Durban Fashion Fair 2015: Amos

Amos is a high-end designer label, which specialises in ready to wear, couture and bridal wear.

For Durban Fashion Fair 2015, the key theme for the Amos collection was contrast. We saw hand knitted beanies being paired with eveningwear and sleeveless coats; sheer gold netting paired with knitted wool jackets. The combination gave the models an edgy look and it enhanced the female silhouette.

For the collection Amos used visible textures ranging from sheer netting and voil to upholstery material.There are two strong colour influences in the collection - darker colours like deep red, gold, black and citrine as well as subtle colours like white, cream and beige to compliment the floral evening looks.

The collection is feminine, wearable and sophisticated.

Hugo Amos Swanepoel is the designer and creative force behind the Amos brand

First Look: PUMA x Rihanna – Rihanna Reveals The PUMA Creeper, her Debut Sneaker Under the Fenty Label

PUMA Women’s Creative Director and Brand Ambassador, Rihanna, and Global Sports Brand PUMA kick off their first venture with the release of the PUMA BY RIHANNA Collection under Rihanna’s FENTY label. Under her creative direction, the first collection introduces the PUMA Creeper, remixing the iconic PUMA Suede with a little bit punk and a little bit rebel.

The PUMA Creeper harnesses the music and fashion feel of the revolutionary punk era with PUMA’s deep sporting heritage. Punk lit the streets bright on King’s Road in London and it soon caused a stir in the late 80’s in lower Manhattan’s underground club scene. The clubs have since closed but the culture never left, influencing the city’s fashion and music scene for years to come. That is the inspiration behind the PUMA Creeper.

To help launch the PUMA Creeper, Rihanna called on her friend, musician and record producer Travi$ Scott. Scott stars in the first-ever PUMA by Rihanna campaign alongside Rihanna, who also creative directed the shoot.

“I am so excited to finally introduce the PUMA Creeper to the world,” says Rihanna. “Partnering with PUMA has given me the opportunity to create pieces that are unique and unexpected. I really wanted to dig into their archive and give classic silhouettes my own spin. The PUMA Creeper is just that. And equally as cool, the fact that Travi$ Scott is joining me on my first launch is incredible.”

The PUMA Creeper transforms the classic PUMA Suede that was historically made popular by athletes in the 70’s and 80’s, beloved by punk bands, b-boys and skaters and today a style favorite of Rihanna. Upping the ante to the Suede is a platform or “creeper” sole married with a variety of fresh colorways and material combinations. Rihanna also took style advice from Los Angeles-based menswear designer Mr. Completely, to round out the PUMA Creeper design.

The first style, in a black-white colorway, drops as a limited edition pack on September 14^th at PUMA.com and select retailers globally starting September 18^th.

Exclusively in New York from Today (September 15^th - 17^th), PUMA will host a pop-up store at 312 Bowery Street between East 1^st Street & Bleecker Streets in Soho. This will be the only brick and mortar store worldwide where consumers can purchase the black-white colorway early, as well the other two Creepers colors from the September drop. The PUMA pop-up store will be open from 12 pm - 5 pm on Tuesday, September 15 and 11 am – 7 pm on Wednesday, September 16 and Thursday, September 17. Limited pairs available for sale during the pop-up and purchases are limited to one pair per person.

The first three colors of the PUMA Creepers be available through PUMA.com and lifestyle shops worldwide starting September 25^th with new color and material releases in November through 2016.

For more information, visit puma.com or rihannanow.com 

Introducing a Selection of Eye Catching Hand Crafted Belts by Missibaba

On Wednesday, 9 September 2015, luxury leather accessory label Missibaba held a Pop Up in Johannesburg alongside jewellery designer Kirsten Goss and milliner Crystal Birch that saw each brand launching an exciting new collection.

Missibaba was proud to unveil their latest offering which included a selection of eye catching hand crafted belts. as part of the Iconic Missibaba Collection.

The Swan, Mustang, Tux, Cleopatra Waist Clincher and Simple belt styles were revisited by the design team and given an effervescent pop. A glorious array of Argentinian leathers in brights, suedes and metallics have been expertly paired with beautiful butter soft leathers, sourced from a local tannery.

Missibaba also unvelied an exciting new belt style, Le Left Bank, which is sure to have fashion hearts a flutter! The inspiration for the new beauty is the Hamsa Hand, a protective symbol to counter the envious/evil eye. The design boasts a marvellous sun kissed arm, which wraps around your waist, fastening with a suede glove clad hand.

Visit the Missibaba flagship store at 229 Bree Street, Cape Town or at Shop 3, 64 St Andrew Street, Birdhaven in Johannesburg!

Durban Fashion Fair 2015: Life By Andre Martin

Life by Andre Martin was the dopest show at this year’s Durban Fashion Fair. This year Andre showcased an urban men’s collection, which we still can’t get over!  

Highlights from the show include:

The Life sound range

The white fashion trend (great for this season)

The Life racing range

The Black fashion trend (black always rule!)

Life Kids

According to Andre ‘Life the brand is similar to life the experience. It is a mixture of what we know and what we want to know. Life is changing and evolving daily. Our brand is a voice that says, be a misfit, be misguided, be crazy, be inspired, be yourself – whatever that means, but always be brave’. You can shop the Life by Andre Martin collection from Life stores, which are located at various shopping malls around Durban including Gateway, the Pavilion and Galleria.



Congratulations to Andre on showcasing such a great collection and for also receiving the well deserved Durban Fashion Legend Award!



Image Credit: Simon Deiner / SDR Photo 

Durban Fashion Fair 2015: Kat Shoesmith Designs

Kat Shoesmith, is the designer for KSD- Kat Shoesmith Designs. She participated in the DFF Mentorship Programme and is one of ten interns that were chosen to go to Milan for a two-month internship (Congratulations Kat!). Kat showed a ready-to-wear women’s wear collection at this year's Durban Fashion Fair.

Her collection was inspired by a quote from Edgar Allen Poe ‘We loved with a love that was more than love’. The range depicts a dark gothic romanticism and a desire, which she believes is within most women.

For the collection Kat focused on finding texture and tones within the basic black and shades of green fabrics. She has worked with a mixture of light and heavy weight woven materials to combine structured silhouettes with the softness and femininity of softer chiffons. The combination of texture and movement within the fabric gives this range a new level of aesthetic appeal.

Image Credit: Simon Deiner / SDR Photo