Latest news with #SouthAfricanFashionWeek
News24
02-06-2025
- Business
- News24
‘In the planning stage': Deputy Minister Peace Mabe discusses vision for Designers Indaba
The 2025 South African Fashion Week (SAFW) highlighted the immense talent of local designers with strong support from Deputy Minister of Sport, Arts, and Culture, Peace Mabe. She spoke to News24 about the importance of celebrating and investing in homegrown fashion and discussed government initiatives like the upcoming Designers Indaba, aiming to address challenges such as access to industrial equipment and to provide financial and promotional support for designers at all career stages. The event, featuring designers like Gert-Johan Coetzee, showcased innovation and creativity, reaffirming South Africa's position as a hub for world-class fashion. South African designers recently took to the runway at the 2025 South African Fashion Week (SAFW) to showcase their remarkable talent and creativity, this time around with government watching in support. With a star-studded guest list including Nadia Nakai, Zozibini Tunzi, Unathi Nkayi and many others throughout the fashion show, Deputy Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Peace Mabe was also among the crowd. According to the minister, her attendance was to celebrate local talent in the fashion industry and offer much-needed government support. In an interview with News24, Mabe shared plans to increase government efforts to promote local designers. 'South Africans are talented. That's one thing for sure that we need to embrace. I've also attended small, private, and, of course, international fashion events, like Paris Fashion Week. 'I've never had exposure where a collection of designers is showcasing locally. I attended yesterday, but I couldn't help it again today. Just to come and appreciate the talent that is out there,' she said. Additionally, the minister called for South Africans to invest in local talent by at least owning a few garments from local brands. 'Out of three things that you're wearing, at least two should be locally made,' she said, highlighting the quality and craftsmanship of local designers. 'I don't doubt the quality, the finishing, everything is perfect,' she added. Government support According to Mabe, the government should create an enabling environment for designers by providing financial and other forms of support. She also expressed that various government departments have committed to exposing designers to broader audiences and offering the necessary assistance to help them thrive. 'As government, we are also responsible for creating an enabling environment. Designers, of course, need to have a platform, [one that] exposes them and gives them the financial support they need, as well as any kind of support that they might need,' Mabe said. Challenges facing local designers The deputy minister revealed that despite their impressive talent, local designers face unavoidable challenges, including a lack of access to industrial equipment that would enhance their production capabilities. She also noted that designers like Boys of Soweto and Tshepo are among those who have voiced concerns about the absence of large industrial machines essential for scaling their businesses. These challenges will be addressed by launching programmes like the Designers Indaba, which will see various government departments collaborate to support fashion designers. 'They don't have big industrial machines, and together with the Department of Small Businesses and Local Economic Development, DTIC, we have agreed that we're going to host the Indaba for designers. 'I can also confirm that ABSA is on board. African Bank is on board, and you know, other sponsors as well,' she told News24. A three-phase approach According to Mabe, the Designers Indaba will bring together designers at different stages of their careers in a three-phase format. The first phase will focus on established designers who have successfully entered the market. The second phase will spotlight promising, up-and-coming designers, while the final phase will address those at the grassroots level who have yet to gain recognition. 'This initiative is still in the planning stage, but we feel it is crucial to create opportunities for designers across all levels of their careers,' Mabe said. A celebration of talent and innovation Following her attendance at SAFW - where various designers like The Bam Collective, Thabo Makhetha, Gert-Johan Coetzee, and many others showcased their work - Mabe praised the creativity displayed on the runway. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Leon J Haasbroek (@ljhpr) One of the standout collections for the deputy minister was presented by renowned designer Gert-Johan Coetzee. View this post on Instagram A post shared by South African Fashion Week (@safashionweek) 'I saw Gertie yesterday, and I said he really represented the future. It seemed to be an integration of AI, space, and the current season, which is winter. The fabrics, everything was just perfect,' she said, acknowledging Coetzee as a leader and powerhouse within the fashion industry.
