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On day two of SA Fashion Week, Essie Apparel by Enhle Mbali Mlotshwa stole the show (SAFW). Enhle showed her fall/winter 2023 collection with Black Coffee, Munkus, Ntando XV, and Erre. When she was done, the crowd stood up and gave her a standing ovation.
Many people fell in love with her collection, and they couldn’t stop telling her how great she was. Enhle’s Essie collection is inspired by the edgy international jetsetter and globetrotter. Fashion-forward silhouettes that are both simple and exciting imagine new frontiers and are infused with her motto, “Keep moving forward to push boundaries, never stop.”
Zalebs found Enhle backstage after she ended day two of the show with a bang. When her grandmother came backstage to congratulate her, she broke down in tears.
Tell us about Essie Apparel?
It was born in 2019 just before COVID-19. It was amazing that our fashion show was in Vogue Italia and that we won our first international designer award. Then COVID-19 came, but now we are back and we are completely messing up the space, which is fine.
What inspired your designs today?
We were inspired by the colors we see in Africa and how we celebrate colors by translating and stringing beads in a different way than we usually do. When we think of Africa, we usually have one idea in mind. I wondered what Africa would be like if it were for the whole world, which is how the collection came about. I liked the colors in the Ndebele culture, so I played with them. The Tsonga have a beautiful culture, so I played with the colors on a yellow dress. It was very sexy because in Africa, being naked is totally normal, but we just made it a taboo.
What was your favourite part in working on the designs?
Being brave enough to stop saying “winter is this color” over and over again. I think it’s boring to watch fall and winter shows because you know what colors you’ll see. No one is brave enough to celebrate color in winter, and I think that’s why we’re here. It’s like a blank canvas, so let’s fill it with color.
It’s great when people like your work, because you have to put a lot of time and effort into it. The style of Essie Apparel is very simple, elegant, and sexy, so it can be hard to get everything right. We got models with piercings in their ears and noses, and we got the LGBTQI community. I just wanted to get everyone involved and break up the space. I had a man in a wedding dress because I think that’s something we should look into and make a part of our culture.
Where to from here?
Follow the footprints and being in SA Fashion Week is always beautiful because you know the international community is gonna here as well.
What advise would you give aspiring fashion designers?
Study, study, and study it’s always great to know what you are doing and know where you are going. You need to know beading and the process of designing outfits.
Which countries would still like to penetrate in Africa?
Nigeria, Ghana, Mali, Zimbabwe, Kenya a and just all off them. Namibia is the love of my life now I absolutly love Namibia and I am there often I love the people weather and the culture. I think Africa needs to think of itself as one.