The Annual Eastern Cape Fashion Week, formerly known as Ebubeleni Fashion Week, returned for its 3rd year and took place at the Boardwalk ICC on the 10th of August. The event is produced annually by Ebubeleni Festival Projects in celebration of arts, creativity, and fashion, with this year’s theme being "The Evolution of Fashion Over 30 Years of Democracy."
This year’s fashion week kicked off with a very insightful designer’s workshop on the 7th of August, held at the Boardwalk ICC for all Eastern Cape fashion and textile designers. The workshop featured several fashion industry and SMME experts who imparted knowledge and provided relevant tools to scale and improve small businesses. Among the speakers were Amanda Notyena from Business of Fashion, Raquel Adriaan, a lecturer from Nelson Mandela University, and retail buyer and CEO of The Cook’s Table, Zolitha Mangengelele.
The main event was a night of glitz and glamour, with attendees from Gqeberha and surrounding areas, including special guests, showing up in large numbers to support the creative industry. Style was the order of the night, as the majority came to express their freedom through fashion. This year’s Black Carpet was hosted by Shadley Mtsodo, a fashionista and multimedia personality who is currently the Head of Sales and Marketing for Madibaz Radio, one of the supporters of this project. The main show was hosted by Nqabisa Mtyobeli.
This year’s fashion show featured 10 designers showcasing their creations on the big stage: Sandisiwe Dani, Athenkosi Mfungula, Siyabulela Zondani, Carlos Fritz, Thakazelwa Mhlomi, Martin John Steenkamp, Tazleigh Swartz, Khanyisa Miliho, Annabel Hift, and Jan Hendrik Van Zyl. In addition to these 10 designers, students from Nelson Mandela University also participated.
A highlight of the event was the presence of legendary guest designer Mr. Sonwabile Ndamase, known for designing Tata Mandela’s famous shirt. He was honored with the “Eastern Cape Fashion Week Cape Aloe Legacy Award” in recognition of his outstanding work as a fashion designer and his contribution to the fashion industry over the past 30 years of democracy in South Africa. Mr. Ndamase expressed his humble gratitude and shared words of wisdom, including the story of how he got the opportunity to design the iconic shirt for the late Nelson Mandela.
To further support these designers, a panel of judges selected two winners from the 10 participants. It was a tough decision, as all the designers had incorporated this year’s theme into their creations. This year’s cash prizes were sponsored by Old Mutual, with R7000 awarded for Best Show Stopper to Siyabulela Zondani and R15000 for the overall prize, which went to Martin John Steenkamp.
The cherry on top was a performance by LIRA, a South African multi-platinum selling singer and songwriter. Renowned for her positive music and spectacular live performances, Lira's career spans over 20 years with six albums, four live DVDs, and a documentary series. While in Frankfurt, Germany, for a performance in March 2022, Lira suffered a stroke that left her unable to read, write, or speak. Her recovery has been nothing short of miraculous. Since the stroke, Lira has worked tirelessly on regaining her speech and relearning how to read and write. With speech therapy in Germany conducted in English, she was unable to communicate in Sotho or Zulu and had to relearn how to pronounce many of her song lyrics, she explained.
The event was indeed a success and provided an excellent opportunity for networking, as various industry experts were gathered in one space. Such initiatives need to be supported, as they serve as a beacon of hope for aspiring creatives. More capital injection should be prioritized by the private and public sectors to boost such efforts.
Article by: Shadley Mtsodo