TimesLIVE
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- TimesLIVE
SA Fashion Week is pushing fashion forward
As Naked Ape Intended The story of fashion brand Naked Ape is one of creativity, collapse and coming back to craftsmanship — told in prints, silks and silence. In the calm of his new studio, surrounded by swatches of raw silk and botanical prints, Shaldon Kopman reflects on a career that has literally taken him around the world and back home again, leaving him stronger, quieter and more self-aware than he was before. He has done it all. From walking the runways of New York to founding Naked Ape, one of South Africa's most coveted labels, Kopman's creative journey has included styling, show production, fashion editing and creative direction. But it was the Big Apple that first stitched together his love for fashion and music. 'I found my feet in New York,' he says thoughtfully. 'I was there for several years in my early twenties, and I discovered a love for fashion and music at the same time. I was assisting a stylist, June Ambrose, whose boyfriend was in music, and he asked me to work with him. But it wasn't a very long assisting career with June, because I needed to get back home to contribute something to this market.' Upon his return to South Africa, he quickly made his mark styling for Edgars, directing creative projects for Wine Magazine, producing runway shows, and becoming fashion editor at South African Elle. Amid the whirl of freelance work and full-time roles, Naked Ape — a brand based on time-honoured slow-fashion principles — was born. This year, Naked Ape celebrates its 15th anniversary, a milestone Kopman is celebrating with a mixture of pride and humility. 'You're always trying to improve on what you've started,' Kopman says. 'Everything new you introduce has to have been made with love and respect. It needs to be ethical, economical and ecological. The fashion business is satisfying and fulfilling, but along the way there's been bankruptcy twice. It's a labour of love.' At South African Fashion Week, Kopman's commitment to thoughtful design found its latest expression in his 2025 spring/summer collection, Urban Camo. As the lights dimmed and a poem about the ills of overconsumption was read out, it was clear this was not simply a fashion show, but rather a call to consciousness. Earlier in the week, while previewing the collection, it was the print work that caught my eye and stopped me in my tracks. These were prints unlike anything I had seen before. Kopman's collaboration with eco-printer Ira Bekker, also known as 'The Botanical Nomad', added a raw, soulful beauty to the garments. 'I called her and said, 'Let's do something special. Let's show the world the creativity and artisanal skill we have,'' Kopman says. The resulting fabrics are extraordinary — no two prints are alike, and they were handcrafted using entirely natural methods. Raw silks, linens and locally sourced materials form the foundation, which has been adorned with buttons made from cow horn. The cuts are sharp yet fluid: tailored suits, panelled knits and the versatile lotus shirt are all imbued with a spirit of resilience and respect. 'It's not luxury intended,' Kopman says, 'but luxury by default.' Beyond beauty, functionality remains crucial. 'Right now, the fact is that we waste a lot,' he says simply. 'With clothing, as much as you want to create something beautiful, it must also live. It must be functional.' Kopman's journey has not been without hardship. He speaks candidly about the lows — shuttered stores, heavy debt, and the moments when it seemed easier to quit. 'There was a time I had to end the lease on my store in Rosebank. Everything was collapsing. I thought it was the end,' he says. 'But clients would call and say, 'Understand the value of what you've built. This is just a phase. Don't give up.'' Instead of abandoning his dream, Kopman did what few in the fashion world have the courage to do: he disappeared, choosing reflection over reaction. 'I shelved my ego for a minute,' he says. 'I went underground to rediscover who I was.' The person who emerged is a designer no longer driven by trends or noise, but by craft, community and a deeper kind of luxury — one that doesn't announce itself loudly, but endures. 'I discovered that I enjoy crafting quietly,' he says with a smile. 'I don't have to make noise about everything.' Gert-Johan Coetzee is no stranger to the spotlight. Since launching his namesake brand in 2010, the designer has become one of South Africa's most prominent fashion figures, with a growing international footprint to match. His latest collection, The Arrival, which debuted at South African Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2025, marks a bold new chapter for the label. Presented as an immersive runway experience, the show began with guests donning headphones, tuning into a celestial soundscape and the designer's narration as galaxies shimmered across a massive screen. When the models finally emerged, gliding down the runway in sculptural coats, intricately beaded dresses, and cosmic shimmer, the effect was transportive. This was not just fashion, it was world-building. But beyond the spectacle, Coetzee remains grounded in storytelling, heritage, and the deeply personal. Here are five things you may not know about him: 1. The inspiration for The Arrival came to him in a dream. 