Last month, 26-year-old designer Thebe Magugu received emotional applause after presenting her latest collection at South African Fashion Week. With his sky-blue feathered headpiece fluttering in the wind, he humbly bowed as the models performed a final rap to Shana and Lebo Matosa's “Benga.” From cherry-red safari-inspired tailoring to a belted, one-sleeve tartan dress, his bright, bold and technically complex garments were beautifully executed, but this enthusiasm had a bigger meaning. .
The audience not only celebrated the accomplishments of one of the industry's most promising minds, but also the greater mission that drives him. Only in his third year since launching his brand, the Johannesburg-based designer is creating clothes that have the power to change global perceptions of South African identity. With Maggu's designs and the recent launch of his annual publication, Faculty Publishing Bureaupresents a fresh image of our homeland that is fun, progressive, and complex.
“I think in art, certain movements emerge from times of suffering, because art allows people to deal with trauma in a positive and beautiful way. That's what I'm doing with my clothes. I often look at South Africa through this lens and think about how we can change all this suffering,” Magugu explains. The designer was born in the small town of Kimberley in 1993, the year before the repressive apartheid regime was abolished. Nearly 50 years earlier, South Africa was run by a white supremacist minority and created a system of government based entirely on racial segregation. The shadow of this authoritarian policy aimed at exploiting, disenfranchising, and oppressing non-white lives still looms large over the country and the world's perception of it. For many outsiders, South Africa remains a place of pain, violence and inequality.
While recognizing the trauma that has shaped our population is necessary, focusing on a single narrative is harmful. Magugu's work actively seeks to expand this awareness. His award-winning installation at the International Fashion Showcase in London in February this year did just that. In the presentation 'Dawning', clothes from his latest collection were placed over a long scroll containing the text of the South African Constitution. Regarding his intentions, Magugu said, “Many people don't know that our country has the most progressive constitution in the world, because this constitution was created to rewrite the mistakes of the past.'' That's why.'' This celebratory attitude, highlighting the country's social, political and economic progress, has become one of his hallmarks.
Respect for education is another paramount theme for Magugu. After a creative childhood spent painting indoors, Magugu attended her LISOF fashion school in Johannesburg. Although Mr. Magugu graduated in 2015, his design ethos continues to reflect his academic journey. Each of Magugu's collections is based on a school subject, and this season it was African Studies. In his work, he expresses a vision of empowered African femininity inspired by his three key influences in his life and upbringing: his mother, aunt, and grandmother. did.
His futuristic take on traditionally feminine silhouettes comes in many forms. “When people hear of South Africa, they have certain stereotypes. They associate it with general prints and proportions, but they also associate it with medicine, technology, art, and the tremendous amount that South Africans have contributed to world culture.” It's part of a larger problem where we're overlooking their contributions,” Magugu explains. Items such as his tailored coat with a red floral print, his emerald mesh dress, and his asymmetrical navy suit draw from a narrow Western understanding of South African design tropes such as beadwork, animal patterns, and tribal quotations. Deliberately deviant. By shattering harmful expectations of South African design, Magugu provides a new aesthetic context for the modern rainbow nation.
Today, South Africa's rich cultural landscape is driven by the Born Free generation, who came of age in a consolidated democracy after the dismantling of the apartheid system in 1994. Magugu has emerged as a leading figure in this cultural renaissance, and his position is not simply reinforced by his people. It was brought about not only by his unique vision for design, but also by his belief in amplifying the voices of his peers. With the launch of his annual print publication, Faculty Publishing BureauMagugu is leveraging his newfound access to industry shapers and gatekeepers not only for himself, but also for his community.
To create Faculty Publishing Bureau, Magugu collaborated with editors Lelo Mesrani and Amy Zama, and art directors Avi Meekel and Claire Meekel. Together they created a yearbook, featuring many contributors as alumni, including musicians Fela Gucci and Desire Marea of Faka, activist Lady Scolyette, and photographer Travis Owen. It shined a spotlight on South Africa's wide range of talented young people. The finished work is a portrait of South African youth culture, including cutting-edge explorations of gender identity, feminism, and LGBTQ+ rights. In Magugu's words, this is a “zine dedicated to capturing important moments, ideas and thoughts from new voices that are engaging and advancing our cultural landscape.”