Day 3 of Menswear Week in Cape
Town was the longest day of fashion week – with it hosting the most shows. If you missed Day 2, catch it here. The
was much anticipation around the Menswear Fashion Presentation which was a
static show of emerging designers, and also the most talked about show being
Chulaap by Chu Suwannapha. Everyone was in full gear and rearing to go.
Chulaap by Chu Suwannapha
MM: Chulaap by Chu Suwannapha
presented a contemporary look at the African aesthetic. Styled to impersonate
people on the street and how they would wear their clothes whether en route to
an event or just work or play, the collection was a direct representation of
Chu’s love for prints. Overlaid and meshed together impeccably, the collection
visually was stunning but didn’t present any new silhouettes to enjoy. An
innovative element form the collection was the combination of
bag-into-outerwear. Being able to wear your jacket as a backpack and vice versa
for me was a truly interesting aspect. The colour palette was earthy, rustic red,
with great poppy yellows. The collection details of interest also include the
origami swans – what a cute little detail feature. Modern man is going to look
good in these pieces, especially when he breaks it apart and wears a piece with
another item much more subtle.
BL: What a way to debut a
collection during the inaugural menswear week. As they call him the prince of
prints, he is the truth and we are the witnesses. Before prints came to the
party he personally rocked them, in high definition without any worries of what
the masses would say. And in his collection it was not different, he embraced
what he believed in and that is true to his heart. What we never saw coming was
the head wear. It was authentic, raw and most of it was nothing like any
other…original. Back to prints…it was all of them, in earthy colours, fine
florals, geometric shapes and the artistry as a whole. After seeing this
display of prints, people will not only start to take note, but have respect for
the construction behind the whole process.
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| Photo by Larry English Photography |
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| Photo by Larry English Photography |
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| Photo by Larry English Photography |
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| Photo by Larry English Photography |
Ruald Rheeder
BL: And to close off the show
and the week was boy wonder Ruald Rheeder who again didn’t seem to stop with
his continuation of amazing grace. As hot as the venue was, but we actually
felt and even saw the breeze blowing the Ruald Rheeder man as he graced the
runway. There were mixed feelings out there…at first glance we saw him on a
safari trail. The next thing we look up again we saw the desert bohemian
flowing in a breeze with light and harmonious fabric and fragile tones to the
outdoor heats. The highlight of it all was seeing the Ruald Rheeder men for the
final walk looking like Arabic warriors of the Dakar deserts.
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| Photo by Larry English Photography |
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| Photo by Larry English Photography |
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| Photo by Larry English Photography |
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| Photo by Larry English Photography |
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| Photo by Larry English Photography |
For a first-timer, this event
was well executed. Glitches here and there but no event goes without teething
issues. Even if they are sometimes only backstage and no one at the front
notices. We’re looking forward to the next instalment of SA Menswear Week and
keen to see if the talent pool will get bigger and deeper or shallow out like
some fashion weeks in this country.
Until the next…
#menswear #fashionweek
xx
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