'I had a powerful dream where people returned to Earth after 10,000 years in space,' Coetzee says. 'Their appearances had evolved, their cultures transformed, but something essential remained. It made me reflect on what we carry with us when we feel far from home—creatively, spiritually, or culturally.' The result was a deeply personal collection, rooted in the idea that heritage doesn't weigh us down; it evolves with us. 2. A standout piece was made from carpets, and another from car paint. Among the show's most talked-about pieces was a coat made entirely from carpeting. 'It was created in collaboration with Coco Craft, a local collective that specialises in carpet-making,' Coetzee says. 'It's couture, but in a way that honours local craftsmanship and reinvents it.' Another standout? A garment adorned with yellow and turquoise metallic harlequin-shaped patterns. Every element was crafted by hand, its curves carefully heat-sculpted to follow the body's shape. 'We spray-painted it using specialised car paint techniques,' he adds. 'It was incredibly technical and labour-intensive, but the result was extraordinary—like futuristic armour that was still wearable.' Look 14 of Gert-Johan Coetzee's Spring Summer 2025 collection at South African Fashion Week. Image: Eunice Driver Photography 3. His garments contain hidden messages and subtle codes. Throughout The Arrival, traditional South African patterns are reinterpreted in deconstructed forms, while Western motifs are reimagined with an African twist. 'I wanted to blur those boundaries and show that heritage and innovation can coexist beautifully,' Coetzee explains. 'There are subtle codes of identity, culture, and rebirth woven throughout—almost like a glimpse into what South African fashion might look like a thousand years from now.' 4. He's not who you think he is outside of fashion. Despite the glitz and glamour, Coetzee's private life is far more low-key. 'People often assume I live a very glamorous life, but the truth is, I'm a homebody,' he says. 'I love being at home, spending quiet time with my animals and my family. That's where I feel most grounded, and honestly, where a lot of my creativity comes from.' 5. Kourtney Kardashian was his first international client. 'In 2011, I didn't have fast internet,' he laughs. 'When Kourtney Kardashian wore one of my pieces, the image loaded pixel by pixel. I watched it unfold frame by frame.' That moment wasn't just a personal breakthrough—it was a defining milestone for South African fashion on the global stage. Biblical strength meets modern silhouettes in emerging designer TADI wa NASHE's debut. Since launching her brand TADI wa NASHE in 2024, Tadiwanashe Karen Kaparipari has been on the fast track. The emerging designer recently made waves with her debut collection at South African Fashion Week's New Talent Search, showcasing voluminous, sculptural silhouettes that quickly became the evening's standout. 'My inspiration behind this collection [was] the story of Deborah in the Bible,' she explained. 'She was the only prophetess in the Bible who was also a leader, a warrior, a songwriter, a poet - she was everything. I wanted this collection to [embody that]. To represent women who can put on multiple hats, who can do anything…' karenkaparipari06@ Look 5 from TADI wa NASHE's debut collection at South African Fashion Week.
Mail & Guardian
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Mail & Guardian
Gert-Johan Coetzee: The return of the self
Runaway success: Gert-Johan Coetzee's The Arrival collection at the opening of the South Africa Spring/Summer collections, which took to the runway on 24 April at in Johannesburg's Hyde Park. Three days of fashion weeking can truly wear the spirit thin. But this is not a complaint — it's more of a gentle reminder. A reminder that engaging in anything creative is consuming. It demands more than presence. It demands mind, body and soul. That is why, every year, I show up not only as a witness but as a vessel, ready to absorb, to reflect and to carry the stories that these clothes, these spaces, these moments insist on telling. Day one of the 2025 South Africa Spring/Summer collections, held on 24 April at The Forum in Hyde Park, Johannesburg did more than whisper — it roared. And who else but Gert-Johan Coetzee to deliver such a thunderous opening with a collection titled The Arrival. It was not just fashion. It was an experience. It was theatre. It was soul-searching. As I walked through the doors after registering, I was immediately struck by a sense of intimacy, of invitation. The foyer was more than a waiting area — it was an exhibition. Stands displayed prints of Coetzee's original sketches, delicate strokes of thought made tangible. If you were lucky, and I was, your fingers might have grazed not just a copy, but the original. Paper holding moments of doubt and brilliance alike. Sign of the times: Gert-Johan Coetzee and his designs at South African Fashion Week. (Eunice Driver Photography) Then came the headphones. Wireless, sleek, resting gently on stands as if waiting for the right ears to find them. I placed a pair on and was transported. Visuals played — Coetzee, pacing, questioning, doubting. 