After a decade away from Johannesburg’s fashion week circuit, Craig Jacobs made a compelling return, bringing his iconic Fundudzi label back to the city and onto the SA Fashion Week (SAFW) spring/summer 2026 runway at the weekend.
Fundudzi was founded in 2004 as a tribute to the richness of African culture. While he stepped away from the runway, his creative output never paused, continuing through carefully crafted, made-to-order pieces that reflect a slower, more deliberate approach to design.
“I have shown on other platforms outside of Joburg, but I made a deliberate decision not to present in the formal fashion week setting about a decade ago because I could see how social media had changed the system. The thirst for immediacy, along with the rise of fast fashion, has changed the way we look at clothes,” he says.
“I knew I would only return when I felt I had something to say, and after unearthing a box of long-forgotten fabric from a collection in 2013, there was a spark. It was of a delicate butterfly print, and so I thought, ‘That’s it! Let me use this as a vehicle to remind people that garments and fabric don’t fade if they are made properly with love and care.’ My return is not a restart but more a punctuation point that’s part of an ongoing narrative.”
The charged atmosphere pulsed through the VRtuous film tech studio ahead of Jacobs’s highly anticipated show. Then attendees erupted into cheers and whistles as acclaimed model Connie More opened the show wearing a striking bodysuit in muddy olive and cream with sheer cross-halter panelling adding a sultry edge. Her knee-high pleather boots and a dramatic cape, paired with her fierce stride, ushered a new era at Fundudzi.
The 10-piece collection that followed unfolded in moody colour palettes that shifted seamlessly between structured and fluid silhouettes. Each look underscored Jacobs’ refined craftsmanship and confident creative vision.
“The starting point was an African understanding of cloth. In many African contexts, cloth is not static. It is accumulated, repaired, reconfigured and inherited. It lives with you. It carries memory. This shaped the collection. Garments are treated as living objects. Not fixed, but capable of evolving over time,” he says.
In the show notes, Jacobs cited the inspiration of the collection titled There Is Nothing New Under the Sun.
“What we often describe as ‘new’ is simply a continuation, and it became important that the entire look reflects the continuation. I made a deliberate decision that the shoes and accessories should also be pre-loved, sourced from the Woodrock Animal Rescue Thrift Store,” he says.
SAFW reopened its doors to designers after skipping a season late last year.
The three-day showcase welcomed media personalities and devoted fashion fans, fabulously kitted out in the front row as local designers presented their collections, including Gert-Johan Coetzee, Helon Melon, Black Coffee, Naked Ape, Zamaswazi, Irene Makhavhu Designs, Ephymol, House of Olé and the exceptional talents from the Scouting Menswear competition cohort.
“I see both my work as a journalist and as a fashion designer as forms of storytelling. With journalism, I tell stories through words, and with Fundudzi, I tell stories through cloth. It has allowed the design instinct to deepen rather than disappear,” Jacobs says.
Jacobs explains that this new chapter for Fundudzi doesn’t alter the brand’s foundation but rather sharpens its clarity.
“From the beginning, Fundudzi was about African culture, craft and a more conscious way of making. Right now, because of the overconsumption of clothing, a truckload of garments is being destroyed or dumped every second. I don’t want to be part of a process of harm. So, this chapter is more about drawing a line in the sand. I hope in some small way I can convince people to look at clothes differently.”
- Jacobs is a columnist for Sowetan’s sister publication Sunday Times.
