Should pajamas be left in the bedroom? South African designer Lukhanyo Mdingi doesn’t want you to sleep on this daytime trend, says HELEN HERIMBI

I can see my mom, my gran, my cousins wearing different parts of it. I’m not thinking of a full pajama look. They could just wear a shirt with a pair of jeans or a skirt. I think it’s adaptable to many people. Is it more fashion-forward to wear silky or velvet sleepwear in public as opposed to flannel, for example? I wouldn’t think of it as more fashion-forward. When I think of flannel, I think of lumberjack! When I think of cotton, I think of normal, everyday wear. I think it’s got to do with when people see a two-piece of silk pajamas they immediately think it’s something that’s got to do with luxury. And when I say silk, I’m not meaning 100 percent silk, I just mean a shiny fabric. It’s not real silk because real silk will cost you like R5 000. It’s how the world chooses to see it at the end of the day. There’s been this perception that silk pajamas are luxury but I don’t think it’s that different from any other pajamas. What was the audience’s reaction to Purgation when you showed your collection? I think the audience was really satisfied and the response has been really overwhelming. I’m happy about it because I create collections purely for myself because I’m an artist and, when I create, I’m not necessarily thinking “I hope the audience likes it”. It’s just for me and my expression. I think people liking it is an added bonus. Who are some of your favourite famous faces who wear sleepwear during the day? I’d say Solange. She seems to be wearing quite a lot of sleepwearinspired pieces. I’d also say Harry Styles from One Direction.

says the sleepwear trend is a fad, do you agree? I think trends come and go. I personally don’t think of it as a fad. I think in the cycle of fashion there