One of the auditoriums at the Sandton Convention Centre was turned into a fashion frenzy on October 24 as international fashion retailer Steve Madden and multi-award-winning fashion designer Gert-Johan Coetzee joined forces.
At the airport-styled fashion show, hosted by award-winning media personality Nomalanga Shozi, guests were taken on a journey to New York as both giant brands made a powerful statement in announcing their collaboration that Coetzee is joining Steve Madden South Africa as its creative director for the Spring/Summer 24 collection.
But before that, the Steve Madden team passed Coetzee the baton in style by unveiling what they have created for the season.
The ready-to-wear collection featured a wide range of denim, shimmering skirts and branded jackets and dresses.
“As we continue to grow our apparel offering, our approach is to give our designs a touch of African influence and to bring the designs close to the people, who make us who we are.
“It’s been a pleasure collaborating with Gert Johan Coetzee and I’m excited to see everything come to life,” said Tumelo Mmusi of Steve Madden.
Coetzee then unveiled his introductory collection to the brand, showcasing a street-cool funky range inspired by the punk rock era.
“I just really want to show how diverse I can be. I have performed on the Gert-Johan Coetzee stage for many years due to my creativity.
“But Steve Madden is such a powerful brand and Gert-Johan Coetzee has such a powerful story and to tap into that was so easy and so much fun.
“Going into their archive and see what’s been done and kind of just learning from them, that was incredible and I think it’s the beginning of something wonderful,” he said.
“I wanted to bring rock and roll. I brought all my friends, you know I only work with the best so we got Mac on make-up and they exceptionally well this beautiful metallic face beat. For her hair, I got the Duchess of Mane to do the iconic 80s-styled wigs.”
The massive fashion show was attended by South Africa’s established celebrities, including Bonang Matheba, Oscar Mbo, Naida Nakai, Pearl Thuis, Khosi Twala, Lasizwe Dambuza and many others.
