It was the first day of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Africa yesterday. And the shows kicked off with one of my favourites of the day. As part of the Fastrack initiative, where graduate designers get a package of practical assistance to help them kick start their careers, Kyra-Moon Halfpenny showed us her evolving design aesthetic. And I liked it. Pulling together a unique set of influences makes her voice clear and individual in a crowded space. I loved her urban, androgynous styling. And her very 'now' use of plaid. Without taking anything away from her uniqueness, I clearly see her place in the industry as our own version of UK-emerging designer of the moment, JW Anderson.

Of course in the same show Kim Gush blew us away with her posse of marching henchmen of the apocalypse. I thought the feeling of masculine hardness from the androgynous loose fit was a triumph of design and style. The third designer, Wetive Nkosi was disappointing. Her collection should have been a continuation of the brilliant modern African tea-dresses she showed to win the prize. Sadly, she has pushed the narrative too far and it has tripped into ostentation. When bits are falling off your looks, you must know you have gone too far. The designer herself emerged for her bow in exactly the sort of dress that she should have shown. It was stunning. What a pity.

Tina Lobondi was up next and I was holding my breath as little white dresses emerged. The fit was shocking and the finish a bit amateurish and I was hoping that this was not what we were going to see over the next few days of fashion week. Luckily Tina pulled it back with her wonderful use of traditional print fabrics, which hold together far better and make for cleaner lines. This helped her fit enormously and we were able to start seeing some of the wonderful design ideas she had. Great pieces mixed in there, absolutely redeeming a poor start.

UK-based Jacob Kimmie was up next and his design aesthetic has become increasingly avant garde over the years. The strong monochrome base was intact. The use of sheer mesh and tulle and fringing, all present. This was definitely an evolutionary collection. And, with a strong focus on the individual pieces, rather than a 'look' I was sold. Beautiful construction and elegance in simplicity were hallmarks. And I am a total sucker for a cape sleeve which was a big feature of the collection. I wasn't as keen on the other big feature which was the exposed va-jay-jay element. In a kind of reworked chaps situation, there was frequent and repetitive use of this and it didn't work for me. But aside from that, I loved it.

Modern safari-chic was up next from Rwandan brand Mille Collines. For me this collection was the closest we have come to an actual African representation of the international RTW SS13 trends. That skirt silhouette, which we saw all over the SS13 runways, was beautifully interpreted from an African standpoint. The separates were simple but beautifully made. There was no blinding excitement, rather classical interpretations of trends with an African handwriting. Chic. Quality. Timelessness. Done.
I skipped the Tshwane Fashion Showcase for some dinner and a catch up with friends, but will be back with reports on Craig Native tomorrow. Let's see what todays shows bring. I will tell you absolutely all in the morning, so keep a look out.
All photos courtesy of SDRPhoto