When champagne and fashion rub shoulders, it’s a marriage made in luxury heaven – nobody understands this better than SA wunderkind Thebe Magugu.
It’s Champagne Day and to celebrate the delightful occasion Moët & Chandon has lured A-list crowd to the countryside for an evening soirée of savour faire hosted by the fashion designer from Ipopeng, a township outside Kimberley.
The open-air chapel, ivy archway and leafy garden-style benches at The Forum While House in Lanseria provide a romantic and scenic sunset view. This is the perfect venue to witness the union of creativity and innovation between the two luxury brands.
“Glamorously Crafted” read the formal invitation when it arrived a few days earlier. A glamorous spring shindig at a wedding venue requests some fantastical fashion. So, I opt for tone-toned monochromatic tailoring and a creamy cowboy hat. To turn up the volume on the bridal-inspired style, a pearl veil completes the sartorial drama. Being stuck in Fourways rush hour traffic in the backseat of a Lexus ES attracts the eye-catching attention warranted by my fashion drama.
Upon arrival, guests are treated to the sought-after Moët & Chandon vending machine filled with 200ml bottles of bubbly. The interactive gadget uses special gold coins to dispense superbly chilled bubbles and then you sip through a tiny champers flute.
Within earshot is Magugu, looking chic in a shirtless floral suit and tittle-tattling with his A-list guests Siphesihle Ndaba, Zulu Mkhathini, Liesl Laurie, Lulama Wolf and Tresor. Once the party moves indoors, he informs me that the suit he’s wearing will only be available for purchase early next year. The intimate candlelight dinner has now commenced. I’m sandwiched by Maps Maponyane and Boity Thulo on my left. Then on my right are Zozibini Tunzi and Ama Qamata while Nambitha Ben-Mazwi is sitting across.
It was in the heart of the Champagne region, Épernay, that Magugu’s betrothal to Moët & Chandon occurred a few weeks ago. Magugu next introduces an ode to that trip he shared with fellow African creatives Banke Kuku, Aisha Ayensu, Mahine Sef, Lyra Aoko, Mtani Nyamakababi, and Youssra Nichane – an over-the-top bespoke garment.
“During the trip, a few things struck me. First, Moët has been celebrating moments with their champagne since 1743. That was literally in the 18th century, correct me if I’m wrong, I took maths literacy [in high school],” he quips to the amusement of the crowd.
“I was also struck by the delicacy and exacting skill it takes to make a champagne bottle. An art and science really, much like what we do in fashion.”
The unparalleled masterpiece is towering over his guests as they indulge in sea bass paired with pea and mint purée. The garment can only be described as a floral fantasy and used lightweight chiffon as the fabric of choice with 3D rosette on the bodice and pleated bottom.
“I have an affinity for flowers, my grandmother had this green thumb in the township. She grew everything from aloe vera to flowers I have never seen, I’m sure some were a crossbreed,” Magugu explains his creative process.
“So this look, each and every flower is a photograph that I took and printed into the garment, I then stagnated every one of them. I sew the white flowers going into the pinks and reds organising them all.
“When I returned to SA I immediately put everything on a sheet as artwork that I then printed on this rich chiffon, we created this piece within a series of pleats. I think pleats are such a French touch too. Then we created an actual flower out of the flower print in a delicate chiffon.”
Sibylle Scherer, president and CEO at Maison Moët, was one of the guests. She shared that the Champagne Day celebrations were taking place across eight African cities.
“We pick a theme each year for Champagne Day and this year it was Endless Creativity in Craftsmanship,” Scherer says.
Indie-folk singer Muneyi made sure it was an unforgettable night by staging a mini-concert, while guests raised a glass (clink!) and danced the night away.
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