Raw township grit met runway flair at the latest Soweto Fashion Week (SFW), reaffirming its reputation as a launchpad for young designers ready to break onto a bigger stage.
Now in its 15th year, the three-day autumn/winter 2026 showcase featured 20 designers and blended rising talent with established names in an explosive fashion affair held at the Soweto Theatre in Jabulani last Thursday.
Seeking to build on SFW’s legacy that includes alumni Floyd Avenue, Boys of Soweto, Sun Goddess and The Intern by David Tlale is former choreographer-cum-communications manager Kwanele Thusi and his Finchwear label.
“I arrived in Johannesburg in 2015 to pursue a degree in performance studies and earned my master’s degree, which permitted me to teach performance arts at Wits University. The following year, I moved to teach at Codarts University for the Arts in Amsterdam,” says the 33-year-old.
“I was involved in the arts, and I would dance and perform in different countries. When I launched Finchwear, I had grown tired of teaching and felt it took away from my creativity. I told myself I’m going to take a break from the 9-to-5 and just start. Since then, it hasn’t felt like a job but the rediscovery of a passion and love I’ve always had for fashion.”
Born in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, Thusi recalls how he made ends meet in Johannesburg by selling clothes on the streets.
“When I first got to Johannesburg, I was selling my aunt’s clothes, who I lived with in Braamfontein. She had stylish vintage clothes, which I would tailor and resell on the streets without her permission. When she found out, she was livid and banned me from her closet. Looking back, it wasn’t kind,” he says.
“Ten years later, I’m showcasing my own fashion design at the Soweto Fashion Week, and for me, it’s a full circle.”
Thusi debuted his Finchwear collection with this season’s cohort of fresh talent designers from fashion labels 560 Rebirth by Lumka Takane, Idayimani by Tebogo Selebi, The Vision Line by Lucky Masemola, Msaba Emporium by Thakazelwa Mhlomi, Bravo & Co by Gift Nemati and Mbobo Movement by Luthando Mbobo.
His SFW collection features 10 pieces with gender-fluid silhouettes and geometric, future-facing designs.
“My inspiration behind the collection is my childhood. I used to be that guy who would wear shorts and like pink, so in the collection I used velvet in bright neon colours and different plastics. I’m deeply interested in sustainability and the future of fashion,” he says.
“The Finchwear man or woman is someone who walks into a room and immediately grabs attention. They are confident in themselves and are risk-takers,” Thusi says.
Raw Silk season 2 runner-up and SFW resident designer Precious Mahlangu of Precious Lulu Couture shares how, even years later, she still carries the spirit of the TV show that launched her fashion career.
The competition aired on SABC1 in 2018.
“That experience was something else,” says Mahlangu.
“The show impacted my expanded creativity and acumen in the business of fashion because in that space, you are put under pressure, and everyone is equally talented. It taught me how to work within time limits and to plan properly, which helps with managing a brand.”
Since then, the Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal native has seen her womenswear label grow from fashion retail partnerships to acquire a global audience, but she still considers showcasing at home to be the best place in the world.
“I’d say we create garments for women from all walks of life. We don’t discriminate based on age, size, race or creed. We just design for a woman who is settled and comfortable in her own skin,” says Mahlangu.
“Our SFW collection explores the different mediums of fashion [and] what we are bringing this time around is a colour palette that is inspired by sunset and sunrise. Shapes of red, orange and rust colours and weaving through plenty of beadwork and crochet.”
