South African fashion finds a home
MALL OF AFRICA: HUB FOR UP-AND-COMING YOUNG DESIGNERS – KOOP STUDIO – IS NOW OPEN
This location will be a game-changer for all start-ups.
The Mall of Africa has become home to some of the freshest local fashion signatures with the opening of Koop Studio, a hub for up-and-coming young designers.
Koop Studio will carry at least 12 collections at any given time, which will be interchanged regularly to ensure ongoing variety.
It is a collaborative venture between seasoned retailer Sandy Rogers and industry stalwart Lucilla Booyzen.
The latter has been spearheading the development of a vibrant local design culture as director of SA Fashion Week (SAFW) for the past 23 years.
Brands range from gorgeous women’s occasion wear from Ezokhetho
– IsiZulu for “carefully chosen as the best or most suitable” – which aims to tell African stories using fabric; Thabiso Molelekoa’s
Dolz, a bespoke range of classic wear for both men and women; Dope Motherhood’s sassy lounge wear for modern moms to hip streetwear from Bi Parel and BLVNK.
Also included is proudly South African luggage brand, There and Back, as well as a range of patterned scarves, blankets and accessories showcasing each of the participating designers’ distinctive prints and patterns.
Rogers said this highly visible retail presence in the centre of a glamorous mall, which during pre-Covid-19 times drew approximately about 1.3 million visitors per month, would allow these young entrepreneurs to fasttrack their brands.
“One of the greatest impediments to the development of a local fashion culture has been the prohibitively high rental costs in major regional centres.
“By necessity, young designers are typically in studios off the beaten track without access to target markets who could afford to support them,” she said.
“A presence in the Mall of Africa will undoubtedly be a game changer for all these start-ups and the development of local fashion.”
Michael Clampett, head of Asset and Property Management-Retail of Attacq Limited, the owners of Mall of Africa, said the opening of the studio followed the enormous success that designer Laduma Ngxokolo has had with his MaXhosa by Laduma knitwear since opening a small store on the mall’s lower level in 2018.
Within a year, Ngxokolo’s signature Xhosa-inspired modern knitwear was so popular the brand had to relocate to a much larger flagship store on the upper level, and Ngxokolo became one of the centre’s high-profile brand ambassadors. Mall of Africa has also recently become SAFW’s new host. The partnership will kick off next month with SA’s first hybrid designer collections showcase. Twenty-six runway shows will be streamed digitally from 22 to 24 October. This will be followed by the SAFW Trade Show in the mall’s Crystal Court with more than 50 designers of menswear and womenswear and accessories from 1 to 3 November.