Fashion week loves luxury
LUXURY fashion is having a moment. This is being driven by celebs, fashionable influencers and millennials, who are splurging on high-end clothing and footwear and flaunting it on social media for all to see.
Designer brands such as Gucci and Louis Vuitton are two of the most loved high-end brands that continue to grow in popularity worldwide.
Luxury items such as Christian Louboutin’s red bottom soles, Dior’s personalised monogram tote bag and the Chanel tweed suit are items of desire for most fashion lovers with luxurious tastes.
The luxury market is not as oversaturated such as the fast fashion, for obvious reasons, such as it’s harder to produce and there is a certain level of quality that designers have to adhere to.
Paris is the only city in the world which splits its fashion weeks to offer ready-to-wear and haute couture, with fashion lovers worldwide anticipating the latter.
In Dubai, second hand luxury retail is big business and there are fantastic luxury fashion goods available in Dubai’s malls and shopping districts, and with apps to match.
In South Africa, we have designers such as KLÛK CGDT, Jacques Lagrange and Gert-johan Coetzee, who design for upper market consumers in mind.
However, the local luxury fashion market is lagging behind for a number of reasons, which include affordability and the notion that international brands are superior than local items.
Our fashion weeks mostly consist of ready-towear clothing, but this is about to change. For the first time in over two decades, SA Fashion Week (SAFW) will be staging a luxury collections-focused event that will be held in Sandton at Protea Court rooftop from April 3 to April 6. This will be an interesting barometer to gauge whether South African consumers are ready for luxury fashion.
I spoke to the SAFW founder and director Lucilla Booyzen about what to expect for the SS19 edition.
What made you decide that South Africa needed SA Fashion Week?
Designers need a marketing and sales platform. They need to design collections boutiques and consumers can buy from. So, in order to create awareness I started SA Fashion Week. Without the publicity generated for the designers, it would take much longer to reach the broader markets.
It is the impact that the SA Fashion Week has beyond the shows, twice a year, that is key. The media reach that it generates is immeasurable. SA Fashion Week has also helped to build the South African brand and the world is realising that South Africa is a vibrant country with an incredibly innovative and desirable fashion design industry.
Looking back, what have you enjoyed the most about organising the event?
Seeing how it all comes together, the collections, the media, the celebrities, seeing how the designers grow every season and how the buyers are starting to trust and buy from them.
I also love the followers of the designers and our guests, seeing how they enjoy the collections, the talent and the commitment really inspires them. Some of your memorable runway shows to date?
There are too many to remember.
Clive’s shows always astound: incredible construction and design. Then all the new designers – the MINI scouting menswear that brings new menswear labels to the table. The New Talent Search now in it’s 20th year spotlights the new ladieswear star designers. The Cape Wools SA Designer Challenge show is a competition where the designers are selected by International judges so it is very interesting for me to see who is selected each season. Last year it was Black Coffee and Ephymol, this year Erre and Klipa. So yes, I am very excited to see who this year’s designers will be.
One of the most incredible things about doing SAFW is that I have been privileged to work with and guide the best fashion design talents in South Africa: brave and talented designers that against all odds run successful and sustainable businesses.
Why the special focus on luxury for this season?
Because fashion design is luxury. We are targeting the luxury market this season, demonstrating that we are ready to perform and deliver in line with international standards.
*For more SAFW information and ticket sales visit www.safashionweek.co.za