When we talk about fashion shows, we often focus on the designers and less on the curators who make sure the setting complements the pieces being showcased.
Where and how you produce a fashion show, plays a huge role in highlighting the clothes.
Merchants on Long, the African fashion retailer, produced a fashion showcase of South African designers at the Karoo Winter Wool Festival.
The fashion show that focused on sustainability and longevity saw designers including Lukhanyo Mdingi and Mmuso Maxwell showcase a true celebration of South African wool and talent, depicting a circular, sustainable fashion industry where clothes are taken back to the source.
Designers like Viviers Studio, Luminous Ware, Emelia Dorcas, INKE Knitwear, Fields, Wrapt Knitwear, House of Lucent and GugubyGugu were also part of the showcase.
Sumendra Chetty, Fashion Buyer at Merchants on Long and curator of the show, was specific about the kind of designers she wanted for the show.
“I was very intentional with the selection of designers. The first requirement was to identify designers that have an established and experienced relationship with the local wool industry – names such as Lukhanyo Mdingi and MmusoMaxwell immediately spring to mind.
“Our version of ‘luxury’ is based on longevity, recyclability, care given to the environment and animals, as well as honouring fair-trade practices.
“Every designer was held to this ethos, ensuring we moved forward with intention. This showcase was no different from our offering in-store or online,” says Chetty.
Instead of the usual runway that we are accustomed to, Chetty and her team did something different. They had models walking under the beautiful Karoo sky to showcase the latest collections from the designers.
“It was crucial that the visual storytelling be as impactful as the Karoo landscape. Because the fashion was already so bold and unique, I had already decided quite early on to curate layers to mimic the Karoo sky.
“From light whites and creams of the cirrus clouds to the subtle beige and sand of golden hour to bright blooms and thereafter, dusk to azure, finally climaxing in a starry night.
“This was an effort in showcasing wool in a completely otherworldly setting – one that could only have worked through having the Karoo sky as the main collaborator!”
One of our favourite pieces unveiled at the showcase include the Mmuso Maxwell Handmade Felt Coat – a stylish jacket made of merino wool and mohair to create an illusion of a leather-like sheen.
This coat boasts a detachable belt suspended from the back that fastens at the front.
