The LVMH Prize has always been a competition that fashion designers want to participate in.
The competition is organized by LVMH, the "cosmic luxury group", which has a high gold content and is known as the cradle of star designers.
Like Demna, the creative director who made Balenciaga the traffic king.
and Jacquemus, which has made mini bags and extremely wide straw hats popular all over the Internet, are excellent contestants in previous design competitions.
Note that these are just good players.
You can imagine how difficult it is to get the No.1 LVMH competition!
Most of the LVMH champions have come from Europe.
For Africa, which is close to the "fashion desert", this award is even more out of reach.
However, at the 2019 LVMH Prize design competition, a 26-year-old design champion - Thebe Magugu.
From a small South African town to the international fashion scene, his journey has not been easy.
Magugu was born in the diamond capital of Kimberley, once known as the "City of Shining".
But in fact, the huge diamond resources not only did not bring wealth to the South African people, but pushed the locals into the abyss of "blood diamonds".
In South Africa today, most of the black indigenous people still have no food for a long time, and there are even many child laborers in the mines in some areas.
They were forced to drop out of school to survive, working brutal mining jobs.
Magugu recalls when I was a child: "Occasionally I would hear gunshots outside, and I felt very lost and felt that my hometown was going to end...
In South Africa, where food and clothing have not yet been solved, not to mention how scarce fashion resources are!
When Magugu was a child, he accidentally came into contact with fashion information through satellite TV, and since then he has ignited the "little flame of fashion" in his heart.
When Magugu's mother learned that her son was interested in fashion, she did not laugh at his "absurd" fashion dream, but told him: "If you really want to do this, you must make sure to practice it every day".
With the encouragement and support of his family, this somewhat shy little boy became more determined to make his choice.
"My mother influenced me the most, she gave me the courage to pursue my dreams, and she pushed me to practice and design."
Magugu spent most of his youth sketching and reading fashion magazines.
In 8th grade, he also started a small magazine called Little Black Book.
The text content and pictures inside were all created by him alone.
This four-year-long "founding experience" also deepened his understanding of fashion.
Magugu was then admitted to LISOF (now STADIO College) in Johannesburg.
It is the only fashion school in South Africa that is internationally accredited by the British Accreditation Commission (BAC).
Magugu studied fashion design, fashion photography and fashion media here, and at that time he was particularly interested in many African cultures, so he often took the initiative to learn new knowledge after class.
Although this college is the most advanced design school in South Africa, its comprehensive strength is still far from the world's top fashion schools such as St. Martin and Parsons.
With no background in prestigious schools and not many fashion resources, Magugu graduated in 2014 and chose to work for a local fashion agency and Woolworths (an Australian retail company).
He has always dreamed of going to a bigger stage and came up with the idea of creating a brand.
But everything requires money.
Magugu, who lacked funds, painted and designed for other brands while doing photography work, properly slashing youth.
Two years after graduating, Magugu's career took a turn.
His former boss was going to do a project to support local designers, choosing three designers' products and selling them in the company's best-performing stores.
The former boss is Magugu's Bole.
It was also the year that Magugu founded its own eponymous brand, THEBE MAGUGU.
There was no additional money to hire more staff, and he did most of the work himself: drafting, designing, cutting fabrics...
His rich knowledge and work experience make him more comfortable in handling various tasks.
Spring/Summer 2017 "Geology" is the first collection launched by his personal brand.
The whole theme expresses the longing for the outdoors and the idea of wanting to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
The series references the colours of the South African Highlands Basin, which include muddy red, blood red and burnt orange, conveying positive energy.
Fine checks, high necks with ruffles, and unique prints enrich the overall vision, suitable for everyday wear while also lacking in elegance.
The simple, loose silhouette is also easy to hike in nature, and the large lapels are particularly eye-catching for a more modern touch.
THE "HOME ECONOMICS" SERIES, LAUNCHED IN AUTUMN AND WINTER 2018, SHEDS LIGHT ON THE DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES IN WHICH WOMEN IN SOUTH AFRICA LIVE TODAY.
The illustration "Girl Seeks Girl" on the costume expresses the trepidation of women in South African society, which is rife with "gender-based violence", and they need each other more than ever.
Most of the silhouettes in the collection are loose and convey a comfortable and comfortable feminine image.
A large number of asymmetrical designs have also become classic elements of the brand, and subsequent collections will often appear.
In terms of clothing color, choose dangerous and beautiful colors from the chemicals under the kitchen sink. The alkaline pink and the acidic yellow make people feel the tension and enthusiasm of South African fashion.
The Lookbook was shot based on Norwegian writer Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House.
The heroine Nala is like a "mud doll", a "doll" that her husband can fool at will.
When the heroine's independent consciousness awakened, she resolutely left the home.
This series also reflects the scarecrow-like vulnerability of contemporary South African women, but also their great inner strength.
Magugu said: "A lot of women I grew up with have this quality.
"To provide women with clothing that meets their daily needs while at the same time increasing their value" is exactly what the brand wants to convey.
Since the beginning of this series, Thebe Magugu has received more attention from the international fashion industry.
In the 2019 Designer Competition, Magugu was selected from 1,700 participants.