'Am I good enough?' he asked himself. And I felt my heart lean in. Imposter syndrome. The quiet echo chamber in so many of us. It doesn't discriminate. Whether you're an emerging designer, seasoned stylist or someone like me who translates fashion into feeling, these questions follow us. Seeing someone like Coetzee, with his accolades and accomplishments, admit to those fears was disarming in the most human of ways. 'Even after all the accolades, I sometimes ask myself: Do I really belong here?' Coetzee wrote in a release. 'But what I've come to learn is that heritage doesn't wait for us to be confident. It moves through us, regardless. It's already in us.' That line stayed with me. It echoed even as I mingled, sipping a cold non-alcoholic spritzer, chatting about fabrication and silhouettes with designers, stylists and a handful of influencers who still remember how to hold real conversation. And then came the show. The Arrival. Aptly named. What we saw was a return to self, a reawakening. The narrative unfolded visually — travellers returning to Earth not with answers, but with transformation. They left in search of something beyond and returned with the strength of the journey etched into the fabric of who they are. Isn't that the story of all of us who dare to dream and create? The garments were the perfect storytelling medium. A collision of worlds — of space and soil, stars and roots. You could see it in the fabric choices, in the movement of the clothing. Some silhouettes felt futuristic, sculptural, almost alien in structure. Others whispered ancestral truths. And, somehow, they all belonged together. Harmonious in their differences. Like a choir made up of many dialects, singing the same song. Colours told their own tale. Blue, yellow, red, black and white — the colours danced across garments like a coded message, deciphered only by those who've dared to feel deeply. They weren't just aesthetic choices; they were markers, signposts pointing us to ideas about identity, power, history and becoming. Africa and the cosmos stitched into one another. A dialogue, not a monologue. One of the standouts were the yellow bubble dresses — with intricate detailing, feather-looking from afar, echoing constellations. It was a reminder — we carry our stories not just on our backs but in our blood. But it wasn't just the fashion. It was how the entire show was curated. The audience wasn't just observing; we were part of it. We felt Coetzee's vulnerability, his questions, his arrival. And in doing so, many of us arrived too. Arrived at our own understanding of worth, of heritage, of creation. This wasn't just the beginning of Fashion Week. This was the beginning of something bigger. A call to return to the self, to trust that what runs in our blood — our heritage — will always show up for us, even when we doubt ourselves. And so, day one reminded me why I keep returning to these spaces year after year. It's not just about garments and trends. It's about the conversations — both spoken and unspoken. It's about witnessing someone else's journey and realising it's not so different from your own. So, yes. Fashion week is exhausting. But it's also exhilarating, revealing, and grounding all at once. And The Arrival did exactly what its title promised. It arrived. It landed. It touched down in the heart. And in doing so, it reminded us that we are already enough.
Mail & Guardian
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Mail & Guardian
The naked truth: Shaldon Kopman and the gentle revolution of African fashion
South African fashion designer Shaldon Kopman If there is one show I look forward to every year at South African Fashion Week, it is Naked Ape. The garments — crisp in structure yet gentle in movement — seem to glide rather than walk. They speak without words, holding stories in their folds. They are not just beautiful; they are cared for, loved even. I attend — by invite, of course — and every time, I leave different. Urban Camo, the collection that was showcased at SA Fashion Week, continues the brand's legacy with fluid tailoring and raw beauty, featuring a collaboration with botanical artist Ira Bekker, whose eco-printed textiles — created using natural pigments from leaves, branches and rusted metal — infuse the collection with richly detailed, tactile and one-of-a-kind patterns. For the longest time, I was drawn to the collection but distant from the creator. I'd watch Shaldon Kopman from afar — always sharp, always understated — taking his bow at the end of his shows. I'd often feel a quiet awe, not so much intimidated by his presence as by the boldness of his choices. There was a fearlessness in his silhouettes, a truth-telling in his tailoring. His clothes did not shout. They whispered deeply. Eventually, I gathered my courage. I called him — a WhatsApp call, if I'm being honest. My wallet wasn't in the best shape that week, and wi-fi would have to do. What I got on the other end of the line was a surprise — not a distant icon, but a man fully alive: 'Hello!' His voice was warm, animated — with a passion as vibrant as the garments he creates. Not monkeying around: South African fashion designer Shaldon Kopman's Naked Ape collection on the runway at this year's South African Fashion brand believes in slow fashion — making garments that last for years, not just one season. 