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When South African Aesthetics Become Marketable, Who Profits?
Read more: When South African Aesthetics Become Marketable, Who Profits?South African style has always carried more than visual meaning. It is a record of survival, resistance, and joy — shaped by everyday life in townships, stadiums, dance floors, and street corners. Black South African culture has long defined how the country looks and moves. What has changed is not the creativity, but the market…
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A Year in South African Fashion
Read more: A Year in South African FashionThis year in South African fashion did not announce itself loudly or neatly. There was no single silhouette, colour, or moment that defined the months gone by. Instead, what unfolded was quieter and more layered — a series of shifts in confidence, authorship, and intention. More than anything, it was a year marked by restraint.…
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THE RETURN OF UMSWENKO AS SOUTH AFRICA’S STYLE BLUEPRINT
Read more: THE RETURN OF UMSWENKO AS SOUTH AFRICA’S STYLE BLUEPRINTThe creatives featured here represent just a fraction of the dynamic talent redefining South Africa’s visual identity. The list is not limited — it’s a snapshot, not the full landscape. For decades, South Africa’s townships have been the engine of the country’s style identity, the birthplace of istayela (style in hood terms), reinvention, aspiration and…
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South African Musicians Are Powering a New Era of Homegrown Fashion
Read more: South African Musicians Are Powering a New Era of Homegrown FashionSouth Africa is experiencing a powerful cultural resurgence as musicians, DJs, and public figures embrace homegrown fashion with renewed intention. On stages, red carpets, and global tours, artists are choosing South African designers not as trend statements, but as extensions of identity, creativity, and cultural authorship. Music and fashion have always been intertwined in South…
The Jozi Collective 2025 Presentation
Photographer: @jacquesweyersmanifesto
HMUA: @justine_nomz
models: @nomvelomabaso_
@royz.revenge
@booi_sive
@raethsworld
The Jozi Collective SAMW SS25
The Jozi Collective returned to the runway at SA Week of Fashion 2025 (formerly known as SA Menswear Week), reaffirming its role as a driving force for South African fashion.
Curated by founder Thobeka Mbane, the showcase continued the Collective’s mission of spotlighting independent designers and giving them access to one of the country’s most respected fashion stages. Beyond runway exposure, The Jozi Collective provided hands-on guidance through every stage of the process — from refining collections and preparing lookbooks to styling, presentation, and press visibility.
The 2025 showcase reflected the values at the heart of The Jozi Collective: supporting local designers, encouraging sustainable practices, and positioning South African fashion within a global conversation. By creating opportunities for designers to present their work in a professional, polished way, the Collective continues to bridge the gap between creative vision and business growth.
As SA Week of Fashion evolves into a platform with broader global recognition, The Jozi Collective stands as a key player in ensuring that South African stories, craftsmanship, and innovation are placed front and center.
Siyababa Atelier
MacGale
Note Clothing
Hint Studios
The Jozi Collective Pop-Up: Live Lookbook Shoot 2024
Following the success of The Jozi Collective’s curated slot at SA Menswear Week 2024 (now SA Week of Fashion), the platform extended its impact with a Live Lookbook Shoot hosted at the Jozi Collective Pop-Up in Johannesburg.
The live shoot created a unique space where fashion, photography, and audience interaction merged. Instead of a traditional static presentation, guests witnessed designers’ collections come to life in real time — styled, photographed, and curated before their eyes. This format not only showcased the garments but also highlighted the process of storytelling and collaboration that lies at the heart of fashion.
Featuring South Africa’s Rising Voices
The lookbook featured a dynamic lineup of South African designers:
- Afrikan Swiss – known for fusing luxury craftsmanship with streetwear edge.
- MacGale – bringing bold, contemporary silhouettes with cultural resonance.
- NOTE – presenting clean, tailored designs with a minimalist aesthetic.
- Offmankind – exploring urban identity and narrative through design.
- Siyababa Atelier – pushing boundaries with experimental yet refined menswear.
Together, these labels represented the diversity and innovation of South African fashion, from streetwear to couture, from emerging voices to established names.
Beyond the Runway
The Jozi Collective’s decision to stage a live lookbook shoot reinforced its mission to rethink traditional fashion presentations. By turning the camera into part of the experience, designers received not only immediate visual content but also valuable editorial material to position their work in both local and international markets.
This initiative underlined the Collective’s commitment to empowering designers with tools, platforms, and professional assets that extend far beyond a single showcase.
Looking Ahead
As The Jozi Collective moves into 2025, the Pop-Up and its live formats continue to embody the Collective’s vision: bridging creativity with business, fostering sustainable growth, and making South African fashion visible on the world stage.
The Jozi Collective 