RENASCENCE Magazine - Read Online Now

Friday, June 15, 2012

NEWS: Legends Return To The Runway


The Mother City is set to strike a pose when the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Cape Town (MBFWCT) takes place at the Cape Town International Conference Centre (CTICC) from July 25-28 with legends of past fashion weeks making a return to the limelight this year to unveil their Spring/Summer 2012 collections on avant-garde runway shows.

Now in its 10th year - and the first for its new sponsor - Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Cape Town has secured the return of established designers after a hiatus of varying periods of time. Big names include Hip Hop, Habits by Jenny le Roux and Rosenwerth along with the appearance of exciting new designers to the AFI platform such as Rachel De Mart, Adriaan Kuiters and Ruald Rheeder.

In addition, revered fashion designer and convener of the inaugural Cape Town Fashion Week in 2003, Gavin Rajah, will also be showcasing his grand collection.  Other designers showing collections in MBCTFW will be announced in coming weeks. With 18 shows over four days, this year Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Cape Town presents a theme of “icons” - from  fashion to cars and venues – to add an extra dimension of global relevance, innovation and lifestyle to this, one of Africa’s premier fashion events.

“Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Cape Town, brought to you by AFI, will bring a new interpretation of iconic fashion to this pre-eminent preview of South Africa’s spring/summer seasonal trends,” says African Fashion International (AFI) Global Brand Manager Allana Finley

“With the anticipated reunion of established and celebrated designers along with the entry of upcoming designers, this year promises to unveil an abundance of extraordinary and revolutionary fashion.”

With the emphasis on iconic fashion, criteria for designers chosen to take part in Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Cape Town include standards of global relevance, commercial viability, innovation and distinctive design. Acclaimed Cape Town designer Rosenwerth has long defined the essence of glamour, style and elegance with a range of spectacular wedding & ball gowns and ready-to-wear garments, for which the label has been awarded numerous accolades including the J&B Rare Designer Award and the Fairlady Catherine Award.

With a coveted quarter century lifespan and a distinctive custom-glamorous design essence, Hip Hop has long been the go-to label for formal, semi-formal, casual and trend pieces as well as iconic designs for matric & formal dance and bridesmaids dresses. Finding a glorious balance between chain store and couture boutique styling, Jenny le Roux’s Habits ready-to-wear label, meanwhile, has been at the forefront of virtual fashion since the launch of its 2002 online fashion website.

New to Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Cape Town, Rachel De Mart epitomizes high-end fashion with signature black dresses much-desired by an elite clientele of fashion-conscious women.

Two strong new additions to the menswear genre include the Adriaan Kuiters label that offers timeless, tailored pieces with classic edges in a muted palette as well as Ruald Rheeder, the popular men’s label in YDE, who also produces custom couture designs for an array of elite clients and celebrities

AFI will also host AFI Fastrack Seminars during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Cape Town . To be held on 27 July at the CTICC, in providing education and inspiration for the development and success of the fashion industry, the seminars will include presentations by Foschini head of design, Johan Crouse, a report on global fashion industry trends, and an exclusive “icons of fashion” panel discussion.

No comments:

Post a Comment