As
we were making an exit out of the winter season entering the colorful spring,
we had to do it fashionably as we graced the city of Durban for the annual
Durban Fashion Fair. Since DFF takes
center stage for hosting local and international designers once a year, it
gives the opportunity to explore and experiment without any mandate influenced
by the seasons.
DFF
is not just a platform to showcase local and international designers, but for
them (designers) to explore; experiment and push boundaries as they showcase
their talent and skills in garment making. It is evident that the rise of
menswear is rapidly increasing and with that said DFF continues to brew out
even more menswear designers. Year after year there are new faces on the ramp
and we even see the usual faces making waves. Through workshops and fashion
trends analysis designers are taking menswear lines more serious as stats show
that the modern men are now big spenders and take their look very serious. We even
see designers that are well-known for ladies wear jumping into menswear range.
Enough about the business talk, let’s see what some of these designers had in
store for us this year.
ABRANTIE THE GENTLEMAN
As I
mentioned that DFF designers came to show us that they can go out of their
comfort zones; explore and experiment while setting trends. Abrantie was not
bothered to conform to the rules of dandyism, or worry about looking absolutely
sartorial. Some may say it was an incomplete three piece but he was brave to
pair the pants with the vest (waistcoat) without worrying about the jacket. We
tend to follow rules a lot, says the Ghanaian Flair. If you know the rules then
you are more than welcome to break them. Well-tailored pants and vest paired with
a shirt with indigenous prints, The Gentlemen were indeed effortlessly elegant.
There was no need for accessories nor an emblem batch to show who he was and
how fashionable he can be. All he was saying is “less is more”. Keep it clean
and simple.
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Photos
courtesy of SDR Photo / Simon Deiner
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Photos
courtesy of SDR Photo / Simon Deiner
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CLEMAS
A
continuation from last year and still staying true to his heritage as he paid
homage to his culture in style. A traditional man never looked to stylish and
sophisticated. Clemas’ traditional collection spoke load to the urban dwellers
saying never forget where you come from. The poncho-like dress shirts were everything,
with minimum details and styling it showed the masculinity yet looking
peaceful. It was as good as the Arab sheikh costume, one can wear the same
outfit over and over again and won’t go out of fashion. Timeless.
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Photos
courtesy of SDR Photo / Simon Deiner
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Photos
courtesy of SDR Photo / Simon Deiner
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DUKE
The
pride of Kwa Zulu Natal, also not following trends but setting them and the
only way to do that is not conforming to the so-called sartorialism. As long as
the garments are well tailored then as a designer you are allowed to play
around with detailing, like how Duke did. As he also continued from where he
left off with the shades of grey he also kept it simple. A lot may agree that
accessories give outfits a rejuvenated life, however looking at this collection
and these outfit, they were alive straight out of the studio. There was absolutely
no need for accessories and I am glad he didn’t add any. The detail was on the
fabric; the tailoring and of course the DB jacket was exceptional with the bead-work overlapping on the right shoulder. And definitely my favorite was the
light grey jacket with no buttons but a zip. The beauty of this jacket is that
the zip starts where the top button of the jacket should be and to top it all
the jacket still has lapels.
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Photos
courtesy of SDR Photo / Simon Deiner
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Photos
courtesy of SDR Photo / Simon Deiner
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EULLUE
The
time to look random going to the gym is history as the rise of sports lux take
center stage. This new phenomenon has revolutionized fashion as it encompasses
unisex as well as gender fluidity. Eullue being one the rookies of DFF were
very impressive, with their colorfully clean collection. Sportswear never
looked so luxurious, even the SuitableMan saw himself in one of the outfits
this coming summer. The baby blue hoes paired with white on the garments was so
chic it was like looking at the partly cloudy summer sky.
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Photos
courtesy of SDR Photo / Simon Deiner
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Photos
courtesy of SDR Photo / Simon Deiner
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Photos
courtesy of SDR Photo / Simon Deiner
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HOUSE OF ST LUKE
Seeing
this collection reminded me of the stereotype phrase “once you go black you
never go back”. I couldn’t even call it shades of black because there were no
shades but pure darkness. This collection depicted royalty at its best with the
feather headpiece and capes of all shapes and sizes, it was like seeing the
modern Shaka Zulu. We did not only see the dark side of it but also the feminine;
soft and sensitive side of the collection. From the see-through lace shirt to
the high waist dress-like pants and even the neck-pieces made the outfits look
even more impeccable. It’s true, black is beautiful!
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Photos
courtesy of SDR Photo / Simon Deiner
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Photos
courtesy of SDR Photo / Simon Deiner
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Photos
courtesy of SDR Photo / Simon Deiner
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Photos
courtesy of SDR Photo / Simon Deiner
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Photos
courtesy of SDR Photo / Simon Deiner
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TERRENCE BRAY
A
collection only for the brave! I was nothing that one can find in departmental
store. It was like watching a Paris Haute Couture but for men. Terence is more
like a veteran of the fashion business in South Africa as he has been around
for years. He is more than just a designer, Terence is a fashion story teller.
Looking at his collection I felt close to nature with earthy colors and floral
accessories, it was like the outfits were made for an international
contemporary dance performance. It didn’t end there, we saw aquatic shades on
the garments and it was like watching Avatar on the runway. Not only were the
fabrics light and flexible, also fresh and well-fitted. It was not just fashion
but art at its best.
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Photos
courtesy of SDR Photo / Simon Deiner
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Photos
courtesy of SDR Photo / Simon Deiner
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Photos
courtesy of SDR Photo / Simon Deiner
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Photos
courtesy of SDR Photo / Simon Deiner
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That
all from me for the Durban Fashion Fair 2016, until next time.
Stay
fashionably fabulous.
Yours
Suitably
Brian
Lehang
SUITABLEMAN
Follow
Brian and SuiteMan Journey via his Instagram account –
www.instagram.com/brianlehang
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