Fashion Flashback: Joburg Fashion Week

The 2011 Joburg Fashion Week ended off with a bang  last weekend when designer David Tlale paid tribute to former president Nelson Mandela on the landmark Nelson Mandela Bridge.The designer used 92 models, among them celebrities and sportsmen, to mark the age of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate. But that was not the only highlight for the designer who stole the fashion week with his unpredictable edginess.

The designer made his grand on a Harley Davidson motorbike, followed by his models who walked on to the bridge, black robes covering their outfits. The audience, strategically placed along the bridge, watched as the landmark came alive with colour and couture.  Tlale’s collection was inspired by Madiba, and each model represented a year in the life of the icon. They included the likes of Sonia and Matthew Booth, Gerry Rantseli-Elsdon, Michelle Botes, Jen Sue, Noni Gasa, Azania Ndoro, Tatum Keshwar and Roland Schoeman, who walked the 284m open air runway on 19 February as fashion week drew to a close.

Tlale’s autumn-winter collection boasted everything from his take on suites to elegantly tailored evening dresses. And after the last model strutted off the runway, a kaleidoscope of fireworks lit up the sky to mark the end of Joburg Fashion Week.

Other designers that showcased their creations at the Joburg Fashion Week included: Suzaan Heyns, Errol Arendz, Klûk CGDT, LISP, Wild Fig, Spero Villiotti, Abigail Betz, Karabo Finger, Distinctive Wear, Avant, Grapevine, Bongiwe Walaza, Stiaan Louw, Thula Sindi, Abigail Keats, Tart, Loin Cloth and Ashes, and Heni.

Here are my picks from the fashion week. Pictures by Simon Deiner