The production was gentle. It was incredibly evokative — using sound and pictures to get us all into the mood for the Non-European collection at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week this past weekend. There was the hiss of the Karoo in summer. The quiet thunk of a ball hitting strings. And then the slow meander of the models down the runway, softly smiling and perfectly content, bare foot, comfortable, attractive. This is the African version of an English weekend party. And I wanted to be there.
With a slightly Karoo-vintage vibe to the colours and designs of this collection, it has moved on a bit from the summer classics of previous seasons. It is starting to get a real identity. A handwriting that you can identify and pick out from all the others. From my perspective this is an excellent thing and the design team — Tarien and Louis Erasmus — should be very proud.

I want to see more details. I don't mean add fussy elements. This wouldn't work at all. I just mean, more detail. More sophistication like in the dress with the lace insets and the amazing boys waistcoat and jacket. I thought these were really stand-out pieces. I am excited to see where this all goes. If it carries on in this vein, I think that we could see a pure and true South African design aesthetic emerging. That's pretty exciting.
Non-European was proudly supported by the Cape Town Fashion Council.
All photos courtesy of SDR Photo