Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Africa inspires original style
THE fashion elite and socialites were dressed to impress at the African Fashion International (AFI) Cape Town Fashion Week dinner on Thursday. Held at the Groot Constantia Wine Estate, the glitzy black-tie affair kicked off the autumn and winter season.
Themed “I am Africa: a journey back home”, it featured some of the best in pan-African designers from Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, Cameroon and Morocco as well as local favourites such as Maxhosa by Laduma, Imprint, Marianne Fassler, Orapeleng Modutle Style Avenue and Quiteria & George.
The designer line-up included Ruff Tung, Maxhosa by Laduma and Tanzania’s Doreen Mashika.
The dinner was held on the back of the Condé Nast International Conference of which AFI is a major sponsor.Vogue International editor Suzy Menkes and AFI founder and chief executive Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe were among the guests. Entertainment for the night included singer Lira and poet Lebogang Mashile.
“Africa has always been a source of inspiration for the rest of the world. AFI is set up to showcase and propel African designers… Africa can definitely compete with the global brands given the support and an enabling ecosystem, that is what AFI seeks to facilitate,” said Moloi-Motsepe.
David Tlale, Gavin Rajah and Marianne Fassler showcased sumptious collections.
Guests were treated to a five-course dinner followed by dancing well into the night.
Day 2 of the week is at the Cape Town International Convention Centre this afternoon. Visit www.africanfashioninternational.com.