When you think of SA Fashion, you think of high-end fashion, class, elegant and daring looks that will leave you in awe and ultimately drive you to shop for your favorite piece of clothing.

Read More: Essie Apparel By Enhle Steals The Show At #SAFW Day Two

In its 41st season since its inception in 1997, the annual event presented Autumn/Winter 23 collections at the Mall of Africa in Midrand from Thursday to Saturday (20 to 22 October). 

This year's annual affair was amazing, as designers understood the assignment and showcased their outstanding collections. Rising brands took over the runway and they did not miss the mark.

It's always beautiful to see young designers making their mark in the fashion industry and breaking the boundaries of fashion.

Munkus's kicked off the night with a bang and she staged her her Aw23 collection Called Umama. The designer paid tribute to her late mother in style and surely she must be proud of her.

"Women are a kaleidoscope of colours. From darkness and cold, women bring light and warmth. Women bring life to any room entered. This collection aims to do show the multifaceted feminine which also includes masculine qualities. I combine various weights of cotton fabric, from light and airy to heavier such as bull denim, to convey each persona. There is a focus on technical detail and pops of conceptual print imagery of my mother," she said.

Here's our favorite looks from Munku's collection.

Black Coffee

Black Coffee AW23, reimagines the most basic of closet staples and combines them with bags and accessories free of any animal products.

Essie.

Enhle Mbali’s AW 23 Essie collection left the crowd begging for more. Her designs were unique and she paid tribute to the LGBTQI community.

Tell us about Essie Apparel?

It was born in 2019 just before COVID-19, it was amazing with our fashion show we got to be in Vogue Italia, and we won our first international designer award and COVID-19 came, but now we are back and we are completely disrupting the space and its absolutely fine.

What inspired your designs today?

The inspiration came from colors we have in Africa and celebrating colours and translating and beading in a different way than we usually do. When we think African we think of one solid idea so I thought what would Africa be if it was for the world, so the collection came up. The Ndebele culture has beautiful colors so I played with them. The Tsonga's have a beautiful culture so I played with the colors on a yellow gown and it was very sexy because in Africa being naked is  completely normal but we just made it a taboo.

What was your favourite part in working on the designs?

Being bold enough to break the chain of "winter is this colour." I think when you watch autumn/ winter shows its so boring because you know what colors we gonna find. No one if bold enough to celebrate colour in winter and I think that's why we are here its like a blank canvas lets colour it up."

It's absolutely amazing when your work is well received because it takes a lot of blood and sweat and the style of Essie Apparel is very simplistic, elegant and sexy so getting everything right is often tricky. We got the models with earrings and nose rings, we got the LGBTQI Community. I just wanted to involve everyone and interrupt the space, and I had a man with a wedding gown and for me that is something we need to explore and be part of the culture.

Here are some of our favorite looks from her collection.

Image Cr