Part of the Project
Lukhanyo Mdingi's spring/summer 17 lookbook traces a contemporary look on an African inspired collection. Shot by South African Photographer Kent Andreasen, the barren burnt fields of the Highveld and set the tone of a rustic themed story.
The collection was emerged from a process of healing that Mdingi feels he went through recently, for which the creation of Purgation was a cathartic experience. It is a progression for him as a designer, reflecting his growing maturity. "Before moving onto the next collection we always take a look at our past collections. It's important for us to remain consistent and to have our stamp of identity."
"If you pay close attention you will see that in each pattern design there is an amalgamation of rich tones of golds, coppers, blues, browns and navies," says Mdingi. "Creating the prints was very personal as the inspiration was was drawn from African iconography and print-work. It was important to have an informed background of the inspiration together with creating pieces that are authentic to myself and label."
Embodying a sense of allure and romantic rusticity both models, Lebohang Otukile and Khashane William, effortlessly meld traditional artisanal elements into a striking modern narrative; celebrating the collections relaxed silhouettes, intricate patterns and rich tonal hues that are captured in our natural landscape. Mdingi was a Design Indaba Emerging Creative in the class of 2015. Applications for the 2017 programme are open now.
"As I have gotten older I have had the opportunity to be in the presence of people that inspire and take great pride in their heritage. This has allowed me to appreciate and to learn about all the goodness that exists in our continent. Africa is golden.
"The hats are extremely important. While designing the collection, the visors seamlessly melded with each piece. I had a look at contemporary straw visors and with the help of the milinar Crystal Birch. I commissioned her to produce the ornate pieces from the illustrated references."
