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Thebe Magugu remains humble despite stardom in fashion

He prefers quad biking to celeb parties to destress

Thango Ntwasa Lifestyle Digital Editor
The launch of Adidas x Thebe Magugu
The launch of Adidas x Thebe Magugu
Image: Cedric Nzaka

Anna Wintour, known as the pope of the fashion world, has turned thousands of designers into superstars by giving them her stamp of approval in American Vogue magazine.

There is only one SA designer who has her ready on speed dial and his name is Thebe Magugu.

Working through the maze that is the Adidas store in Sandton City, I meet the soft spoken designer in the heart of it all. Celebrating the work of his first collaboration with the sportswear giant, we catch up on life, career and more.

“My 16-year-old self manifested so hard and I’m riding so hard on the coattails of that manifestation,” he says.

And what are these accolades? For one he is the first African recipient of the LVMH Prize judged by the likes of Marc Jacobs and Dior’s Kim Jones as well as the International Fashion Showcase at London Fashion Week. Today he will reveal his collaboration with Pier Paolo Piccioli, the current designer behind high-end brand Valentino, debuting in the September issue of American Vogue.

This not only puts a brighter spotlight on Magugu but pivots him into the position millions of designers would kill for.

“Yes I work extremely hard and I don’t sleep but I also feel incredibly blessed by the powers that be that I get to do what I love every day," he says. 

A few year ago, the 26-year-old from Kimberley in the Northern Cape came close to giving up on the dream after his family struggled to pay for his fees to study fashion, which propelled him to move to Cape Town and work with Woolworths.

Thebe Magugu and Wanda Lephoto.
Thebe Magugu and Wanda Lephoto.
Image: Cedric Nzaka

But this didn’t work out either and he soon found his home and work station on the floor of an apartment near Gandhi Square, Johannesburg. It was not long that he would end up living with fellow designer Rich Mnisi and his mother, an experience that would chip away at his dream and left him wondering if it was a career worth pursing at all.

But today, the Magugu has become something of a fashion rock star who dines with the likes of French president Emmanuel Macron. Something that we laugh about when I bring up the rumour of him shyly refusing French cuisine.

“I found the confidence to say yes. I’m in Paris next to Emmanuel Macro and Naomi Campbell is there and they’re eating food I don’t know but I just want to get a well done normal burger – which is the hardest thing you can order in Paris.

"It has to at least be medium because when I asked the waiter for it, they asked who I was going to kill with it. They’re so petty,” he laughs, fondly remembering the moment.

But his meteoric rise in the world of fashion has left him with a lot of duress. As more people are forced to become celebrities for the work that they do, Magugu has felt the pressure to consider himself a celebrity.

This is something his fellow industry mavens like Mnisi or David Tlale have excelled in.

But through the glitz and glam of fashion shows in Paris and the approving nod of fashion giants, Magugu’s humility instead became a heavy burden that left him unable to see himself in his own brand.

“I’ve always felt like Thebe Magugu is someone else and I’m simply just working for him,” he says after questioning his modest approach over the past year. Instead he has taken on a redirection that he credits as “step into my own light”.

Guests at the launch of Adidas x Thebe Magugu
Guests at the launch of Adidas x Thebe Magugu
Image: Cedric Nzaka

Magugu recently put his foot down earlier this year when faced with the high pressured expectations of producing shows for the Parisian fashion calendar. Having already fashioned a collection with solutions driven high-end brand AZ Factory, Magugu decided to take a break from producing another collection for his own label.

He notes that this move was for the betterment of his own mental health and capacity to produce, he also notes that we are still far from a society that would appreciate hard workers who put themselves first.

While top designers like Alexander McQueen took to flying birds and Yves Saint Laurent built stage sets to wine down, Magugu has looked to quad bikes to escape the stressful world of fashion.

“I didn’t know I had such a need for speed. Fashion can no longer be a hobby for me because it’s my work so I looked for something else that alleviates the pressure and quad biking came up when I took a break and went to Limpopo on my own,” Magugu shares while still on the hunt for other hobbies.

Perhaps mirroring the adventurous nature of his current collection with Adidas, Magugu’s collaboration features sports apparel that blurs gender lines and is inclusive for Muslims as well. The collection pays homage to his family with its signature colour being a bold pink.

Shekhinah.
Shekhinah.
Image: Cedric Nzaka
Siphesihle Ndaba
Siphesihle Ndaba
Image: Cedric Nzaka
Boity
Boity
Image: Cedric Nzaka
Image: Cedric Nzaka
Lesego Tlhabi.
Lesego Tlhabi.
Image: Cedric Nzaka
Trevor Stuurman.
Trevor Stuurman.
Image: Cedric Nzaka
Thickleeyonce.
Thickleeyonce.
Image: Cedric Nzaka
Trevor Stuurman and Siphesihle Ndaba.
Trevor Stuurman and Siphesihle Ndaba.
Image: Cedric Nzaka
Image: Cedric Nzaka
Terry Pheto.
Terry Pheto.
Image: Cedric Nzaka

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