KWA(A)I

BY LEOPARD FROCK

‘Kwaai’ is South African slang for the top form of coolness. In ‘cool Asian’, ’kwai’ means awesome, the ultimate example of anything worth emulating. I loved playing with all the different elements implicit in an Asian/African fusion. It was totally coincidental that the AFI theme was Africa meets Asia, because our brand is not about trend or theme. Lezanne Viviers, my creative director, spent two months in Japan on a sabbatical earlier this year and the magic started happening when we opened up the bales of cloth and vintage kimonos. We also featured many pieces that are classic commercial separates to update any working wardrobe.