Eager young fashion designers and models strutted their stuff ahead of the official start of the Soweto Fashion Week Spring/Summer 24 collection which kicked off on Thursday and wraps up on Saturday at the iconic Soweto Theatre.
On Wednesday night, models took to the catwalk in a snippet showcase of what was to come for the next three days dressed in garments designed by established and emerging Soweto Fashion Week esteemed designers.
Some of the designers include Nthabiseng Mabe of House of Cash, Precious Lulu Couture, FDB Human Store, Elias Sebata of N.O.T.E (Not Of This Earth) Clothing, Pieces of Me (POM) Jeans, Tshegofatso By Design and Be Beautiful Hair.
Speaking to “The Star” ahead of her first showing at the fashion show, 23-year-old Kagiso-based designer Mabe said even though she was nervous about her big day, she was excited to be living her dream of becoming a successful fashion designer.
Mabe wowed audiences with her tradition meets high end fashion collection under her label House of Cash.
“I am nervous but excited at the same time. I have always wanted to be a fashion designer and was inspired by watching fashion shows. Even though I wanted to do lingerie, I am very much happy to have begun my journey as a fashion designer this way. As a young fashion designer, it is important to carve your own niche and design clothes that reflect who you are,” she said.
Soweto Fashion Week has over the years been synonymous with inspiring young people to kick-start their fashion dreams.
Ahead of the show, Precious Mahlangu, the founder of Precious Lulu Couture, a womenswear brand that prides itself on high-fashion creations with intense attention to detail, bold ethnic elements and cosmopolitan silhouettes, said she was excited to be part of an entourage of emerging designers under her mentorship programme.
“Coming from a small town on the North Coast of KZN, Soweto Fashion Week was the first platform I assumed outside my community. It gave me a clear perspective of where I wanted to situate myself in this diverse creative industry,” she said.
The founder of Soweto Fashion Week, Stephen Manzini, has promised yet another edition of fashion extravaganza at the Soweto Theatre, adding that the love for fashion has been instrumental in sustaining the Soweto Fashion brand.
“If it was not for the love and the passion, this brand would not been sustained to where it is now. It is not about the money, but about the passion and the love for fashion which has made me and those who support us carry on even when there is no money to be made. Sometimes, I do this for free and that is why we are here,” Manzini said.
The Star