Slow Fashion on the Edge of the Atlantic

Craft, culture, and the coastline: a visual story by Peter Georgiades exploring the work of South African designers: raw materials, local craftsmen, local materials, ethical practices 

Highlighting South African design: Threads of the Tide

A visual story of reconnection takes us to Scarborough, Cape Town. The ocean shapes the sand and shifts the air as it drifts in and out. A beach house, a vast shore, and a narrow stream that makes its way towards it – each space forms the backdrop for Threads of the Tide. Shining the spotlight on conscious South African design, photographer Elie Benistant and stylist Peter Georgiades join forces. 

Capturing Natural Fibers and Contrast: The Vision Behind the Shoot

Growing up in South Africa, Benistant draws inspiration from his youth, and connects his work to diversity and rawness. Now based in Paris, his work for various publications and brands highlights his affinity to contrast and contradiction, often working with bold colors and landscapes that tell a story of their own. Threads of the Tide echoes this predisposition, cultivating shots that play with color in two opposing fronts – reflecting the scenery with a monochromatic focus, and diverting expectations with pops of color in nature. Peter Georgiades’s playful approach to styling brings the looks together. His ten-year career in styling, kick-started with his work in New York alongside Patti Wilson, now continues in Cape Town, where he focuses on bringing an intuitive touch to the styling process. 

A wardrobe filled with pieces from South African designers and vintage accessories frames the goal of the shoot – showcasing the texture of natural fibers against the untouched coastline. Scarborough emerges as a fitting location, sitting at the edge of a nature conservation area. Where the Atlantic meets the Western Cape, it hosts diverse vegetation that grows along the dunes, and local wildlife. Strong winds and shifting tides characterize this otherwise quiet space, the changing conditions interacting with the garments to emphasize their movement and texture. The slowness of Scarborough also reflects the slow and local craftsmanship that the featured designers highlight – working with sustainable and ethical practices. 

Lukhanyo Mdingi: Weaving African Crafts

At the water’s edge, a Lukhanyo Mdingi knit dress in neutral tones and bright orange poncho take center stage. These pieces, just like the rest of the designer’s work in his eponymous label, creates a dedicated space for traditional South African craftsmanship within the luxury fashion world. The Cape Town based brand strives to create a discussion around the human spirit and its expression through fashion as a medium. Apart from the small team, the brand is also fueled by their constant collaboration with artisans and NGOs on the continent. PHILANI’s expert weavers in Khayelitsha, Western Cape, and CABES GIE’s textile artisans based in Burkina Faso are just some of many. 

Growing in the northern hemisphere while being based in the southernmost tip of Africa is a balance that the brand continuously explores. Mdingi was the recipient of the 2021 LVMH Special Prize, and more recently the 2023 Amiri Prize, granting him international acclaim that helps further his brand’s growth worldwide. Having presented in both New York and Paris Fashion Weeks, his work was also brought to the London audience through an exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum. With the growth of this influence and success, more resources become available for the brand to further its commitment to sustaining and supporting local craft, while also scaling the business. Mdingi’s commitment to conscious and mindful design is further also reflected through his partnership with the Ethical Fashion Initiative, and his position as board member of the Design Academy of Fashion’s advisory committee in Cape Town.  

UNI FORM: Tailoring a New Narrative for South African Fashion

As the white sand shifts underfoot at Scarborough beach, UNI FORM’s contemporary silhouettes come to life through a tailored pantsuit and a golden brooch. Founded by designer Luke Radloff, UNI FORM draws from the city in which it is based, Johannesburg, and dives into the roots of its streetstyle, from which workwear emerges. The brand aims to translate this influence into trans-seasonal collections and modular pieces, while also focusing on slow fashion through handmade, made to order garments. The brand’s goals include one day shifting to a fully circular business model to utilize 100% local materials. 

Growing up in East London in the Eastern Cape, Radloff’s fascination with fashion emerged at a later stage, after shifting his perspective to view it as a way to communicate and perform. This communication now takes the form of elevated classics and contemporary silhouettes, through which the brand intends to overcome outdated notions of African fashion and realign expectations with that of major fashion capitals. Radloff’s local education, combined with his experience in European luxury brand communication, puts him at a unique spot to further this purpose. Receiving the Azzedine Alaïa Foundation x Orveda prize in 2023, Radloff had the opportunity to take part in a residency at the foundation’s archives in Paris for research, followed by a new collection presentation at Paris Fashion Week inspired by his experience. 

Viviers: A Studio of Co-creation and Sustainable Craft

The shoot makes its way indoors to the beach house, where contrast is captured with black and white shots. A long, feathered gilet by Viviers is featured, styled with vintage YSL tights. Founded by Lezanne Viviers in 2019, the brand operates from their studio in Johannesburg dubbed Glasshouse, which doubles as an appointment-only showroom and concept space for clients to interact with the brand in a unique way, and take part in co-creation through bespoke services. This leads to mindfully crafted pieces that are made to last. Co-creation is one of the pillars of Viviers, inviting their “collectors” to explore and experiment with their identities – something that Lezanne Viviers views as best done through clothing. Stemming from her background in art, fashion became the designer’s preferred medium to express the inner duality of the self. 

Viviers also encourages their clients to question their garments, with this practice becoming the brand’s manifesto. Value is generated through sincere answers given to questions on the origins of the clothes, the materials, and the people who made them. Working with South African raw materials and local craftsmen, the brand takes their respect for all their materials a step further by committing to a zero-waste approach. This generates space for further creativity, with the scraps becoming starting points for inspiration. Viviers’ love for mixing contrasting textures, like organic handcrafted materials with plastics and synthetics, also takes a conscious angle through responsible sourcing. 

Yellow Jewelry: Minimalist Design with Local Roots

Two Lukhanyo Mdingi dresses with contrasting colors create juxtaposition, completed with Yellow Jewelry earrings and necklace – also worn as earrings. Yellow is a jewelry design studio based in Cape Town, founded by Jessica Lea in 2009. In the heart of Woodstock, each piece is handcrafted using locally and ethically sourced sterling silver and brass. Youthful and minimal design mark the design language of the brand, combining classic craftsmanship techniques with contemporary motifs. 

A Dialogue Between Fashion and Landscape

The pieces and designers featured in Threads of the Tide all embody similar dualities: rooted in heritage yet forward-looking, striving to subvert outdated expectations and to bring South African design to the spotlight. Lukhanyo Mdingi, Viviers, UNI FORM, and Yellow all approach their craft as more than just the production of clothes and accessories; and instead treat it as a living language that speaks of the space and time from which it originates. Collaborating with South African craftsmen and creating a network that uplifts their work, and digging deep to understand and highlight local materials emerge as two fronts that bring the designers together in their resistance to fast consumption. The garments echo the coastline, carrying traces of the past while also evolving with each wave. Scarborough’s slowness mirrors the philosophy of the designers, proving that the strongest statements are those that are made with consciousness and an undeniable sense of place. 

Team

Photography Elie Benistant
Styling Peter Georgiades
Hair and makeup Justine Alexander
Photography assistant Teagan Van Zyl
Talents Sikhokhele Tyhali and Nondi Beattie