Fashionably African

BY Zodwa Kumalo-Valentine

While the catwalk may set the trends, watching what actually sells is the best way to analyse how translatable those looks are for retail consumption. Three industry experts outline the top fashion trends through their top-sellers.

GEOMETRIC PRINTS
As seen in Valentino and McQueen’s S/S 2014 collections, standout geometric prints create a striking visual narrative. For African fashion e-boutique, KISUA, this is good news as celebrities the world over, including Beyoncé, have snapping up graphic print pieces, like the Mombasa high-waisted skirt and Daria coat from their latest Hariri collection. Vuyiswa Mutshekwane, sales and marketing manager at KISUA.com says, “The collection takes its inspiration from the architectural installations of contemporary Burundian artist Serge Nitegeka and the Daria coat is one of our top-selling items.”

INDIGENOUS CRAFTSMANSHIP
Fast fashion will always have its place but increasingly consumers want to make a purchase that’s an endorsement of traditional craftsmanship. Sindiso Khumalo, textile designer and the founding director of her eponymous womenswear label, says of their latest collection, which features hand-embroidered tops made by craftswomen based in rural KwaZulu-Natal: “A/W 2014 delves into the world of traditional Zulu craftsmanship and ritual ceremony”.

AFRICAN-INSPIRED ACCESSORIES
From goat-hide bags to imbatata (sandals made from car tyres), accessories with a distinctively African design aesthetic are all the rage. Zainab Ashadu, creative director of Zashadu, says that African women appreciate that their bags are locally made as evidenced by their top-sellers, The Understudy and the Box Clutch. “We work with local sustainably sourced leathers, farmed exotic skins and rough-cut precious stones set in brass.”

Images: Supplied