Thebe Magugu: SPRING/SUMMER ’22

A FAMILY AFFAIR

Thebe Magugu’s Spring/Summer ’22 collections are bold and educational at their core. The women’s collection is Magugu’s love letter to the past and the family members who have impacted his life and fashion.

He describes it as using “memory as a reservoir for optimism”. The pieces borrow from beautiful silhouettes and shapes he witnessed from his mother, aunts and grandmother. He shares that the ‘Geneaology’ collection, first shown in Paris, is one of his favourites to date due to the personal references.

“It looks like me and my family. The collections in the past have always been observations of other people; it’s always been quite external.” The collection is displayed in front of a backdrop of intimate family pictures which further help to link the source of his inspiration and perfectly the emotion-driven element.

*The women’s collection is full of cool tones and statement boots with nostalgic references to his family and upbringing.*

TRUTHFUL

Magugu was the first African designer to win an LVMH Prize in 2019. His work seeks to create a fuller picture of what being in South Africa is like. In an attempt to avoid painting it as if it was only a utopia.

He moves away from traditional fashion establishments that “sometimes come to Africa, pick up an image or two, put it on a mood board, and [go on their] merry way”.

The men’s collection is inspired by the rife corruption across the continent of Africa and the role of the whistleblowers that are bravely challenging injustice and wrongdoing. Inspired largely by Mandy Wiener, who wrote ‘Whistleblowers’ – a book telling the stories of brave people shedding light on multi-million Rand schemes at their personal detriment.

This collection tells a story of positive rule breakers. He has transformed the traditional male suit by adding his own flair with the use of the Masai check and cowboy boots. Cowboys have often been depicted as villains due to their association with lawlessness – this interpretation offers a Robin Hood comparison for the archetype.

Thebe Magugu perfectly manages to capture emotion, intricate high fashion and human intimacy in his collections and hopefully offers inspiration to many African designers that they can remain truthful to their visions while presenting their ideas on an international stage.

His previous collections can be viewed here.