Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Thebe Magugu releases collection for AZ Factory
WHEN Thebe Magugu was announced as the first AZ Factory “amigo” by the Richemont Group, many wondered what his collection would look like.
Magugu, the famed South African designer, is taking the fashion world by storm. He is regarded as a leading light in the new generation of fashion designers, and was chosen by Johann Rupert’s Richemont Group to be the first guest designer for AZ Factory, founded by the late Alber Elbaz.
As an “amigo”, he would design a capsule collection that had hallmarks of the late Elbaz, his vision for AZ Factory and also Magugu’s design aesthetic.
The ethos of AZ Factor is simple: “We design beautiful, purposeful, solutions-driven fashion that works for everyone. We are life, not just lifestyle, a place to experiment and try new things.”
Elbaz wanted to change how the fashion industry operated. It was all about designs that emphasised body-positivity, while also focusing on producing clothes that were sustainable.
There is no denying that the collection is designed by Magugu. It looks (and most likely feels) like a Thebe Magugu collection. That’s how strong his aesthetic is.
And yet there are elements of AZ Factory (and Elbaz), especially in the romantic bows, the kaftans, prints and fabrics used in the collection.
There’s a high-collared white midilength dress with poet sleeves featuring a neckline cut-out with a stainless steel hardware of the Thebe Magugu logo – an emblem showing women holding hands that is likely to be a favourite for fashion-forward brides.
It was made using an engineered knit that Elbaz had been developing before his death last year.
In an interview with Vogue Runway, Magugu said the collection, titled Intersection was inspired by the question “What if Africa was the birthplace of couture?”
“I think about that a lot,” he said in an interview with the fashion bible.
“The things that make up luxury – the idea of time spent creating something, the storytelling, passing something on from generation to generation – are really the same as you find in African craft. We’re best known for our storytelling and our work with our hands. I thought that was a very interesting intersection that we could explore with the collection,” he said.
Magugu says he also looked at the link between him and Elbaz – who he never met – since both designers are African. Elbaz was born in Morocco.
In a post on Instagram introducing the collection, he said: “When I began this collection, I looked at the main commonality Alber and I shared – the fact that he and I are from South and North Africa respectively – that set in motion a series of exciting thought experiments.”
It is what led to the ruched-neck kaftans, which are a typical silhouette in Morocco.
“They encapsulate both of our worlds. They’re playful and something that a lot of people can find themselves in, with that slight African regality that I wanted to have when we started the project,” he told Vogue.
The first piece in the collection is an update of the design he made for the Elbaz tribute show, Love Brings Love, at Paris Fashion Week last October. Magugu had created a blouse and pleated skirt set, with the blouse featuring a fake pocket. There’s a similar look, just with a black short sleeved blouse and a black handkerchief hem pleated skirt with yellow dipped edges.
The collection will be released in June.