SAFW UNVEILS AW27: A CELEBRATION OF HANDMADE SOUTH AFRICAN EXCELLENCE
AUTUMN | WINTER ’27 MEDIA RELEASE - 29 SEPTEMBER 2026
21 – 25 October 2026
Twenty-nine years of contemporary urban individuality, brought to the runway by established designers and a new generation showing for the first time. Johannesburg, October 2026: Following the announcement of its landmark collaboration with Pierre Cardin, South African Fashion Week has unveiled the designer line-up for its AW27 Collections, taking place at The Forum, Hyde Park Corner from Tuesday, 21 October to Sunday, 25 October 2026. The season brings together established South African names and new creative voices across couture, tailoring, menswear, streetwear, heritage, craft and contemporary African design.
The line-up reads as a portrait of South African fashion as it stands today: designers two decades into their business, a new generation stepping onto the runway for the first time, and the contemporary urban individuality SAFW has developed and shown for 29 years.
What connects them is the hand. At a time when so much of global fashion is defined by speed and scale, AW27 puts South African craftsmanship at the centre of the runway: cut, construction, finishing and surface work made by skilled hands in South African workrooms. It is the creativity that sets South African design apart on an international stage, and the reason investment in skills, from the classroom to the atelier, matters to the entire industry.
“SAFW has always believed a sustainable, designer-led fashion industry must be built from the bottom up. Strengthening education and skills ultimately strengthens the entire value chain.” Says Lucilla Booyzen, Founder of South African Fashion Week.
David Tlale returns to SAFW on Tuesday, 20 October with his AW27 collection. One of the most recognised names in South African fashion, Tlale also brings a first to the platform this season: Interns by David Tlale, which presents the collections of five young designers on one stage.
Black Coffee unveils Unfolding; HELON MELON presents Helon Melon Always On; and Ephymol explores The Rebirth of Slow Classic. Sober Design House marks 20 years of timeless fashion with The Next Chapter, while TRRR...PHAAA! presents The New Resonance and Colleen Eitzen returns with Origin.
Fundudzi by Craig Jacobs presents The New Earth - An Exploration of Transformation: Landscapes Shaped by Time - What We Wear Another Life. Thabo Makhetha presents Eako, Eahao (What's Mine Is Yours); INSYD/OWT Creatives presents Living a Creative Reality; and Dali Ngcebetsha explores Metamorphosis.
Irene Makhavhu presents Tshedza, meaning light, and Ana Nunes shows her ANUNES collection called EKWIKWI - Soma Irene, while Emelia D returns to the runway as winner of the SS26 Scouting Menswear Competition.
On Saturday evening, 24 October, in the penultimate show of the season, SAFW brings the ball to the runway with Field to Fashion.
The AW27 Collections close on Sunday, 25 October with Gert-Johan Coetzee. Coetzee, one of South Africa’s most loved designers, whose red-carpet work has brought South African fashion to international audiences, closes the week with his collection, Reflection.
The SAFW New Talent Search Powered by J.C. Le Roux introduces nine emerging designers: Khangwelo Nemukongwe, Kwanga Qusheka, Lindokuhle Hopewell, Martin Steenkamp, Michael Peter Reid, Mikhail Brown, Sihle Khumalo and Zane Samuels
“JC Le Roux is proud to partner with South African Fashion Week, a platform that celebrates the originality, talent and entrepreneurial spirit of South African designers. Both our brands share a deep connection to celebration, fashion and local creativity. Through this partnership, we are delighted to raise a glass to the designers shaping the future of South African fashion and to the industry that supports them.” says Kim Brandt, Brand Manager: Wines.
SAFW thanks its sponsors and partners - Primedia, 947, 702, J.C. Le Roux, BioMedical Emporium, NARS and Carlton Hair - for their continued support, which is more important than ever to the future of South African fashion. For SAFW, the right partnership begins with shared values and a clear understanding of what the platform stands for: it must offer value to partners while creating opportunities for South African designers and supporting the wider industry.
SAFW is pleased to welcome BioMedical Emporium as its Official Skincare Partner. As a South African, female-founded business, it is a natural fit for the platform.
“As a proudly South African, female-founded business, partnering with SA Fashion Week as Official Skincare Partner was a natural fit. Fashion celebrates how we present ourselves to the world, and BioMedical Emporium exists to make sure the skin beneath it is as strong and healthy as the confidence it carries: wear your strength, love your skin.” Says Dr Judey Pretorius, Founder and Dermatological Biochemist, BioMedical Emporium.
ABOUT SOUTH AFRICAN FASHION WEEK
Founded in Johannesburg in 1997, South African Fashion Week is a designer-led industry platform connecting fashion education, emerging talent and established designers with mentorship, manufacturing, media, retail and market opportunities.
Where Design Becomes Industry.
Media enquiries: nicola@safashionweek.co.za
