Ntando Ngwenya is one of the top five designers that have emerged this year from David Tlale’s The Intern initiative in partnership with the SA department of Culture and Tourism to nurture fashion design undergraduates and provide them a platform to showcase their first collection.
Ngwenya’s capsule offering tackles menswear, in particular menswear staples denim, the classic blazer and the white shirt. Ngwenya tackles these staples from several angles; the lumbersexual angle, the dandy, the bohemian and classic looks. The blazer is updated, the lapel widened with squared edges, flaps added for effect paired with panelled high waisted dress jeans. He creates an ankle length sheer dress shirt with raglan cotton sleeves and a gossamer bodice.
He shows a classic slimfit dress shirt with exaggerated collars and tapered denim pants and a denim kilt paired with a teal blazer and an oversized jacket. The iterations of denim particularly intrigue us, especially the high waisted jeans and the kilt, how he is able to take classic feminine silhouettes and reworks them into wearable fashion. The shirts might require some tweaking to take them for interesting concept to store rack but it shows Ntando Ngwenya’s head is in the right space.
Through every piece, David Tlale’s influence is quite evident, the cleanness of the lines, the sartorial styling choices. We cannot wait to see what Ngwenya does with a full length collection.
Photo Credits
Simon Deiner/SdrPhoto
Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Johannesburg
Nelson Mandela Square, Sandton, Gauteng, South Africa.