He was the first South African designer to win the LVMH Prize, an iconic event that shook the fashion world.
Magugu, which entered the international stage with its own strength, has also received commercial support from the LVMH group.
In an interview, Magugu said it was the first time he felt relieved since founding the brand:
I wanted to build a brand studio because I used to work from home and I wanted to hire more staff.
Magugu, who won the award, has not slowed down, and now the eponymous brand has released ten collections, handing over a beautiful answer to the fashion industry.
The media called him a "ghost designer" and everyone said he was extremely talented.
But in fact, in addition to the blessing of talent, he also paid more time and sweat than others.
The brand uses a variety of silhouettes and clean tailoring to create fashion for all women.
Rihanna once wore the Alchemy series to shoot beauty blockbusters, showing the unparalleled beauty and wildness of women.
"Black Pearl" Lao Mi wore the 23 spring/summer series to shoot Vogue fashion blockbusters, and the dreamy taro purple suit interpreted the comfortable romanticism.
British actress Naomi Watts appeared on the cover of Instyle magazine in a THEBE Magugu dress.
The exaggerated fluffy butterfly clip combined with sapphire blue has a bright sense of drama.
ALSO FROM THEBE MAGUGU, THIS POLKA-DOT DRESS FROM THE STYLISH DIVA PEN PEN IS UNIQUE TO THE CUTOUTS AND IRREGULAR PLEATS, MAKING IT BOTH PERSONAL AND SUITABLE FOR EVERYDAY WEAR.
This brand shows the toughness and femininity of women through clothing.
The exotic visual expression blends South African traditional culture with modern beauty.
His 2022SSS "Family Tree" collection is inspired by the clothes worn by family and relatives on old photos.
My mother's favorite suit and a photo of my uncle in a tie shirt are all sources of inspiration for the new season.
The collection also continues the warm colors of South Africa.
Soft and capable clothing allows different women to show different beauty, and the use of feathers, shoulder pads and other elements creates a modern and modern outfit.
In addition to this, the brand explores the socio-cultural environment of South Africa.
In the Fall/Winter 20 "Anthropology No. 1" series, the people of Kimberley participated in fashion shoots as models.
"In this beautiful and ugly region, the people still maintain unconditional love, as well as the traditional spirit of solidarity."
The series also photographs the Kimberley mining area, Magugu says: "It's like a scar, revealing the ecological violence that capital perpetrates against the environment in its quest for wealth."
I hope that these photos will make everyone remember this easily forgotten past.
The brand reinterprets South African fashion through a modern lens, while also allowing everyone to learn more about South Africa's cultural heritage.
Such a brand may be good enough to develop so far, but Magugu is not satisfied with it.
This year, he turned his sights to Africa's second-hand "rags," determined to turn them into haute couture.
Generally speaking, designers in clothing companies will ask assistants to find fabrics, not to mention Magugu, who won international awards.
But he did not have the slightest shelf of a star designer, personally went to the market to find goods, and chatted enthusiastically with the uncles and aunts of the market while selecting.
When you find the fabric you want, you're happier than anyone.
The bag he used to hold second-hand clothes was more down-to-earth, a woven bag of the same style as the Spring Festival.
Under the reinvention of this genius design, these second-hand denim clothes have become the most fashionable items of the moment.
Sustainable and eco-friendly fashion with South African style, a lot.
Passionate about remodeling, he also agreed with Valentino's creative director: to exchange and design each other's work.
Valentino dresses were transformed by him to form a new and creative silhouette.
The crown is made of a skirt that is upside down, and the overall shape is charming but not enchanting.
Valentino director designed the Thebe Magugu coat as an elegant cloak.
Be a brand, sell explosive models, and go to the peak of your life from then on...
This phrase may be suitable for most designers, but when used to summarize Magugu's experience, it seems small.
It is precisely because of the rain that he wants to "hold an umbrella" for others.
To promote HIV prevention and education projects for young people in South Africa, he also partnered with Dior to launch a capsule collection inspired by "New Look" while donating to charity.
Another project is the exhibition "Porte-bonheurs" in collaboration with Le Bon Marché, an art installation made of 20,000 fabric flowers.
The flowers were handmade, and they invited more than a hundred South African women to stitch and embroider.
Helping vulnerable people in South Africa is important for Magugu.
While philanthropic projects are nothing new, it's rare for designers like him to be committed.
He also said he would leave garment production jobs on the African continent, not just in South Africa, so that more jobs could be created.
When he was growing up, the shadow of apartheid and racial discrimination still hung over South Africa, and most blacks remained in towns with high levels of poverty.
Magugu hopes to use his influence to change the way the world thinks about South Africa.
He founded Faculty Press magazine to promote South African culture and provide a platform for art creators to showcase.
"I have always strived for excellence and encouraged my peers to do the same, and despite the limited resources available in South Africa, good things will always stand out and be recognized."
Sometimes, we can't change our environment, but we can change ourselves.
If you are poor, you will be good for yourself, and Magugu will benefit the world at the same time, and Magugu has achieved the ultimate in this.
Because of his dazzle, the world has also become a little gentler.
Image source / Internet
Written by, edited / Jane
Responsible Editor / 77, Honey