News: Africa Fashion Week: Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Joburg '14 to showcase 10 of South Africa’s best menswear designers

In less than a fortnight, a record 10 local menswear designers will showcase their autumn/winter collections at the sartorial event of the season, the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Joburg (MBFWJ) 2014, to be held at the Sandton Convention Centre, Johanesbourg, South Africa 20-22 March 2014.

This comes as MBFWJ organiser and leading fashion authority on the African continent, African Fashion International’s reaction to the fact that the global luxury menswear market, which makes up 40% of the global market, is growing at about 14 percent per year (nearly double that of women’s wear) and is currently worth a staggering €180 billion.*

“African Fashion International is committed to assisting in the growth of fashion-related industries in response to market trends. The overwhelming increase in the demand for high-end men’s clothing make it an ideal market from which to grow the industry as a whole, which is why AFI is putting a lot of effort into showcasing designer gentlemen’s labels,” says African Fashion International (AFI) Spokesperson Nicholas Maweni.

The emergence of the “metrosexual” male has sparked a new era in menswear, with many men becoming increasingly enthusiastic about fashion and their personal brands, fuelling the growth of this market and the entire fashion industry as a result.

 MBFWJ 2014 will feature six collections by leading menswear labels Fabiani, Augustine, Ruald Rheeder, Laduma, Viyella and Adriaan Kuiters + Jody Paulsen, as well as the four talented emerging designers showcasing in AFI’s Next Generation acceleration programme – Zano Sithetho, Prudence Mphaphang, Sello Medupe and Jenevieve Lyons.

“Each of these collections will present a fresh, innovative take on men’s clothing preferences and the masculine form. The exceptional talent of the 10 menswear designers showing at MBFWJ 2014 is proof that the quality of local fashion is on par with that which is being produced internationally; after all, clothes maketh the man,” adds Nicholas Maweni.

These stellar menswear designers will take their place alongside 24 of the country’s leading women’s couture labels to showcase at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Joburg (MBFWJ) 2014 at the Sandton Convention Centre, 20-22 March 2014.