by Olivia Moreau
THEBE MAGUGU
2021 International Woolmark Prize finalist Thebe Magugu grew up in the city of Kimberley in South Africa’s Northern Cape, where his passion for design began at an early age from watching broadcasts of Paris and New York fashion weeks. After studying at LISOF, where he won best graduate collection, he launched his eponymous label two years later and went on to win the prestigious LVMH prize in 2019. The emerging label is part of MATCHESFASHION’s Innovators Programme, which supports pioneering talent. Based in Johannesburg, the designer sources from local suppliers, artisans and factories to produce his ready-to-wear offering, inspired by his South African heritage and Africa’s storied history.
OLF by Omi
Renowned fashion photographer, visual artist, and an all-around-force-of-nature Omi have outdone himself (again) by dropping his OLF 1.0 (Omi’s Left Foot) collection as a super-exclusive 50-pair drop with Italian art house shoemaker Fab-brizio. The 50-pair micro-collection sold out within an hour of dropping on a private sneakers list. Merging a solid color palette reminiscence of early Valentino’s visual solidity and Rick Owen’s sense of counter-culture (with finesse) the hightops are intricate yet lavish wearable art or at least that’s what the people who were able to grab a pair has been saying.
The custom kicks are made with Italian leather in Rome and come with individualized magnet insert boxes with imagery from Vogue, NatGeo, and gallery shoots Omi has done all over the world. We only hope this is the first of many drops from Omi’s Left Foot and the next iteration is not limited to never-gonna-be-able-get-it drop. Omi’s photography work has covered many fashion elites from Kendall Jenner to Bella Hadid. Despite such mainstream success his work both in photography and in fashion remains firmly within the scope of art noir and can often provide a sense of outsider art with subversive messaging about consumerism and the absurdity of celebrity. OLF 1.0 exudes all that. and more.
Ahluwalia
Indian-Nigerian designer Priya Ahluwalia launched her menswear brand in 2018. She primarily uses vintage and deadstock fabrics, offering a modern approach to traditional menswear. She was tapped to participate in GucciFest last November and last month during London Fashion Week, she was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design. So we expect great things from Priya, but hey no pressure.
Puppets & Puppets
Artist-turned-designer Carly Mark doesn’t come from a conventional fashion school background, and her label, which is named for her Chihuahua-terrier rescue, Puppet, exudes that sort of non-structured rebellion. Non-conformity aside, P&P has taken over the streets of Paris and New York with ease and is now a staple among. the fashion elites.