'When the brand was conceptualised, it was more about an evolutionary wardrobe,' he tells me. And just like that, we're in it — no pretence, no over-explaining. Just truth. He's talking about clothes that evolve with you, hold their place in your wardrobe for years, not seasons. 'No compromise when it comes to fabrication,' he says. 'No compromise in tailoring or finishing.' Naked Ape was born in 2010, almost 15 years ago. From the beginning, it's held the kind of integrity that most brands are only now beginning to discover: biodegradable textiles — wool, linen, silks, leathers, bamboo, hemp, cotton, rayon. Textiles that breathe. Materials that return to the earth. A brand built on slow fashion long before it became a survival tactic. Naked Ape is not only sustainable in materials. It is sustainable in soul. Kopman tells me about his move to Johannesburg as a child — from Pietermaritzburg, at the age of nine. 'My eyes were as wide as saucers,' he laughs. What caught those young eyes wasn't just the skyline or the hustle — it was the people. The way they dressed. The way they moved with intention. 'In Kliptown, Soweto, people loved clothing,' he says, the memory as vivid as yesterday. 'To thrive in a community, you need to look good.' There it is again — not vanity, but pride. A belief that self-presentation is not superficial, but cultural. These early lessons seeped into his adult life. As he began to understand his own body — wider shoulders, narrower waist, longer arms — he realised that the clothes available weren't made for him. They weren't made for African men. So, he started tailoring his own. And, after being named GQ Best Dressed Man in 2006, he made a quiet vow — he would wear only what he had designed. Not out of arrogance. Out of necessity. By the third Naked Ape collection in 2011, something had clicked. A cut above: Naked Ape's range of clothing is modern but rooted in African tradition. 'That collection was a defining moment,' he reflects. 'It showed me that there's a proper future here — a well-rooted African brand with strong conceptual ideas.' Lacking fancy machinery, they improvised. That improvisation birthed a new language of style —street tailoring. A genre not quite classic, not quite urban, but fully alive. Grit meets grace. Modern tailoring rooted in African narrative. In his studio, sampling is not a phase — it is the heart. 'That's where the investment is,' Kopman says. The garments undergo an almost sacred process. They are hand-dyed using plant matter, embroidered, printed, beaded. The fabric is not simply worn — it is spoken through. But Kopman is also unflinching about the complexities of the work. 'Fabrication is not always sustainable. That's why we find ourselves in a slow-fashion environment.' In a world that rewards speed, Naked Ape insists on intention. On pause. On reflection. In 2014, he formalised that ethos with a principle he calls 'Ethni Eco2' — ethical economic and ecological. 'People think economical means cheap, but it means least impact. It means 'buy less, wear more'.' He smiles and shrugs, 'Not a great business model … but the right one.' Kopman has a vision that stretches beyond his brand. He speaks about the South African fashion ecosystem with the clarity of someone who has both lived and loved it deeply. 'We are a very creative nation,' he says. 'Like Italy. Like Japan. But they invest in their creative economies.' For Kopman, this is not nostalgia; it's strategy: 'We want 'Made in South Africa' to mean excellence. That requires all of us — designers, buyers, wearers — to commit.' He refuses to accept a polyester landscape for African fashion. Before we end the call, I ask him what he would tell his younger self. He laugh. 'Curb your enthusiasm. Numb your optimism.' He recounts how he once went bankrupt, investing everything in a show. 'That moment forced me to rethink. It made me better. So … just keep on keeping on.' It's a phrase I carry with me long after our conversation ends. Just keep on keeping on. A mantra for the creative soul. For anyone building something meaningful in a world addicted to the quick and the cheap. As I close my notebook, I think again about Naked Ape. About the clothes that move like poetry across a runway. About garments that don't just clothe but commemorate. I think about heritage. About what it means to dress with memory. Kopman is not just dressing bodies — he's dressing consciousness. Stitching identity into fabric. And as long as Naked Ape keeps walking those runways, I'll keep watching. Always by invite.
TimesLIVE
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- TimesLIVE
Maps Maponyane, Ponahalo and others talk fashion
Local designers gathered in Hyde Park, Johannesburg, to showcase their latest creations for South African Fashion Week, where they honoured the biannual theme of sustainable craftsmanship. With local fashion in the spotlight, we found out what the top attendees were wearing and their thoughts about the show's influence.
