Burda Style For people who sew

Picture the texture of the braided hair of black women; the silhouettes of African mothers who have wrapped their children into blankets to carry them on their back; the urban reality of daily improvisation in the ghettos in Cape Town and “Joíburg”; and the manifold themes of self-expression of South Africa’s youth black and white – in their search for a new identity, after their liberation from the apartheid regime. All this lived experience shines through the designs of the eight South African fashion designers that were nominated for the Mercedes-Benz Award for South African Art and Culture 2009

As diverse as South Africa’s society, are the origins and the designs of the eight nominees: iconic street ware, romantic opulence, Afro-bohemia, urban warriors and reshaped traditions that lie somewhere between history and future.

Of course there can only be one winner, Black Coffee,

an established design team whose winning robes are inspired by the traditional ochre colored skin of the Himba. Combining non-natural fabrics with rope and brass zips, they draped their creations and pinned them together to form shapes that go beyond the traditional and remind us of the silhouettes of people standing in the wide open space of Namibia’s desert.

As impressive as their creation may be, the real fascination emanates from the entire group of nominees and their diversity. Only together can they tell the stories of South Africa’s history and modernity and do justice to the multifarious facets and fortunes, the dreams and realities of this country on its a rugged road of recovery from its cruel past (in which international companies like Mercedes Benz also had a role to play.)

If you visit the page, take the time to look at the designs and read the stories of all of them – but especially read between the lines! And if you are in Berlin, don’t miss the exhibition of the works that will be on until August 30th in the Daimler Kunstsammlung.

Fotos © 1998-2009 Daimler AG and Yves Picq