald Rheeder
  Best known for his popular men’s label in YDE, Rheeder produces couture custom made for a selection of celebrities and elite clients in the know.

Keep an ear to the ground for these top-notch house favourites
These two designers boast clothing ranges that have earned them a place in the names to watch category.

• Michelle Ludek
• Ruff Tung

AFI fastrack seminars
On Friday, 27 July 2012, the AFI will host the AFI fastrack seminars. These will be held at the CTICC and aim to provide education and inspiration for the development of the fashion industry. These seminars include:

• Presentations by Foschini’s head of design Johan Crouse,
• The announcement of fashion market trends by WGSN
• An exclusive “icons of fashion” discussion with big names such as Jenny Le Roux and French designer Fred Sathal.

Returning Designers always worth a gander
After a brief hiatus, these well-known icons are back to showcase their spring and summer 2012 collections.

• Hip Hop
• Jenny Button’s Philosophy
• Rosenworth

For those devout “local is lekker” fashionistas
We’ve covered the emerging Cape Town designers, but Fashion Week also welcomes a number of firmly established Cape Town designers:

• Gavin Rajah
• Stefania Morland
• KLUK CGDT
• Jenny Le Roux’s Habits
• Lalesso
• Craig Port
• Tart

City of Gold - Johannesburg Designers
Not to be overlooked, Johannesburg’s fashion divas are representing, and in true ‘Joburg style’, are showcasing at a secret location. This list includes such fashion royalty as:

• David Tlale
• Thula Sindi
• Spero Villioti

KZN Designers including our “Fashion Olympian”
The D’urbanites will be a little more grounded, bringing us athletic gear as well as designs by the woman who created our South African Olympics Uniform.

• Dax Martin
  Shows off his athletic range

• Leigh Shubert
  Her design was voted for and chosen as the winning entry for our South African Olympics team uniform. She presents a contemporary collection at Fashion Week before jetting off to the 2012 London Olympics to see her opening ceremony kit worn first hand.
  
  AFI executive chairperson Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe says, “We are very proud of Leigh Schubert, who will take fashion design from South Africa to the global Olympic stage. Not only will our sporting prowess be on show, but our creativity as well!”

And now, the one you’ve been waiting for... The Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Cape Town OFFICIAL AFTER PARTY!!!
What better way to celebrate the close of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week 2012 than with a massive party at Trinity nightclub in Green Point on Saturday, 28 July 2012. This “beautiful people” affair promises to be the most spectacular after party in the 10-year history of Cape Town Fashion Week.

Ticket prices range from R100p/p-R250p/p, and the DJ line-up for Saturday, 28 July includes:

• DJ Ralf Kollmann
• Leighton Moody
• Erefaan Pearce
• Dino Moran
• Dean Fuel
• VJ Tara

We bring you more info on The Official After Party as well as details on Cape Town Fashion Week
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Use our events section for an up-to-date overview of happenings in Cape Town. Also, don’t forget to follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, join our Google+ circle and check out our Pinterest boards for updates.

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By Aisling Holmes