An all-male fashion week seems odd, but it makes sense when you realise the local market is worth R20-billion and growing, writes Sandiso Ngubane.
‘It’s going to be all about celebrating Africa. It is inspired by South African street style and I want everything to be cool and modern.”
Chu Suwannapha says that’s what the audience can expect when he sends models down the runway on Saturday night at the South African Menswear Week (SAMW), currently under way in Cape Town. The man whose colourful dress sense often manifests itself in a combination of clashing prints is launching his label Chulaap, and there is no doubt that his is probably one of the most highly anticipated shows of the three-day fashion showcase.
Affectionately known as the “Prince of Prints”, Suwannapha’s switch to designing comes just a few months after he was awarded the accolade for most innovative style at last year’s South African Style Awards. Although he has worked for many years as a fashion director in the local magazine industry, he is no stranger to designing. Before he moved to South Africa 14 years ago, Suwannapha worked as a designer in Paris and, before that, he had started Chulaap in his native Thailand.
He stopped designing when he got to South Africa, but the dream of owning a label remained and, thanks to the organisers of Menswear Week and the Cape Town Fashion Council who approached him at the end of last year to “do it”, this dream is now taking flight.
Suwannapha is working with the milliners Simon & Mary and the sock label Skinny Sbu Socks to realise a vision he says is informed by the unique style of young African urbanites in trendy spaces such as Braamfontein and Maboneng.
London introduced the London Collections: Men in 2012, with the aim of shining a spotlight on the British menswear industry, which reflects the growth of the category worldwide. Vancouver also has an exclusive men’s fashion week.
Research firm Marketline reported that, last year, the local menswear market was expected to generate more than R20-billion, reflecting a compound annual growth of 8.3% since 2009. The organisers of Menswear Week hope to capitalise on this growth and, by featuring the best local talent and some designers from the rest of Africa for three nights of runway shows, to drum up interest in the local industry.
Cofounder, Ryan Beswick, says: “We’ve been talking about it for about two years. We had a whole bunch of ideas and we had to look at what’s feasible and whether or not we are right about providing this niche service. When you look at men’s fashion as a whole, it’s not just clothing, grooming is also booming. Men used to not care about how they look but that has changed a lot.”
WHERE: 1st Floor, Breakwater Parking, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town 8001
For full report see Mail & Guardian
