Black Carpet Beginnings: The Birth of SA Fashion Week
In August 1997, South African Fashion Week (SAFW) rolled out a black carpet in a white marquee at Johannesburg’s Mandela Square, boldly announcing itself open for business. This inaugural event was unlike any fashion showcase the country had seen, 17 visionary designers came together to present cohesive collections under one tent, placing local design talent at center stage. It was the dawn of a new era, as post-apartheid South Africa’s creativity was poised to capture the global imagination. The atmosphere crackled with optimism and purpose: to celebrate a home-grown fashion identity and to prove that South Africa was ready to stand tall in the style arena.
SAFW’s launch in ’97 was about more than clothes on a runway, it was the spark of a fashion revolution. For the first time, designers in South Africa were elevated from being mere contributors to retail brands or society galas, to being the stars of their own show. Lucilla Booyzen, the founder and a fearless fashion maverick, had intrepidly built a platform where designers could freely express an independent creative vision. This bold move united the many stakeholders of fashion, models, photographers, buyers, media, celebrities - into a single ecosystem with a shared purpose. The debut show created an entirely new space (literally and figuratively) to engage with fashion, daring designers to present their work as art and inspire a whole value chain from creativity through to commerce. It was an audacious idea at a time when the local industry was fragmented and dominated by big retail chains; yet SAFW dared to dream of a designer-led industry that could unleash the nation’s creative talent.
Under the visionary leadership of Nelson Mandela’s new democracy, SAFW’s timing was impeccable. In that euphoric late-90s milieu, the country hungered for symbols of unity and creativity. The inaugural SAFW designers - 17 pioneers answered that call. They staged the Summer 97/98 Collections (at no cost to the designers, thanks to Booyzen’s determination to lower barriers), showcasing full seasonal lines instead of one-off pieces. For many, it was a first: expressing South African stories through fashion on a world-class runway. The significance wasn’t lost on anyone present. As Lucilla herself reflected, this was about “structuring, strengthening and growing a consciousness of the enormous socio-economic value of a vibrant local design culture”. Indeed, from day one SAFW set out to demonstrate that fashion is not frivolous - it is business, it is culture, and it is country.
The birth of South African Fashion Week was a landmark moment when creativity met opportunity. The black carpet that first night was more than an entrance - it was a statement that South African fashion had arrived, ready to claim its place on the global stage. Those humble beginnings in a tent at Mandela Square ignited an industry and an identity. Today, SAFW’s legacy lives on in every runway show that celebrates South African ingenuity, reminding us of that bold August night when a nation’s fashion future first stepped into the spotlight.
