With its recent collection, fashion label Masango, by Sihle Masango, demonstrated a commitment to artistry and confidence in blending couture and ready-to-wear fashion.
On day 2 of African Fashion International (AFI) Fashion Week, Masango showcased a stunning collection called “Iphondo Elibomvu”, receiving a standing ovation.
Reality TV star Faith Nketsi (’Have Faith’) closed the show in what can only be called a show-stopping moment in a sensationally decadent gold gown.
The collection focused on the examination of key influences and the use of a wide range of tools, techniques, and showmanship to highlight the South African perspective on fashion and bodily ornamentation.
In addition to delivering a clear idea of what Sihle Masango, head designer and creative director, envisions, the collection is a love letter to South African women’s relationship with pageantry and glamour.
“This awe-inspiring delivery begins with milky white looks that hold this relationship of primary sartorial influence with tender yet intricate visions of an early life that is untainted by the hardships of self-awareness detailed in embellished shirts, pearled jerseys, a particularly gorgeous white dress that melts into a crescendo of pearl tasselled fringe from chest to ankle, then steadily paces through to a collection of blood-red garments and pieces that speak to the vivid experience of living and the raw audacity to continue to live life fully and unapologetically with sharp tailoring and flaw-free execution,” said Masango.
“My inspiration for this collection was the idea of giving birth to something completely new that is also steeped in my own personal history and the histories of the women that have put their hands and hearts into building generations from the womb up,” he said.
AFI Fashion Week ran from November 8 – 11.
The Star