The stage was set at the weekend as Soweto Fashion Week once again ignited kasi streets at the Soweto Theatre in Jabulani.
Among the standout moments on the runway was singer-cum-fashion designer Wanda Baloyi with her label Wanda Wear.
“It was scary at first because it’s like going into an unknown world. I made sure that the finishing touches were clean and that the pieces had no threads and looked new and wearable to the audience,” Baloyi says.
“My idea was to have pieces where people would say, ‘I can wear that’, and have each piece speak to women of various shapes and sizes. If I was able to achieve that creatively, then I was happy.”
Baloyi’s collection is titled Madelena, which is a tribute to her late grandmother and Mozambican heritage. On the runway, models walked the ramp in coastal chic and flowing feminine silhouettes, capturing the spirit of women who live boldly and beautifully.
“I chose fabric that moves [so] as to celebrate the movement of a woman. Imagine someone throwing a fabric on top of you; the fabric will follow the shape of your body, right? So that’s what I envisioned for the collection. Comfort-chic and movement, with [a] resort-wear undertone,” Baloyi says.
Baloyi started her fashion brand in 2023.
“Every time I would go out, people would be asking where they can get this or if they can buy this. Then I started receiving recognition on social platforms and saw it as an opportunity for me to birth something that I could also extend the creativity [to], aside from music,” Baloyi says.
“Fashion design is like writing a song. You get inspired, obviously. I start off writing songs through a beat or a key, then will move and create a body of it and think about what the song is talking about. It’s the same with fashion: you look at the fabric, what we want to feel when we are dressed, and where we see ourselves wearing these pieces.”
David Tlale launched his diffusion ready-to-wear line, Mdava. The collection prides itself on being price-conscious and relatable and is denoted by chic, relaxed, easy-to-wear daily pieces without skimping on the quality and fashion flair he is known for.
“It’s been brewing for some time now, and I was searching for something more relatable to the bigger audience and public,” Tlale says.
“One morning I woke up, and I remembered that they used to call me Mdava ekasi [in the township], slapped the emoji on it, and I knew this is what it is. It was the right time to adhere to the call of what the people in SA and the continent have been asking for because not everybody buys luxury products.”
The Mdava line sets itself apart from the brand’s other luxury lines with a smart caricature made in the image of Tlale, known for his signature all-black ensembles, dark shades and metallic neck chains.
“Yes, we were inspired by Karl Lagerfeld because he’s one of the designers I’ve always loved and celebrated along my journey, so I won’t say it’s an original; we just needed to make sure that it wasn’t a copy and paste,” says Tlale.
“I thought, what is the thing that’s going to literally move Mdava forward and people can resonate with? My team was fantastic to come up with this icon that represents the line. When you look deeply, you can see this is David Tlale, but as a comic icon, more fun and more relaxed because most people think that I’m very uptight, but I’m not.”
The diffusion line saw Tlale step back as creative director and let go of the reins, allowing his talented creative team whom he mentored to take the lead.
“I had to detach because I have a creative team that I’m working with because if I put my hands on it, I’m going to push the luxury. I had to work with my young designers, and there was a bit of resistance from my spirit,” he says.
“But then there comes a time when I say, ‘I’m letting you guys do this,’ with a bit of guidance from time. The creative team that I’ve worked with – they’ve nailed it. It’s passing on the baton which is sign of maturity and growth for the brand.”
