DESIGN
An architect by training, acclaimed designer Sindiso Khumalo is obsessed with textiles — the greener the better, writes
When architecture meets fashion
Here, at the southern tip of Africa, there are as many responses to the what-towear quandary as there are cultures to draw inspiration from. South African Fashion Week Spring Summer 2018, which has just ended, started with a bang on Tuesday night with a showing of Woolworths’s StyleBySA, a capsule collection that will be sold in selected Woolworths stores and online. Sindiso Khumalo is one of the five designers selected for the collection, along with Rich Mnisi, Thebe Magugu, Anees Peterson from Young & Lazy and Wanda Lephoto.
Khumalo has been big on the fashion radar for years because her clothes tick a lot of boxes. She uses the minimalist construction of her beautifully made clothes to highlight her graphic patterns.
Her background in architecture is the seam that sews together the inspiration she draws from her Zulu and Ndebele cultures and the Bauhaus and Memphis movements that inspire her.
“Architecture was my first design discipline. I got my degree in architecture at the University of Cape Town and then moved to London to work for architect David Adjaye,” she says. “Although I loved architecture, I found myself more interested in the Vogue magazines in the office than the architectural ones. So I decided to study textiles, which felt like a happy medium.”
Khumalo left Adjaye to study for a master’s in textiles futures at Central St Martins.
“My work experience has been a kaleidoscope of roles in different companies,” she says. “I’ve worked for Woolworths as a designer; for the Londonbased magazine Dazed and Confused as a stylist. I also styled online campaigns for companies John Lewis and Harrods. While at Adjaye Associates I was also involved in the design of a collaboration between
British fashion house Boudicca and Adjaye associates. This was a commission to make a dress that was later featured in British Vogue. Then I went to work at Boudicca as a studio manager. All these experiences really informed my knowledge of the industry.”
Khumalo has been mentored by some big names, such as Design Indaba founder Ravi Naidoo. She’s worked with Sara Maino, the deputy editor-in-chief of Vogue Italia and head of Vogue Talents as well as with Italian fashion consultant and talent scout Simonetta Gianfelici, and of course Adjaye.
Of the latter, Khumalo says: “I learnt from him to make sure I always had a point of view . . . and also to be resilient. This career will throw a lot of spanners in the works.”
Although her work is much admired, it hasn’t been an easy road: “Fashion is a hustle, entrepreneurship is a hustle and there are fires to put out daily. But because I love it and am so passionate about it, it’s all worth it.”
Khumalo trained in making textiles and is obsessed with them. “I think people come back to my brand because they love the unique offering of the textiles.”
At the moment she’s fascinated with renewable and recyclable materials, like Econyl, made from 100% regenerated waste materials. “I’m aware that every item of clothing I make contributes to the overconsumption that already exists in the world. I want to minimise the impact of my clothes on the planet.”
She does this in a few ways: the quality must be excellent, even if it costs more to make; she uses organic cotton and Econyl and has an empowerment arm in her business to “celebrate the hand”. “I like the idea of fashion being a circular industry.”
And in circular fashion, Khumalo always comes back to Africa for inspiration. “I’m lucky to have so much inspiration that comes from road trips through the countryside of KZN or from watching traditional craftsmen and craftswomen showcase their skills. And more than that, the disparities we experience in South Africa have influenced my attitude to clothes. Fashion is too frivolous as a concept. It needs to mean something.
“For me it’s work for rural communities, which creates an impact in people’s lives, not just the lives of the shareholders of the business or of the people who wear them.”