"Refresh, Revive, Renew" at the AFI Cape Town Fashion Week

Dax Martin

The Mother City's fashion week will showcase the hottest spring/summer ready-to-wear collections at the CTICC and the theme is "Refresh, Revive, Renew".

True to its reputation as a cosmopolitan city that's bursting with edgy creativity and experimental daring, Cape Town will once again take the lead in revealing the latest design trends that are destined to take summer by storm.

Best-known designers

Audiences will be presented collections by some of the country's best-known designers, including ready-to-wear heavyweights Klûk CGDT, Stefania Morland and Craig Port, who will be introducing his women's wear range. Craig Native makes a much anticipated return to the runway after an absence of a few years and Durban-based Ruff Tung make their Cape Town debut.

Swimwear supremo Dax Martin, who recently returned from Las Palmas in Spain where he was one of only 11 international designers invited to show his most recent collection, will also be vamping up the ramp with his new beachwear creations.

Up-and-coming design talent

But Cape Town Fashion Week is not only about giving a platform to the big names - it's committed to showcasing the country's most innovative up-and-coming design talent as well. Catch emerging designers such as Good Clothing and Coppelia in their debut shows, as well as conceptual designers David West, known for his fun, quirky pieces, and Suzaan Heyns, who is making a name for herself with her avant garde aesthetic.

Brilliant news is that major clothing chains Foschini and Woolworths have thrown their weight behind the brightest design students from fashion schools to present a graduate collection as well as a mixture of up-and-coming and familiar designers with emerging talent collections. Both retailers are partnering the Cape Town Fashion Council (CTFC), which has partnered and worked with African Fashion International (AFI) to manage production and marketing of these shows.

Foschini is also previewing the Stoned Cherrie Love Movement range at AFI Cape Town Fashion Week, which, says the brand's Nkhensani Nkosi, was inspired by global icons and peace lovers the world over.

AFI Cape Town Fashion Week runs at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from 11 to 14 August, 2010. For more information, go to www.afi.za.com or book your tickets at www.webtickets.co.za.