Indian-African flair from Rubicon

The House of Rubicon brought to life an authentic celebration of heritage with their latest collection at South Africa Fashion Week.

Commemorating 21 years as a style and culture institution in South Africa’s fashion landscape, Rubicon’s spring/ summer 2023 collection marries the eastern and western influences with African elegance, while paying homage to the reimagined origin story of the lost kingdom of Mapungubwe.

Founder and creative director Hangwani Nengovhela draws inspiration from the landscapes and artifacts recovered at the world heritage site.

The kingdom’s origin story starts with a tale of three brothers journeying through the region. One brother was inspired to stop and sleep over while the other two travelled on.

He awoke the next morning to the breathtaking sight of Mapungubwe’s landscape with its beautiful salt pans.

This brother went on to establish the kingdom that came to be known as both an economic and cultural trading hub for gold, pottery, beading and other items highly coveted in the great iron age.

Rubicon’s spring/ summer 2023 collection is history reimagined. Nengovhela envisions that the founder of the kingdom was introduced to a beautiful Asian woman, who would become his wife.

Each piece in this season’s collection is how Nengovhela pictures the young bride’s wardrobe. The aesthetic is romantic and flowing with structured edges. The juxtaposition between fabric selections and colour choices is an interpretation of how she would have married her cultural influences with the African elements of her groom’s heritage.

“We designed each garment to make the wearer feel emboldened, chic and in touch with who she truly is. This is a return to femininity.”