ARISE Cape Town Fashion Week: Day 1 Recap

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I loved it!  The Cape Town Fashion Week is unlike many others in that it’s open to the public who can purchase tickets!  Day 1 started off about 3 hours behind schedule due to some set issues however, once started, it was full of surprises and stellar shows by relative newcomers to the fashion industry with Michelle Ludek being the highlight for me!

Day 1 consisted of shows from the following:

• The Graduate Show: Featuring Design Academy of Fashion, Cape Town Fashion College and Cape Peninsula University of Technology.  In total, there were 25+ students!
• Sway and Doreen Underwood: Sway Textiles is a Cape Town fashion label dedicated to print and pattern but, their clothes have wide appeal across age groups.  Doreen Southwood‘s collection leaned toward nostalgic and feminine with softer palettes combined with transparency and reflective surfaces.
• Misfit & Tart: Misfit‘s signature label was created by South African designer Saskia Koerner and German designer, Lena Jansen.  The line is very classical with a punk edge and featured soft chiffon silks in tones of charcoals, nudes and dirty pinks.  Tart is the 8-year-old ladies wear brand run by Cari Stephenson.  The collection featured easy, wearable and clean-cut soft jersey knits…which makes sense given its origin in “tees”
• The Fresh Show with Black Coal by Pumeza Mekuto, Tarien Malherbe and Undacova: Undacova, exactly like it sounds, started as a way to offer men and women a broad selection of underwear products, and the look is characterized by bold and vibrant colors.  Tarien Malherbe‘s collection featured long-lasting cottons and linens with a washed and aged look; the native Capetonian presented for the second year after having successfully showcased in Jo’burg and Durban!
• New Generation Show with Michelle Ludek & Lalesso: Michelle Ludek, a South African native who worked with a Canadien retailer for 6 years, targeted young and upcoming career-oriented women with her collection of classic, tailored yet feminine pieces done in muted tones.  Lalesso is the brainchild of Olivia Kennaway and Alice Heusser who launched this line in 2005.  Lalesso, which also showed at Pret-a-Porter in Paris, featured items that incorporated their East African heritage with fun and contemporary designs.

For a slideshow of shoots from the various shows, click the link …or just check ’em out below! [nggallery id=3].