Fashion duo rock up in matching designs at star-studded polo event

It’s not the ultimate soirée on the Joburg social calendar if fashion designers Mzukisi Mbane and Mpumelelo Dhlamini are not part of the invite-only guest list because you are guaranteed that they will show up dressed in tandem, just to up the ante.

The style duo did exactly that and did not disappoint in co-ordination looks at the star-studded Inanda International Polo at the weekend held at the Inanda Club in Sandton. The two lead some of the most-celebrated fashion houses spearheaded by young designers with Mbane at the helm of Imprint ZA and Dhlamini steering as the driving force behind Ezokhetho.

The theme dress code for fashion lovers as they enjoyed the match between SA and Argentina was “black and white: a lexicon of fashion.”

“I’m known for colour and playing with print, but one thing I also do well is the monochromatic print. When I saw the theme, it just spoke to Imprint. “I really wanted to do something that is more classic, clean and timeless, then tying it up to paying respect to Karl Lagerfeld,” Mbane said.

“I’m always excited to see what people will do with a theme and fashion, that is the most exciting thing for me. Just seeing people out and interpreting fashion, personalising everything to work for them.”

Dhlamini added: “My inspiration was more of a futuristic feel, but still keeping it African. I would like to call it ‘African techno-glam’, especially since we are in the space of AI [artificial intelligence] and looking into the future. This was my first polo in Joburg and it was nice to meet different people, industry colleagues and friends. It was nice to catch-up.”

The pair in the last year has formed a strong friendship, which is rare to see in the competitive world of fashion.

“We met last year when stylist Thobeka [Mbane] invited him to my show. He had recently moved to Joburg. A few months later, we got an opportunity to travel to Italy as a group of eight designers. We bonded that side and we have been friends since,” Dhlamini said.

“It’s been a beautiful one because we have a lot in common and a lot that is different. It complements each other well in an industry that is so competitive, we need such friendships to build.”

Mbane echoed Dhlamini’s sentiments about their growing friendship.

“It’s rare to find friendships in fashion. What makes it work is that we are not in any way competing with each other and have found ourselves in a space where we understand that the industry exists and there is space for us to win,” Mbane said.

“I think there is this thing that if one designer wins, there is no space for another one. But it’s not like that, our understanding is if I support Mpumi, it doesn’t take away from me. We can all win.”

Other stars in attendance at the posh event included Rami Chuene, Zamani Mbatha, Kat Sinivasan, Claire Mawisa, Melody Molale, Gemaén Taylor, Mbali Sibeko and Orapeleng Modutle.