Last night the concluding night of the 2013 Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Africa fashion-palooza ended with the 2013 African Designer of the Year being awarded to KLuK CGDT. Two of my favourite people in the world. It has been a long time coming. For all sorts of reasons — politics, expediency, omission, circumstance, other talent — this award has eluded them in previous years, despite a prolific body of duly acknowledged great work and international and local acclaim. But as happens when you are patient and continue to produce good work, you get your due in the end. And it could not be more well deserved.

Their show ended the run of shows on Saturday night. We were bussed out to Freedom Park in Pretoria and seated around a water-filled amphitheatre stage — which eventually turned into a pond through which the models dragged their gowns, whilst fountains spurted, fireworks exploded and laser beams sliced through the cold night sky. It was nothing short of utterly magnificent.

But the Kluks, as I call them, have done magnificent production before. Possibly not this much, nor this camp, nor this special. But these guys know how to put on a show. The significant difference this time, was the no matter how magnificent the production and setting, the clothes STILL managed to out-shine it all. And by out-shine, I mean send beams of light so bright that we gasped as each model strode past — mostly in her Nike sneakers.

It was modern, and completely hip. Hip, I said. Cool. Edgy. Yes. Not words you would usually associate with this brand, who generally dress the great and good of wealthy South Africa. And those dresses were still there. Still beautiful. Still exquisitely finished. When the trainers gave way to the satin court shoes, a wonderful version of their usual fare emerged. And it was good. But not as totally awesome as the fresh new produce right up front.

There was exaggerated faux fur paired with sequin, mesh, taffeta and satin. But most successfully it was in amazing digital print dresses. Slips of liquid beauty, only further enhanced by futuristic jewellery design by Kirsten Goss.

It takes a lot to impress the fash-pack at the last show on the last day of an exhausting fashion week. We dragged our painful, sorry bones into that park, grumbling all the way. We danced and skipped our way out. Revived by fashion. No. Revived by the masters of local fashion. This was the show of the year. For all the right reasons. This will be their legacy, no matter what happens. And all young designers can learn a thing or two from these two. And they should. The winners of the Designer of the Year. It could have come at no better time. Their time is now.

All photos courtesy of SDR Photo