Johannesburg based designer Thebe Magugu is without a doubt amongst the contemporary South African designers that have had fruitful careers in fashion in the most recent years. He is celebrated locally and internationally, from winning the prestigious LVMH Prize in 2019, making his Ready-To-Wear debut in London, working with Valentino’s creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli to being featured in the British Vogue and Snapchat: Redefining the Body exhibition.
Much of why he is embraced across all boarders is due to his immaculate craftsmanship of his designs as well as his meticulously translation of African heritage into fashion pieces. Magugu’s pieces are an ode to women, in some occasions inspired by the very daring, powerful and delicate women that raised him. His clothing is a direct reflection of his and African authentic and timeless tales, a seamless combination of the past and future.
This season Thebe Magugu made the decision to streamline operations this season, showing his fall collection via private appointments in Paris and with a lookbook captured by documentary photographer Pieter Hugo. “I’m in a place where I’m really interrogating what works and what doesn’t,” he explained. “I am actively thinking about how to participate in fashion in a way that’s not as cruel as it was to me in the past,” he continued to tell Vogue.
Thebe Magugu presented the “Folklorics” Autumn/Winter ’23 collection. “Whether carved on stone or retold orally from generation to generation, Africans have always had poignant, urgent stories to tell and preserve. This season, I wanted to profile some of those stories we were brought up on – from mermaids steering ships to wreck and conspiring tigers, to a cunning poltergeist of whom one should never call by name, translating it into a key collection for everywoman,” says Thebe Magugu about the “Folklore” A/W ’23 collection.
“Magugu has switched some of his production from South Africa to Madagascar and Italy to improve the quality, shelved plans for regular catwalk shows, and decided to focus on his customer at home as well as abroad. In April, he’ll relaunch his e-commerce website, which, in tandem with a new warehouse to fulfill orders from France, will hopefully simplify operations and allow him to better service his clients with a bolstered direct-to-consumer business.” says Ellie Pithers
Shot by Pieter Hugo
Styled by Chloe Andrea Welgemoed
