Why SA Menswear Week Matters

The inaugural South Africa Menswear Week is on this February in Cape Town.

Casting at SA Menswear Week PIC: Simon Deiner / SDR Photo

The debut show is from 4 to 7 February with a second show slated for later in the year. 24 SA menswear designers will showcase their material over the four days. A highlights show will take place in Johannesburg in July.

The show is the only stand-alone platform solely dedicated to men’s wear in Africa.

It seeks to provide the best possible space for designers to showcase their material.

Owner and founder of SA Menswear Week, Ryan Beswick said

This worthy initiative is not only about providing and building a platform where designers can showcase their collections, but also providing a sound business case with marketing and promotion opportunities for designers to grow their brands.

It is modeled along the lines of London Collections: Men which we are big fans of so yeah it should be slick. SA designers will get to showcase in London which is super.

Why do we think it matters?

Almost every fashion show we have ever seen has a huge focus on women and very little attention is given to curating clothes for men. We kind of feel like an afterthought so we dress badly not by design but by accident.

This is especially true on the continent where we sometimes dress like rats in a hedge because we are men. So the fact that the continent now has a show specifically at men’s aesthetics makes us feel a little relevant. The fact that it is open to the designers from the whole continent also means a huge opportunity for cross-cultural links.

To find out more about SA Menswear Week go to their website -> http://www.menswearweek.co.za/. Tickets go on sale at the beginning of February.