Rhythmic footsteps stride down the runway. Movements maneuvered with choreographed ease, accentuated by the warm rays of spotlights which tumble down from the scaffolded heavens above. A performance of innovation – culminating from each individual stitch on stage. A rupture of social norms.
The captivating Autumn/Winter collection showcased at SA Menswear Week this year was a calendar highlight. The runway was set alight with ingenuity and emboldened designs by the likes of ALC, Jenevieve Lyons, Jahnkoy, Nicholas Coutts and Rich Mnisi. Conceptual fluidity, largely drawing on the wealth of contextual influences and imagining a future of sustainability were some of the resounding themes carried by these brands.
Collections made their debut on Friday the 3rd of February and the shows concluded the following day. Many of these intriguing designers are only emerging on the South African fashion landscape. This includes the work of Cape Town based Jenevieve Lyons. Her collection, DE•FRAG•MENTED [UNDATED] hosted figures clad in disjointed bolstered fabric, muffled under transparent masks of mesh and unseeing eyes glazed behind fabricated spectacles.
Jenevieve’s ‘visual parables’ absorbed the audience as she visually sculpted a concept; “Thus will be the story of the somewhat once told – a revisit to what was sometime known…It may be many things at once or simply one at none. Thus is not to be worn nor adorned; yet to be festooned upon while floating off on a journey of the defragmented stories.”
Appearing in the first show on Saturday was Jahnkoy by Siberian-born Brooklyn-based Maria Jahnkoy. Her collection in collaboration with Puma erupted on a runway paved with traffic signs and red tape. Her work often activates a conversation around the status quo of the fashion industry’s problematic production methods and the loss of artisanal pursuits. Maria’s interpretation of reworked athletic apparel is punctuated by moments of intricate beading, fringe, text and the presence of Puma. The collaboration with the iconic brand is an attempt to, “show how companies can work with local artisans to promote craftsmanship”.
Following the bright prints and textiles of Jahnkoy came the more subtle palette of Rich Mnisi. Deconstructed shirts gathered in the waistline were overlaid with sheer shoulders. Slim frames donned voluminous jackets down the catwalk as soft shapes bleed into structured form. The collection entitled ‘Xingelengele’ means siren or bell. A fitting name for the striking work of the young designer. Manifest in the bold design choices of gender-fluid silhouettes, loose-fitting trousers and colour-blocking ensembles. His looks were adorned with earrings and bags by Githan.
Nicholas Coutts’ knitwear graced the stage next. A woolen aquamarine dream stepped forth into the light. A homage to his influence by the Arts & Crafts movement, the designer specializes in using hand knitted items and handwoven fabrics. The resulting textured assemblages are accented by the intersection of lines; horizontal, vertical and checked pattern. Nicholas has had a fairly fast rise in the industry, graduating four years ago from the Fashion Design at the Academy of Fashion in Cape Town and in the same year winning the ELLE Rising Star Design Award which subsequently catapulted his career.
In keeping with the aesthetic theme of reinvented checkered shirts, was the work of Amanda Cherry’s menswear range, ALC. With twenty years of experience in the industry, Amanda’s designs never cease to surprise and delight. In following an ethic of sustainability and investing locally in production and skills she has created a menswear collection of layered textures and a collage of prints, pockets and textiles. Her new take on classic pieces are interchangeable and dynamic. HEARD MAN draws on the aesthetic of the indigenous people of the Lesotho highlands and also includes elements of Japanese minimalism.
The collections this year provoke the traditional norms of menswear through providing imaginative alternatives to notions of masculine form. They redefine and evoke new articulations of men in this century – founded on principles of deconstructing the very fabric of socially constructed boundaries.