Gaze at the camera, flash, smile, and strut your stuff on the runway at the Soweto Theatre for the annual Soweto Fashion Week, pencilled for Friday, 2 December from 6pm to 10pm. The Soweto Theatre stage on Bolani Road in Jabulani will be graced by seven local fashion gurus under the theme: Trans-seasonal wear.
Dejavu Not a Secret, UJU Designs, N.O.T.E, Fresh Wear, SIBU, FDB, and Makgale are among the artists expected to showcase five of their best clothing ensembles.
Fashion aficionados will be able to see the exceptionally talented designers walk them through some of their enthralling designs for the current season.
The goal is to show spectators how to trans seasonal style their wardrobes all year.
Founded by local entrepreneur, Stephen Manzini in 2011, the Soweto Fashion Week has showcased some of the sprawling township’s finest fashion labels, including Urban Zulu, Zama Swazi, and Floyd Avenue, to name a few. Stephen Manzini, a local entrepreneur, founded it.
During the Covid-19 lockdown, the prestigious fashion showcase had to halt exhibitions, but this year will be its first setting in two years.
“Our passion remains consistent even after Covid-19 and a two-year hiatus from events.
We want to find top fashion industry talent. Soweto is brimming with creativity, with many designers yearning to establish themselves on big stages, and that’s what we’re all about,” says Manzini.
The event is well-known for attracting international media, including the BBC and Fox News, to Soweto.
“The fashion event has also drawn high-profile guests, including former US Ambassador to South Africa Patrick Gaspard, who endorsed the show on behalf of the US Government,” event organisers said in a press release.
Soweto Fashion Week not only promotes South Africa’s fashion, beauty, and modelling industries on a global scale, but it also promotes Johannesburg as a city full of possibilities.
“This event highlights our contribution to this rapidly expanding industry. As the Soweto Theatre is located in the heart of the world’s most famous township, we are proud to be a part of this force, promoting the work of young black designers from various townships, as well as those from urban areas and abroad,” says Vincent Motau, General Manager of the Soweto Theatre.
Motau adds that the Soweto Fashion Week is also renowned for runway seasons, with plus-size inclusivity adding fuel to the fashion fire.
Attendees of the Soweto Fashion Week can expect high fashion from both established and relatively unknown brands, including Makgale 3rd runner up and N.O.T.E winner of the SABC 1 fashion competition Raw Silk.
“There’s also Mercia Ramagaga, who has shown at London Fashion Week and other international platforms,” Manzini adds.
For the first time, Soweto Fashion Week has collaborated with Coca-Cola, Soweto Theatre, Havillah Beauty, the City of Johannesburg, and Soweto TV. It is hoped that these collaborations will help the event reach new heights.
Patrons are promised a blissful night of Haute Couture for R50 per ticket at the Soweto Theatre’s gates.
Written by Dakalo Ramudidibi
24/11/2023