Fashion weeks are a vital platform for showcasing collections to buyers, press and critics alike. For many designers, they serve as an important marketing and sales channel. However, in South Africa, organizers say the traditional fashion week model has become too divorced from the realities of making and selling fashion today.

Last month, South Africa Fashion Week (SAFW) announced it was taking a “strategic pause to recalibrate and reshape its future”, with plans to unveil a new direction in January 2026. While details are still being worked out, founder and director Lucilla Booyzen says there will be a “360-degree digital rollout, followed by a combination of live and digital shows, digital marketing and storytelling from April 23, 2026”.

South Africa Fashion Week founder and director

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